my 300 year old gifts in a box tied with nylon

the last day in suzhou

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October 15th 2009
when i sit quietly and breathe i feel a deep hollow in my chest from crying my crying is not from hurt or pain or anger, it is from a knowledge that i leave behind some of the greatest people this world holds. eleven hours ago, i sat opposite Lao Wang and explained that i was leaving, he knew but thought it was tomorrow or saturday but it was today. a man exactly thirty years older than me, ... read more

Asia » China » Jiangsu » Suzhou

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For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. A... ... read more