Communism
In the late fifties Mao Tse Tung embarked on an industrial revolution to boost China’s progress. He ordered ridiculous quotas of steel to be produced by every little village, town, school and community. In desperation to meet the quotas the Chinese melted everything they could lay their hands on - farm implements, hospital beds, pots and pans – farmers stopped planting to hunt for scraps of iron. Two years later 30 million Chinese starved to death.

Below a picture of the thousands of disused furnaces for melting steel – an ominous reminder on the outskirts of every small town, village and city.

The impact of the communist regime is still palpable everywhere. The older people stared at us with open suspicion, or sometimes even contempt. Some motels were reluctant to take us in for the night, as foreigners were until recently not allowed to stay anywhere but in designated (over-priced) hotels. Internet cafes are desperately scarce and access is restricted to sites approved by the State. And finally square, regimented apartments provide State-approved accommodation, while ugly, grey factories still provide employment to thousands.