A little while back, I completed a project about beer and its role in modern China. That research sparked my curiosity about the place of beer in the ancient world and how ancient traditions continue to influence drinking culture today. Firstly, in 20th century China, beer was viewed as a drink of the more progressive,…

The Room was unkempt. The floor was dusty. The curtains were colorfully discolored. Walls carelessly adorned. One with wrinkling posters. One with a lone cross. A thousand dying eyes staring down at mountains of filth.Books. Boxes. Dirty Blotches. Things Left Behind.Gifts received and gifts still waiting.Drawers full. Closets betraying dirty secrets.Not-yet-washed laundry stood motionless.A single…

Tears started rolling down my face as I sat in the alley. The sky seemed to cry along with me as snowflakes drifted down from above. The sun was already setting, and the snow became a sheet of gold. Shivering, I sat there as the stars came out to dance across the beautiful Chengdu sky.…