Sunday afternoon as I was strolling through Guangzhou, I noticed a big (OK, everything here is big), Ikea. This Ikea was one on the funniest, laugh out loud, days I had in China. It will be a 'forever memory' for me.As soon as I entered the absolutely packed store, it hit me. All Ikeas, all over the world, sell the same stuff and their stores are marketed in exactly the same way.   There is a familiarity with the brand that I have only ever found ...

I know where underpants come from. And jeans and party dresses and watches and purses and socks and medical supplies and accessories. They come from Guangzhou. Just as I saw hours and hours of factories from my train window – in Guangzhou, I saw the world coming to one city, to buy all of these things. Truly mind blowing and amazing: the scale of purchasing that goes on in this city. The whole world was there – in the street, in the massive build...