For the magical mystery tour of a lifetime, there’s no place like China

HOW could you not fall in love with a country like China that labours massively to make foreign visitors welcome after centuries of isolation?

Mind you, some of their attempts, particularly in translation, leave lasting effects on the memory. In one restaurant, we were offered, by way of a special delicacy I assume, “chicken without a sex life”. And in another of our hotels, there was a very helpful sign on the ground floor — “If it’s on fire, don’t use the lift”.

We’ve just come back — four of us, Mary and Julian Davis, Frieda and myself — from a 16-day tour of China, after 14 days feeling immensely proud of the Irish athletes, volunteers, and families at the Special Olympic World Games in Shanghai. Last week I tried to convey some impressions of how this giant of a country has changed. But here’s a brief diary of some experiences and highlights that I reckon everyone should try to sample at least once.