My first ideas of China probably stem from reading The adventures of Tintin repeatedly as a child. I can still recall colourful drawings of crowded streets of Shanghai from one of the books where Tintin went to China. I seized the first opportunity I got to do the same myself, for a different purpose though, which was to study Chinese for a year in Beijing, when I was twenty years old. China has been in my heart ever since and I have longed to reconnect with the country. It is thus with great pleasure that I have spent this time in Xiamen.

What intrigues me the most now, when I revisit China, is to see how effortlessly the ancient culture seems to blend with modern life. To stumble into a beautiful temple in the middle of a construction site or see an old man collect leaves from a traditional boat in Zhongshan park with the skyscrapers of the city in sight. Some wearing traditional headwear and others trendy garments, like from the latest collection of Louis Vuitton. The beauty of the people, diligently going about their business whether it is sweeping the streets, delivering merchandise on motorbikes or teaching at the university, all important contributions to society.

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