Due to a clerical error (that's the polite way of phrasing it) I'm in Shanghai for a day longer than anticipated, so you all get treated to my latest blog entry! The city is pretty spectacular, with giant skyscrapers and high rise flats spreading as far as the eye can see. I've heard the population is in the region of 20 million, and it's not that difficult to believe. I've seen a number of the touristy sights, but I haven't really got a feel for the city - it...

Its around a week since I touched down in Beijing, and I've certainly not been wanting for things to do. Here are the highlights of Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. On Tuesday I decided to go to the summer palace YiHeYuan, which used to be a retreat for the later (Qing dynasty) emperors. The palace is about 30 km outside the centre of Beijing, and a pain to get to. I walked half an hour to a bus stop (though only had to wait for 5 minutes), before a fairly to...