All over Africa, Chinese labourers are hard at work building railways, roads and national stadiums. In return, the continent's developing countries are selling their oil and iron ore to the Chinese. The figures are staggering: in 1999 trade between Africa and China was valued at €1.5bn, by 2000 it had risen to €31bn and by 2010 it is expected to hit €77bn. To underline their interest in the continent, on 30 January, the Chinese President Hu Jintao began an eight-nation African tour. Monocle travelled across the continent to witness the impact of the investment and diaspora.