The academic semester is coming to a close in a few weeks, and I am absolutely swamped with work.  Between teaching, editing papers, designing my students’ final exam, attending Chinese university classes, and spending time with my one-on-one Chinese teacher, I haven’t had much free time lately.  Lucky for me, my summer travels are starting in about a month and I am planning to head back to Hong Kong in two weeks to obtain a Vietnamese visa.  In lieu of today’s write-up, here are a few of my favorite photos from last month’s trip to Hong Kong, and a few more from my more recent rendezvous in Yangshuo:

Office Lights on a Saturday Night, Hong Kong

A Casual Weekend Stroll, Hong Kong

Pagodas and Mountaintops, Yangshuo

Farmers Living amidst Foreign Tourism, Yangshuo

I chose to post this specific series of photos because one of the things that has never ceased to amaze me about China is how the urban and the rural, the modern and the ancient, have coexisted here for centuries.  Within the space and time of one country’s history, there is so much geographical, economic, religious, political, and political diversity to be found.  The bulk of China’s population is still rural, and yet the country is home to some of the world’s most developed cities.  China boasts some of the most modern technology available, and yet its architecture and history stretch back thousands of years.

Let’s hope that with next week’s break for the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival, I’ll have less time to work and more time to relax!