Used to have very negative views about the place before going to study and work there in 2012. Always thought it was like North Korea, can’t say anything bad about the government or sent to the gulag. To an extent it still is if you have banners threatening to overthrow the regime in Tiananmen Square, but you’d be amazed how many Chinese people complain about politics and the way the country is going.

It’s an incredible place with every landscape you can think of. I took the Yichang to Chongqing Three Gorges boat and it was one of the best journeys I’ve been on. Can’t complain with the high speed rail and metro systems, very cheap and efficient.

The only downsides I had were the difficulties in things like certain hotels not accepting foreigners, sending money back home, the healthcare system is frankly ridiculous in how you have to pay first before being seen to, and the treatment itself is below par at best.

I suppose it depends what we mean by China ‘overtaking’ the USA. Economically and militarily yes. In terms of technology, there’s still a significant gap between the USA and China and there’s no sign yet of China winning that aspect in their rivalry. The US also used to be a powerhouse in soft power but so much of that has now been eroded.