The writer at the Pink Mosque in Shiraz. [Photo by Tan Yingzi/China Daily]

Until I met Amin, an living in Geneva, 10 years ago, I knew little about the country he came from-even if that knowledge was a little more substantial than that of many Chinese who confuse Iran with its neighbor Iraq.

Before long, Amin, an engineer in a chocolate factory in Zurich, and I had become firm friends, and my veil of ignorance about Iran gradually lifted. Over the years he told me many stories about how he and his family had fled the country after the Islamic Revolution in 1979 when he was a baby, and eventually a special affection grew in me for this distant and ancient country.

It seemed that it would be only a matter of time before I would set foot in it, and that opportunity finally came when five friends and I boarded a flight from Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region to Teheran at the end of September.

Often for Chinese one of the biggest impediments to visiting other countries is the hassle of getting visas. However, in this regard Iran is relatively painless: all that is needed is a valid passport, a couple of photos, 500 yuan ($85) and three working days. In fact if that seems like too much of an effort, it is possible to apply for a visa on arriving in the country. (Lonelyplanet.com says 15-day tourist visas can be granted on arrival to visitors from about 65 countries, but that "notable absentees are Britain and the US".)