As we were driving to the Chengdu Research Base for Giant Panda Breeding (sic) north of the city of Chengdu, I noticed that the traffic lights had four lights rather than the usual three red, yellow and green ones. The fourth light was a bicycle light. Not that we saw many bicycles; in Chengdu, they clearly have been replaced by electric mopeds and scooters.
I asked Ben, our guide, what he'd had for breakfast: baozi (large dumplings) and soybean milk, he replied. Whenever he speaks, he reminds
