ABOUT ChineseCurrents.com 

Thanks for dropping by. 

For me, the 'Chinese Currents' metaphor conveys a sense of the incredible scale and complexity of change that Chinese people have had to navigate through since the flood gates of economic development were finally forced open.  The economic 'sea-change' over the past 30 years has, in varying degrees, affected and continues to affect the entire poulation of 1.4 billion.  The extent of the social change that has been driven by this force has to be seen to be believed. 

The 'sea-change' has been mostly good.  In fact mostly very good indeed.  Tens of millions have been lifted out of poverty.  Hundreds of millions have witnessed an amazing increase in their disposable income.  And also, there are now more than a million people who have accumulated wealth in excess of 10 million yuan.  This group are powering the development of the private sector, as well as the incredible growth in the luxury brand category.

As with all "sea-changes", however, there is also a large degree of unpredictability, not to mention disorientation.  As a society shifts from "fairness" (everyone in the same boat, having very little) to increasing inequality – when neighbours who used to have as little as everyone else suddenly and conspicuously have more than those next door – then discontent is inevitable. 

This "proximity of inequality", as I call it, is the most dangerous current on China's development voyage, because the increasing "closeness" of inequality has a far bigger effect on the psyche – and, in particular, on people's notion of status and well-being – than inequality per se.   

In the 30+ years since my first visit, I've been lucky enough to journey to all of China's 34 provinces, municipalities and regions, and to more than 100 cities. My constant exposure to the complexity and magnitude of China's changing currents continues to remind me that, even though so much water has passed under the bridge since my first visit in 1988, my learning curve is as steep as ever. 

I love to photograph what I see, and write about what I see and hear.  My longest trip was a 35-day 10,603-mile rail journey from Beidaihe to north-eastern China, then to Tibet, and from Tibet to southern and then eastern China, and back to where I started from.