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

Guangzhou in 1992/93 initially was not an easy city for me to live in. So much construction, traffic congestion, vast numbers of people moving south from all over China in search of work and hopefully fortune. There were times, yes moments I yearned for return to Scotland, to continue my passion of the great outdoors, of climbing mountains. Yet it was my students, my colleagues who bonded with me, who introduced me to everyday life in Guangzhou, who took me to their towns and villages across the province. What they gave to me, I ended up not just loving Guangzhou but also really appreciating what China was offering me.

I vowed then I wanted to travel the length and breadth of this vast country, to also record its inevitable transition through my photography. Back in Scotland I would share the experiences through many public talks, even bringing groups from the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, first to Yunnan and later to China's Northwest. Visitors to Beijing, including three times the Lord Provosts (Mayor) of Glasgow, I would take around the city, explaining history and different phases of development. In my earlier years, a fascination was to identify the influences of Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties on Beijing's layout, Often the visitors would see why people such as myself have developed this ceaseless enthusiasm.