Make it smooth and easy for a nice China ride

Ever since I discovered that a sea cucumber was definitely not a vegetable, I pledged to do away with my preconceptions about anything in China even if I thought it was something with which I was already familiar.

Foolishly, I forgot this as I sat on the coach this weekend, bound for Lianhuashan ski resort north of Beijing. I indulged myself with memories of long days in the Alps, maneuvering over moguls, gliding over glaciers and skiing down endless different runs.

The day's program showed we were to hit the slopes at 11 am, stop for a Chinese banquet at 12:30 and then be off the mountain by 4 in order to hand our kit in by 4:30.