China

Every day I become more and more fascinated by China, what is happening there right now and what is likely to happen in the future – I think it really is a momentous time and one which we will all probably look back at in wonder and awe. Yes there are huge risks of course, political and economic stability etc. but the opportunities are absolutely immense!

I read somewhere once that in world and economic influence, there were three distinct periods: the Mediterranean (old), the Atlantic (present) and the Pacific (future). The former I guess being the post ‘biblical’ and European influences, the Atlantic being dominated by the Western European and American influence and the Pacific being where the future influence was going to come from.

I think that we are witnessing now the emergence of that ‘Pacific’ or future influence in world terms driven from the ‘new’ economies of the countries around the Pacific Rim but principally China. This is and will continue to have profound effects on the lives of everyone; yes that’s including you and me!

Shirley and I have been to China twice; firstly before the handover of Hong Kong we visited there and travelled to Canton, returning to Kowloon by the ‘International’ train which used to run between mainstream China and the New Territories which were really, I think, part of Hong Kong.

And then we returned for a second visit to that amazing place on earth that Hong Kong was and still is, after the Chinese had ‘taken over’ – we didn’t think that it had changed very much, from a tourist viewpoint and the new airport on Lantau Island was in our opinion, the best in the world at that time! We’ve enjoyed both our trips there and always look forward to going back!

But there is so much more to see in China, the culture, the huge size of the country, the number of people, everything!! Plus the pace of change now of course!! It’s a place I want to see more of before too long! Plus I’m thinking of adding to my ‘Must Do’ list – to learn Mandarin!