Notes & Queries response - What would be the effects of allowing free movement globally?
image generated by Craiyon “The Chinese Empire, which is the empire of the 21st century and the centuries that lie beyond, already extends a greater invisible reach than any other in the historical record,” said Gan Bai. He did not frame his claim as a boast, but more as an undeniable statement of fact. I was looking past him towards a gloomy cluster of champagne magnums. They had been pushed together into the tapering niche of a large, recessed window that faced onto the room at an unfriendly angle, seemingly against the grain of the table layout. Heavy drapes obscured a view of the Strand, deadening the sounds of the London traffic. The burnished gold labels on the sides of the bottles were garnished with giant oriental characters printed in glossy black ink. The lettering caught the light dimly, like puddles of dark liquid. The muzzle-braked bottlenecks were stoppered with enormous corks that gave them the appearance of artillery barrels. “The Chinese incursion has yet to reach Corn...