I grew-up in a big city and spent over three years working in London, and also in another city, when I was younger. It was a great experience: Hyde Park Corner, museums, galleries, live rock concerts,great pubs, cinema, interesting friends (apart from the Young Marxist group - who were associates of a houseshare buddy). But I yearned to be near the sea and wanted a more rural, clean-air and 'crime-free' environment. Some people thrive on big city life, but many of the people I met through work and other activities in London actually lived in the leafy suburbs. Each to his own I suppose, but it all depends what people want from the China experience.

A few years back I spent time in the phlegm-gobbing 'capital' of China where livestock was slaughtered on the pavement among the parked cars and close to the bus stop, and taxi drivers seemed to have a death-wish - and that was enough. I'm not squeamish or incapable of adapting and I've been to many places in the world, but given the stark choice between being in the line of fire of an Egyptian camel and a wheezy, possibly TB infected person, the camel seems a better option.

[Pause, while someone responds about the 'real' China or says something about expectations, Western values or Chinese culture].