Thirty two years watching the evolution of China

However, China still retains its many historic treasures, such as the palaces and temples of Beijing, the European-style architecture of cities such as Qingdao and Tianjin or the ancient Yunnan towns of Dali and Lijiang. Many of these places today are easily accessible on the tourist trail thanks to infrastructure improvements, whether it be high-speed rail, airports or expressways, all helping to open up the country while helping to promote growth.

A friend back in Scotland recently wrote to me on-line about my initial train journey to China 32 years ago. “Imagine what you would have missed in your life if you had never made that journey, it was a life-changer,” he commented. And he’s right: it led me to be in China right through periods of incredible change across the country.