The Chinese town of Pianma, hard on the border with Burma, smells of wood. Sawdust floats through the air like pollen.
Fires crackle in roadside restaurants.
Pianma's tallest structure is a mountain of logs more than 15 metres high. And trucks weighed down with timber trundle through town daily. China's booming economy has led the charge towards renewal of what many Chinese regard as their rightful influence on the country's Asian neighbours. China is the biggest investor in Mongolia, for instance, and buys more than half its cashmere. China has challenged Russia for influence in several Central Asian countries, including Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, where Chinese investments vie with Moscow's, and Chinese bicycles, electronic goods and other gadgets are pushing Russia's out.