Bernd Hagemann comes from Lemgo in Germany.

“After my apprenticeship as an industrial clerk, I started to consider the wonderful Lipperland to be a little bit too ‘dozy’,” he says. “I studied economics in Paderborn and worked for four years on the sports desk of the Lippischen Landes-Zeitung newspaper.

“My company sent me in 2002 to China: first for one year in Beijing and since 2003, in Shanghai, where not only the speed and culture of this boomtown are fascinating, but also the napping and drowsy Chinese.

“In this spirit: Shhh! Lower your voice and be quiet, so I can go hunting for some more photos. Enjoy the still-sleeping giant!”

www.sleepingchinese.com