For the first time in its history, China is being forced to open itself up to the scrutiny of the world.

The Chinese government has decided to allow foreign reporters freedom of movement and information in most of China until October next year in order to cover the Olympics better.

Foreign reporters will also be able to report and interview without approval from government censors during this period.

The freedoms will not apply to Tibet or Xinjiang, two sensitive territories, and Chinese journalists will not be granted the same freedoms.

However, I am not convinced journalists will be afforded the same freedom to report topics that the Press in the western world enjoy.

One of the many things that struck me during my visit was the difficulty in using the internet.

Despite repeated attempts, I was unable to gain access to any of the major news websites, including the Belfast Telegraph website, and even logging onto apparently more innocuous websites was slow and laborious.

The search engine Google fought a long battle to be allowed to operate in China and even now does so under heavy censorship.

This censorship is also extremely obvious on Chinese television - I often had the sense that the programmes had been 'sanitised' to suit the regulations set down by the Chinese government.

And as we arrived at Tiananmen Square, even almost 20 years after the infamous massacre of hundreds of peaceful protesters there, our guide told us he would not discuss politics during our visit.

Despite this extreme censorship - and partly as a consequence of it - I found China to be an extremely enchanting and fascinating nation.

Did it live up to my expectations?

Well, it was an eye-opening experience and certainly, many of the stereotypes of China were reinforced - there are some heart-wrenching examples of the worst kind of poverty and yes - dog does feature on the menu occasionally.

Going to the toilet in China can also be an unpleasant experience for westerners, particularly in more rural areas, where a simple hole in the ground is not uncommon and toilet roll appears to be considered a luxury.

In fact, toilet etiquette in China differs so much to the West that many local women think nothing of using the public squat toilets without closing the cubicle door - even striking up a conversation with other people in the room.

There are two other major cultural differences between China and the West which are perhaps the most obvious and difficult for a person from here to become accustomed to.

The first is queuing - Chinese people do not queue and anyone planning to travel there should sharpen their elbows as there is generally an 'every man for himself' policy.

The second is spitting. As more and more tourists travel to China and particularly ahead of the Olympics, the government has launched a campaign to try and encourage people to refrain from spitting.

Despite this, it is not an unusual sight and you should not be surprised to see and hear even little old ladies indulge in the practice.

But it is many of these cultural differences that make a trip to China such an exhilarating experience. Even one year before the beginning of the Olympics, as a westerner - or non-domestic - as foreigners are frequently called, you carry with you a certain degree of fascination and I posed for numerous photographs with curious Chinese people during my visit to their country.

Even in Beijing, where the residents are more accustomed to seeing Westerners, we were somewhat of a novelty, drawing stares, a chorus of 'hello' and giggles wherever we went.

Local people are also keen to chat to you, asking questions about yourself.

In fact, in Yangshuo we were accosted by gangs of schoolchildren who had been given a project to swap foreign coins with tourists, take our photograph and find out our opinions of China.

I even came away from Chongqing with a penfriend who is keen to use me to practice her English.

And it was meeting local people and getting an insight into their way of life that was one the highlights of my trip - Chinese people do not follow the same rules of etiquette by which Westerners live.

They are certainly a lot more friendly, approachable, personable and keen to assist a confused tourist than many people in Northern Ireland.

The Chinese people I met appeared to get a high level of satisfaction out of helping me and they were even more delighted when I was able to greet them in their own language.

Of course, by interacting with Chinese people and trying to immerse yourself in their culture, you can find yourself in some extremely humbling situations.

In particular, it is upsetting to see how hard many Chinese people work for such a tiny wage.

Many women beg for your empty bottles and cans and go through the bins so they can get the money for recycling.

I met one girl who told me she was forced to move thousands of miles from the village where she grew up in order to find work. Employed at a market stall, she said she could only afford to return home to visit her family once a year.

On another occasion we arrived at an airport where we were surrounded by a group of elderly Chinese women who insisted on lifting our heavy luggage onto trolleys for what amounted to less than £1 each.

This was done without complaint and with gratitude for the minuscule payment.

Despite being a communist state, there appears to be a massive divide between the rich and poor.

In cities such as Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong, the buildings gleam and you are surrounded by designer shops of every kind, yet this wealth does not spread further afield.

It was not unusual to see people with the most horrendous physical deformities begging for money and I was particularly upset when a boy, aged no more than five, followed me down the street pleading for me to give him a drink because he was so thirsty.

China is working hard to shed its image as a poor developing nation and during my trip it was clear to see how the government is pouring money into the building of ultramodern sporting facilities in an effort to show off Beijing as a world-class city on par with Olympic host cities of the past.

The country is awash with Olympic fever, even at the Great Wall it is possible to buy a Beijing 2008 T-shirt - replicas of course, but it is heartening to see that some of the poorest people living in China are also benefiting from the Olympics in some way.

Almost two million people are expected to travel to Beijing during the Olympics and many of them will extend their stay to tour China.

In my opinion, a trip to China is the trip of a lifetime and both visitors and residents alike will be richer people as a result of Beijing 2008.