Steve Hemingway

I have recently come back from a three-week trip to China. I am now busy and don't really have time to describe it in detail.

As always I learned a lot from visiting this huge country.

Beijing

I went here in the thick of the Olympic activity. Really I wish I'd never gone. The Olympics made the city amazingly expensive and difficult to get around. The hotels were 60% empty but, no doubt, had record profits. The visitors to the Olympics, as far as I could see, comprised politicians and bureaucrats, predominantly, as far as I could see.

Old Beijing really has been destroyed by the communists. There is really very little of its history left, apart from a few temples and palaces. There didn't seem to any decent museums. Maybe I just needed a better guide.

Xi'an

Xi'an was our favourite place in China. The historical sites around it are fantastic. The atmosphere needs to be cleaned up. The Olympics made their presence felt even out here as the expressway to the Qin Dynasty mausoleum (think terracotta warriors) was closed to allow some VIP convoy to travel in exclusive luxury.

Shanghai

Shanghai is a great world city, although also suffers from persistent low visibility. Superb museum - the Shanghai Museum, although some galleries were closed for restoration. Very expensive place, although not for the hotel.

Guilin

A great antidote to industrial China. A glimpse of traditional agricultural practice. Clean air and wonderful scenery. A city dominated by tourism. Very many English-speaking guides offering very good deals. I came across a great guide there, Jerry Wang. He has a number of guides working for him who speak good English, including Jenny Wang (possibly no relation) whose number is 33229259.

Hong Kong

A bit of the home counties dropped into Far Eastern Asia. Such a wonderful place. Astonishing legacy of the Brits. We should be proud.

Shenzhen, Ningbo, Guangzhou, Foshan

At the end of the family holiday I travelled around various industrial cities visiting factories and talking to the international sales departments of first class international companies. This was in many ways the most interesting part of my journey. Please see China Direct Partners for more details on what we do. I can offer UK
businesses the opportunity to source virtually anything from China, although principally products used by the construction industry. If you are interested in sourcing from China and would like us to introduce you to our manufacturing contacts in China then contact me through the website. Once you have seen the factories and talked to their owners you will have no doubt about their determination to expand their international operations. I am particularly interested in talking to UK manufacturing who might consider providing China-manufactured products on an OEM basis.

I was privileged to visit Oulin on my last visit to China.

"Y Mochyn Du (the Black Pig) is a very Welsh pub/restaurant, located a stone's throw from the Sophia Gardens Sports Centre. It has great character, with wood panelling on stone walls and little alcoves.
The restaurant serves a good range of food, with specials and Sunday roasts.
It attracts a real mix of characters, from rugby and football players to BBC and S4C workers. They sponsor Robert Croft, captain of Glamorgan Cricket Team.
Live entertainment includes Welsh folk music, Welsh quizzes, and even opera. They support 3 Welsh choirs."

This is from Cardiff Pubs. I am from Cardiff, but have never been to this pub, even though it is (just) within walking distance of my family home there. It featured in the Independent's 25 Best Pubs list, chosen by Roger Protz. Oddly enough he also chose The Lower Red Lion in the 25. This is within striking distance of me, although not on foot.

I will try to make a note here after I've visited them, which I plan to do soon!