Zhangjiagang through an expatriate's eyes

It was the sort of assignment no self-respecting journalist would turn down: Go to the city regarded as the cleanest in China, where the locals are regarded as the most polite and which is considered to be a model for the future of the nation's metropolises and compare it with life in Beijing.

Well I was blessed with the time of year - spring - when the flowers and blossoms were out and the climate was mild. So, first impressions - and as the saying goes, you only ever get one chance to make a first impression - were good.

It was remarkably litter-free. No plastic bags wafted through the air on thermal currents. No cigarette butts despoiled the sidewalk or gutter. Very rarely did a car horn announce its owner's anger or frustration.