My fascination with China began in Scotland
A few minutes’ walk from Strathclyde is the Merchant City, a former commercial area now renovated into an attractive zone of quality dining and residence. It is home to the City Halls, a large auditorium where I would be invited to deliver talks for the Royal Scottish Geographical Society on my many China experiences including in 1993, ‘A Year in Guangdong’.
Strathclyde is close to the historic core of Glasgow, an area dating back to when the city grew from a small rural settlement on the River Clyde before become the largest seaport in Scotland. With origins from Medieval times or earlier, its rapid expansion came through 19th and early 20th century industrial growth. My childhood memories were of many shipyards and dock facilities along the riverbanks near where I grew up.
