Whilst on my trip to China, I found myself in Shenzhen, the city my parents are from. It was too good an opportunity not to visit my father’s childhood village. Our driver was pleased to be able to speak some Cantonese and tell me about how the area had changed in the past few years.

My father told me stories of his childhood, of a tiny fishing village, surrounded by fields. I was a little sad to see how the village had changed, but then, that’s progress.

I had already caught a glimpse of Shenzhen from the Hong Kong border so I was expecting somewhere built up. Ironically, the Hong Kong village I’ve viewed Shenzhen from is tiny and of a bygone age.

Just as we were about to leave, I saw a bike coming towards us, with a mattress as a companion …