I have been to every province in China, and the book is made up of travel stories about the places I have been and the experiences I have had. For instance, I have been hosted in first-class establishments in Shanghai, been drunk with miners in Inner Mongolia, wandered out in the Gobi desert, and nearly been sick on the embalmed body of Chairman Mao.
This book is about being a Western expat adjusting to life in Asia, first in Hong Kong and then in Shanghai. It is about negotiating with local people on whether prostitutes are required after dinner, singing Chinese songs in the middle of meetings, and finding the only spot in the country without an army of tourists spoiling the photos.
I wish to share travel and living stories from Hong Kong and every province in China, through the eyes of one fascinated, curious, worried, reckless, adventurous, queasy, stunned, and quite tired English expat.
About the author
I have always loved to travel. Right from the time I went around the world as a baby in my parents’ arms, travelling has been in my blood.
As I grew older, I started looking at longer-term trips away from home. Aged 18, I took the obligatory gap year, experiencing a life in America which I had only before seen on television or in films. It made me realise that maybe there was more out there in the world to understand, see, and be a part of.
I went to Hong Kong for the first time in 1990 and then again in 1995. The 1995 trip also featured my first tentative steps onto mainland Chinese soil. Despite a bad case of food poisoning spoiling my view somewhat, even then I found China fascinating. What a different world from suburban London.
In 2002 I moved permanently to Hong Kong and lived there for four frenetic years. That time included regular trips into all different parts of China, and from those trips, these stories started. I had an intermission from China when I moved to Dubai in 2006, but in late 2008 I took the opportunity to return to Asia to live in Shanghai, where I live to this day. This book is about what I have found there.
I continue to be on a journey of exploration through one of the most historic, dynamic, and fascinating countries in the world. I hope that my journey will continue for some time, and I thank you for joining me for the story so far.
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