China's low budget Titanic

Listen out of your window during the day in south Xi'an and you could be forgiven for thinking an out of season Ice-cream van was plying its trade.

In fact, what you are hearing is the warning cry of a truck of doom. Spraying water over the road and any hapless pedestrian not moving out of the way fast enough, it slowly progresses up and down the streets, blaring out a mobile phone ringtone version of Celine Dion's "My heart will go on" with each high note ever so slightly out of tune.

Alternatively and slightly less painfully a similar sounding "Happy Birthday" repeating endlessly is the tune of preference for a second truck driver.