Home from home

He has since settled in. He and his 29-year-old partner Maria, a former chef and now yoga teacher, have an 18-month-old mongrel rescue dog called Ponyo.

"People think it is named pengyou (the Chinese word for friend) but it is named after the Japanese animation film. The vet said there is a bit of corgi in her and something else."

Fountain says he and his partner are currently studying Chinese online.

"We are both struggling along. It is probably the least effective way of studying. We are desperately trying to save up for our wedding in the UK in November so we don't have the money to pay for lessons at the moment."

Apart from being a video journalist, Fountain is also a columnist for China Daily and has made his views known on a number of subjects, including the UK's decision to leave the European Union in last year's referendum.

"I never thought there should have been a vote in the first place. I believe it is damaging for the future of the country I would love to be proved wrong but I have seen nothing yet that contradicts that. I am glad not to be in Britain right now but let's see."

For now, Fountain wants to carry on making films and explaining China to his following of fans.

"I love working at China Daily and in Beijing. I came here from Bahrain, a place with 1.3 million people and here there are 1.3 billion. You could live in Beijing for a decade and still find things you haven't seen or done," he says.

"Anyone who takes an interest in the news has to take an interest in China because it's now a huge player in so many ways."

Contact the writer at andrewmoody@chinadaily.com.cn