China has come a long way since Mao Zedong is said to have quipped that his country could not put a potato into space. Chang’e 1 is named after the legendary beautiful moon goddess who flew away to the moon. But Chang’e 1 the space vessel will first spin around the Earth broadcasting patriotic songs, before heading towards the moon.

Where I come from, the "business card" does pretty much exactly what it says on the tin. While lots of business professionals are likely to have them, they tend to be exchanged almost exclusively in “business” situations, that is, when one party has a service to offer the other and wants them to get in contact.

The ultimate Sunday pampering indulgence: an hour’s foot massage followed by one hour of full body massage, with delicate Oriental xylophone music floating in the background.

Recently I have found myself with a rather lovely problem. I’ve got this great Chinese friend who I get on with brilliantly and who always has great ideas for places to visit and restaurants to eat in. We meet regularly, and she has lots of patience as I try and express myself in Mandarin.

The one thing I was completely unfamiliar with before I arrived, but seems an essential skill in China, is bargaining. Now, in the Silk Market at least, it is no secret that you are expected to haggle.

The first week of October will soon be here, which is very good news if you are in China because it means that everybody has a week’s holiday. This is the ‘National holiday’, commemorating the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.