The sap rises and barriers go up as China prepares for the year's biggest political event

People walk past the Great Hall of the People in Beijing before the opening of the Two Sessions. Photograph: Pedro Pardo/Getty The magnolia tree outside my window came out overnight on Monday, a couple of dozen pink flowers peeking out of plump, furry buds that looked like overgrown gooseberries. By midafternoon, many of the flowers had opened out and by five o'clock a couple of bees were humming around them, touching down gently on each one before moving along. A neighbour came for a cup of tea on the balcony a couple of days later to admire the tree, which…