Water-town scenery Tianzhuang. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Before heading back to Wuxi East Station there was a visit to the Lucky Metal Handicraft Company. It produced many amazing varieties of high quality tableware, some featured in Beijing's Great Hall of the People. A sizable order for its produce also came from the Dubai royal family. It was a pleasure to meet Yao Shirong, creator of some beautiful metal carvings on display.

The return journey to Beijing gave me time to think over the experiences had in and around Zhangjiagang. A city only two weeks previously I knew nothing about but within only a few days I had developed a deep fascination for. There is obviously much more still to discover and document about this attractive, indeed very pleasant part of Jiangsu within the vibrant lower Yangzi River.

I smile when I hear the term "small city" for what may be "small" in China is likely to be larger than my Scottish home, Glasgow with just over 600,000 is Scotland's largest and fourth in the UK. Zhangjiagang has a population around 1.6 million! What can I say?