Historic Glasgow Cathedral 2019. [Photo by Bruce Connolly/chinadaily.com.cn]

Glasgow is a major world-leading centre for education with several outstanding universities, increasingly attended by Chinese students. Indeed, in my earlier academic days there were few overseas students. Today, particularly if I walk around some areas of the city, such as Partick and Byres Road, I regularly heard Putonghua spoken. Some districts have restaurants providing dishes instantly recognizable whether in Beijing or Sichuan alongside long-established outlets offering the long-popular Cantonese cuisine. Indeed some offer two quite different menus, one in Chinese, the other in English. Chinese-run supermarkets and shops sell many items that students from across China would be familiar with.