More religion today Woo Hoo. Started at Wild Goose Pagoda. Why the cool name I hear you ask? Well ... The Taoist zealots were sitting needing meat as they hadn't made it to local tesco in 1500AD. Like all good men, they desired a good feed and needed meat! So they prayed to the Gods and hey presto a goose fell from the sky at their feed. Next thing you know roast goose dinners all round, and a new temple named after a wild goose feast. So why build the Pagoda I...

'What happens if they come alive and kill us all Mr Hughes?' This was the first question of the day from one of my students upon seeing thousands of Terracotta warriors. Part of me could see what he meant. These lifelike statues where amazing, different faces on each life sized head. That and the fact there were over 6000 of them! The afternoon was spent cycling round the city walls of Xi'an, 90 mins on a bicycle (now that's a sore ass!) Yuwen informed me it...

1st April 2013-Shanghai What is it that makes religion so fascinating? A group of fanatics devoting their lives to the unbelievable, unlikely and unheard off. It never ceases to amaze me the practices, traditions and superstitions that people will carry out in the name of a higher power and not a signal person will bar an eyelid. "The tiny tornado of swirling ash swept through the temple court depositing its heavy burden of dust, smoke and paper over the fee...

Pop, pop, pop (ears just went) Pop, pop,pop (feeling slightly giddy now) Pop pop pop (bodies shifting weight on feet and slightly swaying) Pop, crackle pop (too hot, and claustrophobic) LET ME OUT! 21 people emerge from the tiny lift, 80 floors and over 600m later to be welcomed by the skyscraper skyline of modern Shanghai. To me...Fish fingers which jut from the ground sticking it to the sky, the crowning glory of commercial success. Our day includes a visit ...

Arrived in Shanghai. Really strange to stay in a nice hotel! Made for quick escape to find authentic China beyond holiday inn, and grabbed some noodles with Yuwen back of 9.30pm. The guy literally beat the hell out of these noddles before serving them in the hottest soup ever. Throw in a tonne of coriander and its magic! The tiny street vender with the plastic stools and cupboard sized shop was as close to real as life gets! 25 local Chinese people all speaki...