One of the paradoxes in the world today is that day-to-day life in a communist country like China is much freer than here in Australia.

I’m not thinking of lofty freedoms to criticise your government or stand for public office. I mean freedom in everyday activities -recreation, family and business.

When I travelled around China a few years ago I met up with some people at a hostel in Xi’an, home to the Terracotta Warriors.