has improved significantly based on our original standards and these efforts have been widely recognized. Recently, Xiaomi was among the top ten in the “Made in China 2025” quality award, and I was also honored to receive a Quality personality award and was elected as Deputy Chairman of the China Quality Committee.

Good design is a key part of the user experience, and right from the start, it has been an important focus for Xiaomi. In fact, two of our co-founders come from a background of industrial design and have extensive experience in the field. Our ongoing investment in design was greatly recognized in 2017 when we received a host of design awards, including four major awards (IDEA Gold, iF Gold, Red Dot Best of the Best, Good DesignBoaters was set up in 2008 as a means of keeping CCing boaters in touch with each other. The initial idea was pretty much a monthly night in a pub, catching up, drinking and discussing boat stuff or any other old bollocks.

The first Pyrate Regatta took place in August 2009 on the marshes behind Edmonton Ikea but afterwards the monthly meetings kind of dropped off. A sense of ‘job done’? Hangovers? Winter? Who knows.

London boaters are set to ‘reclaim the towpath’ on the east London rivers and canals to promote safety and solidarity, as a survey of London towpath users reveals that just over half have often, or sometimes, avoided the towpath because of fear of crime.