Zhang Yan: Unraveling a tangled web

Best story: In July, I traveled to Shenzhen, Guangdong province, a center of money laundering, to conduct an in-depth undercover report about underground banks. The story provided insights into how these "black banks" secretly transfer their clients' illegal gains overseas while trying to avoid the police.

Most interesting person: Lin Weidong, who used to work for an underground bank in Shenzhen. He and his accomplices approached potential customers on the city's financial street. He had conducted illegal transfers of money and assets for high-level business people, heads of State-owned companies and corrupt officials. In light of the risk posed by the official crackdown on corruption and other safety concerns, Lin quit the business.

Best Interview: During an interview with Xu Jinhui, director of the Anti-Corruption and Bribery Bureau at the Supreme People's Procuratorate in March, Xu disclosed that China had produced "a priority list of alleged corrupt Chinese officials" believed to be at large in the US and had offered the list to the authorities and requested their assistance. When the story was printed, a spokeswoman from the United States Department of State made an immediate response, saying the US had received the list and would "assist the Chinese judicial authorities to conduct further investigations".

Most memorable reporting experience: In April, I conducted an exclusive interview with Fu Kui, former director of the International Cooperation Bureau at the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the nation's top anti-graft watchdog. He told me China had offered evidence and requested Interpol to issue "red warrants" to 100 major corrupt officials who are still at large at popular destinations overseas. To date, about 20 economic fugitives from the list have been brought back to China to stand trial.