This is the story about a Treasure Hunt: one which took place across the length and breadth of China.

The object was to see, and photograph, as many of China’s greatest treasures as possible. Those treasures range from the pottery made as early as 6,000 years ago by animal-skin-clad neolithic peoples; the beautiful bronze vessels cast about 2,500 years ago during the Chinese Bronze age; and the fine architecture and art that was created during the dynasties of the Ming and Qing.

We also wanted to explore the many technical achievements by the Chinese over the ages which have included the building of the Great Wall; the manually-excavated 1200-mile Grand Canal; and river-diversion, irrigation and river-taming systems that were all created more than 2000 years ago.

Centuries-old agricultural skills, fishing with cormorants, fabric dying and weaving, the invention of silk, intricate embroidery, the creation of classical gardens and the theatrical arts were all of considerable interest to us as well.

We also admired and photographed some of China’s modern achievements. These include their successful effort to save the Giant Panda from extinction, the preservation of stunning wild and pristine landscapes, the reclamation of polluted lakes and the amazing and innovative architecture of the high-rise buildings in Shanghai and Hong Kong.

And then there were the Chinese people themselves. As always, it is the people who make the difference when travelling in a country and our memories of the Chinese people are vivid and warm. The many people who helped us and who fed us, were a friendly, enthusiastic, charming, warm, genuine people who it will be hard to forget.