Recently a couple of the other teachers and I accompanied some students to their English exams in Hefei, a four hour minibus ride from hell over narrow provincial roads with craters like the moon.

Hefei is the capital of Anhui province and its industry and population have mushroomed over the last few years. It is now home to about 6 million people. It is easily the most miserable place I’ve visited in China. To be fair, it was raining on-and-off both days we were there, but that’s no excuse for the smog and the squalor. It set me off on an “I hate China” week.

One oasis in the middle of the madness was the delightful little Shipyard Cafe, run by a charming Englishman and his Chinese interior designer wife. It looks a bit ropey in the photograph, all shuttered up – we had to wait for it to open – but it’s a great spot and I think the only foreign-run establishment in the city. Steak & chips and a drop of French burgundy was like a gift from the gods – I certainly wasn’t keen on eating anywhere else in town.