We are standing in a reception room on the outskirts of the western Chinese city of Chengdu, looking at a model of the Tianfu New Area, a hi-tech “science city” of the future.
The room overlooks a winding lake with lots of green landscaping. Our guide explains the model inside, flashing different coloured lights to make a point about the development of the new “smart city” with proposed clusters of buildings nestled into the massive parklands, looking like some mini-country in Europe.