White roads hewn out of limestone cliffs set against an unexpectedly green landscape provide an unusual welcome to airborne tourists as they descend into Guiyang, capital of Guizhou province. It's a three-hour flight from Beijing, and then a two-hour drive to Zunyi, our first destination.
Wang Fuyu's eyes sparkle talks about tourism in Guizhou province. The deputy secretary of the Communist Party of Guizhou fires off a string of data, the most striking of it a 58 percent growth rate in tourism revenue for the first half of this year.
After many years of green development, Guiyang, capital city of southwestern China's Guizhou province, is starting to attract ecologically friendly industries.
Guilt is a terrible thing to bring to a table. For hours our small bus had been buffeted by nature's wrath, exposed on Guizhou's mountain passes, and only the dexterity and skill of our driver kept us this side of paradise.
Decisions that have repercussions throughout the rest of our lives are often made in the strangest of places - in the back of a car, a subway platform, at the third table from the left in the local KFC or even in the WC. Decisions that affect the fate of nations are often reached in the unlikeliest of settings too.