China facing retreat returning data (8)
I believe the answer is:
material
'data' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'china facing retreat returning' is the wordplay.
'china' becomes 'mate' (china plate is Cockney rhyming slang for mate).
'facing' says to put letters next to each other.
'retreat' becomes 'lair' (both can mean a private hideout).
'returning' says the letters should be written in reverse.
'lair' written backwards gives 'rial'.
'mate'+'rial'='MATERIAL'
(Other definitions for material that I've seen before include "Relevant sort of cloth?" , "Tangible substance" , "Preoccupied with physical, rather than spiritual, substance" , "I am alert to find cloth or information" , "Fabric, stuff" .)