Apart from the occasional typhoon and blasts of hot air from the wonderfully-named but, according to her good self, criminally overlooked US goalkeeper Hope Solo, the 2007 Women's World Cup in China was generally regarded as a success.
From arrival at Shanghai airport and the ride downtown on the famed 431 kilometres per hour Maglev train, players, officials and fans enjoyed their time in the Middle Kingdom and some of the most modern stadiums in the world.
It is not always smooth sailing but by the year, red tape and bureaucracy decreases and efficiency increases. Anybody who has been to China knows that while it can be a frustrating place to visit, especially away from Beijing and Shanghai, it is one of the most interesting and richly diverse countries on the planet and it was a fitting stage for the tournament.
The Women's World Cup was just a start. The 2008 Beijing Olympics will be a much bigger test for the authorities and the organizers. The capital is full of hotels but is also full of tourists at usual times. Next summer will see an unprecedented demand on the city's infrastructure. It will be a success however; no expense, manpower or effort will be spared to ensure that.
Just ahead of the final in Shanghai last month, our old friend Sepp Blatter made a few hints though is giving nothing away at this time.
"China has the technical abilities to organise a World Cup after what I have witnessed at the Women's World Cup and what I will see at the Olympic Games next year," he told reporters.
"As a country they are able to organise something such as the Olympic Games with 28 different sports so they definitely have the ability."
Chinese Football Association (CFA) Vice President Xie Yalong was receptive to the idea.
"The CFA has been keeping a positive attitude for hosting the men's World Cup," Xie said.
"We're now trying to study some details with FIFA with regard to the bidding process. We are considering holding a major men's competition at a higher level after the women's World Cup. And we've held talks with officials from different cities on the bidding issue, seeking cooperation from them."
Brazil will get the 2014 World Cup leaving FIFA to decide whether to continue its continental rotation for the following global competition. If it doesn't the United States of America are next in line in 2018. If the bidding process is thrown open, England would be a frontrunner as well; as a number of others.
China is interested and should definitely be considered. After the appetizer of the Women's World Cup, the main course of the Olympics, the World Cup is just the dessert to complete China's entrance into the world of international sport.
It is only 1994 since America played host to the world's greatest sporting event. England's turn may have come back in 1966 but in the past decade alone, France and Germany have taken Europe's turn.
China would be a genuinely new choice and how long does the world's most populous nation have to wait? The thought of Shanghai staging Brazil – Italy and Hong Kong hosting Argentina – England is exotic and exciting.
It is true that Asia had the 2002 competition but a continent that is home to almost half of the world's population deserves a second shot. After 2002, the action will have moved to Europe, Africa and the Americas. Asia is a natural spot for the 2018 tournament and China is the natural Asian nation to play host to what surely be a World Cup to remember.
First the Middle Kingdom should bid and be given the 2015 Asian Cup. After the 2007 Women's World Cup and the 2008 Olympics, the continental competition really would complete the set and show that China's time among the big boys has come.
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