Flying Scotsman Settles in Utopian China

Early retiree he may be, but the last thing you could call 53-year-old Bruce Connolly is retiring--by nature, that is. He's a natural communicator whose words come in knowledgeable torrents, a skill honed by decades teaching geography in classrooms, and delivering lectures to adult British audiences about the wonders of China, its culture and history, subjects on which he is a human encyclopaedia. He is especially voluble when enthusing about the transformation of the Chinese capital in recent years, a modernization faithfully recorded in his ever-growing photographic library.

"I first came here thirteen years ago, when changes were starting to take place," he says, "but I never dreamt that Beijing would become what it is today, and what we now know it will be like in coming years--a world-class metropolis. Many other Chinese cities too are taking on a whole new look as part of the country's opening up."

Connolly is Scotland's, arguably Britain's, biggest China enthusiast. One suspects that his being so borders on a state of mind as much as his being a straightforward admirer of all things Chinese and oriental, people above all ... a love affair sparked by a two-week holiday in 1989.

He recalls: "That first visit was to fulfill a long-held dream of traveling on the Trans-Siberia railway from Glasgow in Scotland, across Europe into Russia, down into Mongolia and China, and finishing in Hong Kong. Little did I realize it was a journey which was to continue for thirteen years, and which has taken me to many corners of China, including places where foreigners had never been. Every kilometer of my travels has been both an education and privilege."

In Scotland, Connolly is acknowledged as a China expert, hence initially his chairmanship (now honorary presidency) of the Scotland China Association, a non-profit bridge-building body that organizes Scottish tours to China, and vice versa. And as a member of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, Connolly is often called upon to attend seminars and give lectures. His language skills are also in demand when Chinese business delegations from Dalian, in north-east China--twinned with Glasgow--visit the Scottish city.

But it was as part of Scotland's Strathclyde Region's twinning link with Guangdong Province in the late 1980s that Bruce embarked on the China visit that was to change his life. "I had been back here briefly a couple of times, and picked up some of the language and culture," he explains. "As a result, I was selected as one of the teachers who was to spend a year working in Guangzhou.

"It was fantastic for me, for many reasons. The scenery in China is always spectacular, but it is the people who make it for me. During that year I was able to live with ordinary folk in their homes, as well as work with them. This really helped me to learn about the China that only few westerners experience. For me, it's all so Utopian."

"My retirement from teaching geography has opened up a whole new chapter of my life, and I can hardly wait to explore whichever places I am allowed to visit. I also plan to continue writing and lecturing about this great country and all the things that make it so fascinating. I don't think anyone could look forward to better retirement years than mine.

"It's true that I might well be the first westerner to retire here. If so, then I will be proud to act as the vanguard for other retirees. Places like California and Spain have nothing on China!"