A worker at the Red Forest Mangrove Park in Shenzhen, China, cleans up dead brush. The Red Forest is a unique and environmentally-protected retreat in a city of 12 million, nestled between Shenzhen Bay and Nanshan District.

Dawn, in southern China, two weeks before Christmas.

Ya, my life is rough.

Therefore, be ye lamps unto yourselves, be a refuge to yourselves. Hold fast to Truth as a lamp; hold fast to the truth as a refuge. Look not for a refuge in anyone beside yourselves. And those, who shall be a lamp unto themselves, shall betake themselves to no external refuge, but holding fast to the Truth as their lamp, and holding fast to the Truth as their refuge, they shall reach the topmost height.
- Guatama Buddha (563-483 BC)

Captured: August 17, 2008, Shenzhen, China

Unrefrigerated meat always tastes better, or so I guess. The markets of Central on Hong Kong Island, China, sell a variety of meat and produce. The fish is packed on ice. The same cannot be said for the pork. Captured: September 13, 2008. s

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We all have to suffer for beauty, no? At least it’s not footbinding. Who knew that Halloween, even Halloween in China, could be so painful?

Captured: October 29, 2008.

Overseas Chinese Town (OCT) in Shenzhen, China has opened a location in the east of the mega-city. Near the beach and deep in the mountains, the tea-themed holiday park offers visitors a number of interesting escapes from the daily grind.

The daily gala show at OTC East, on the history of tea and tea zen, is something to behold. Grand costumes, dancing, and a giant multi-media screen make the trek across the city worthwhile.

Captured: October 23, 2008, OCT East, Shenzhen, China.