'Welcome to China' thirty four years ago remains true today

In remoter, mountain areas, which may look picturesque from a distance, close up I was confronted with poor, often difficult living conditions. Lengthy train journeys would carry me through Guizhou, passing areas where villages had no road access, only tracks for walking or by mule. River journeys introduced towns where the only transport link was by boat. Over the years I have witnessed programmes across China that vastly improved living standards while eradicating rural poverty. Guizhou a prime example. This has been one of China's outstanding achievements along with creating the world's longest, most efficient high-speed rail network - something that I have benefited from considerably.

I mentioned how little was known of China's story back in my homeland. The situation did improve at the time of Beijing 2008 Olympics. Indeed elements of Chinese language study appeared in some school curriculums, sadly the momentum of those days has declined. I led a study tour for Scottish senior high school students to China in 2004. a very fulfilling experience, being able to explain first hand about the country's development, answering their questions. Standing on the Bund at Shanghai while looking across to the skyline of Pudong is an image they will retain any time they would hear mention of China. A picture worth a thousand words!

Visiting a country, meeting the people can often be much more rewarding than simply studying text books. Indeed without visiting countries, particularly those of significantly different culture, language, history and race, it is very easy for misunderstandings to emerge.