ASIA NEWS

According to one current Chinese-language guidebook to
Britain, Trafalgar Square, Karl Marx's grave and the
British Museum are among the highlights of London. Westminster's
Big Ben clock - Da Ben Zhong in Chinese, which
translated directly means "big stupid clock" - is also
praised. "The most precise time-teller in the UK!
Although it did break twice."

Soho provides a taste of home - "All Chinese tourists
will be taken here because they simply need to eat
Chinese food when they are abroad," says the guide.
But that part of London also provides other
attractions. "The male tourists always ask to see the
red light district, so they are always taken there.
The red light district is not as developed in Britain
as in other parts of Europe," the book says.

Clarks shoes has a reputation as a prestige brand
because it was introduced to China in the 1980s via
Hong Kong. Provenance is important to the Chinese when
it comes to buying goods, so they are also drawn to
brands such as Dunhill and Burberry, which are seen as
quintessentially British.

Oliver Twist is a very popular book in China and the
title of the Chinese version translates as Foggy City
Orphan.