The Taipei Times has picked up this great story originally printed in The Guardian about Britain's first-ever delegation of official Chinese tourists.
Chinese visitors had previously only been able to come here on student or business visas but it turns out that six months ago the UK was granted approved destination status by China allowing tour operators to bring real tourists over for the first time with great results:
"She said Queen is 79. She say she is old lady. She say she looks like her mother... Mrs Thatcher she closed this castle. Shut... Many cameras! Many terrorists!"
And while the first group of tourists may be getting a slightly skewed version of the capital it probably isn't helped by the crap that Visit Britain thrusts on them in a carrier bag like they were contestants on some Noel Edmonds fronted kid's show from 1979:
a goody bag representing this image of a modern, go-ahead Britain: a Harrods carrier bag, a can of London Pride beer, a cuddly lion, a CD of Chicago - The Musical and a mug
All great ideas for the oft threatened line of Londonist branded crap quality merchandise that we talk about in the pub from time to time.
The last word on London goes to Lin Li:
I am very lucky dog to be here! This is American English. It means I am very lucky lady indeed
Which makes the likes of us who actually live here perhaps the luckiest dogs in the world.
