1 . Ten years ago, I went on a vacation in Italy. After climbing up a hill for a panoramic (全景的) view of the blue sea, white buildings and green olive trees, I paused to catch my breath and then positioned myself to take the best photo of this panorama.

Unfortunately, just as I took out my camera, a woman approached from behind, and planted herself right in front of my view. Like me, this woman was here to stop, sigh and appreciate the view.

Patient as I was, after about 15 minutes, I grew frustrated. Was it too much to ask her to move so I could take just one picture of the landscape? Sure, I could have asked her, but something prevented me from doing so. She seemed so content in her observation. I didn't want to mess with that. Another 15 minutes passed and I grew bored. The woman was still there. I decided to take the photo anyway.

Now when I look at the photo, I think her presence in the photo is what makes the image interesting. The landscape, beautiful on its own, somehow comes to life and breathes because this woman is engaging with it.

This photo, with the unique beauty that unfolded before me and that woman who "ruined" it, now hangs on a wall in my bedroom. What would she think if she knew that her figure is captured and frozen on some strangers bedroom wall? A bedroom, after all, is a very private space, in which some woman I don't even know has been immortalized (使永存). In some ways, she lives in my house.

Perhaps we all live in each other's spaces. Perhaps this is what photos are for: to remind us that we all appreciate beauty, that we all share a common desire for pleasure, for connection, for something that is greater than us. That photo is a reminder, a captured moment, an unspoken conversation between two women, separated only by a thin square of glass.

2 . At the foot of the Tianmu Mountain in Zhejiang, a homestay (民宿) is attracting travelers from far and wide, which has won architectural medal at the 2021 German iF Design Awards.

The owners of the homestay are a couple in their late 30s who decided to return to their hometown three years ago. Li Xiumei used to be in charge of a division at a company in Hangzhou, and her husband was a sales director. It was an ordinary situation where Li’s husband was on business trips a lot and Li still worked on weekends. City life sometimes is not easy.

In 2018, they quit jobs and went back to Dongtianmu village, which lies in a forest of bamboo. The first time they drove into the village was one late afternoon. The cooking smoke was rising from the foot of the mountain, which gave them a very different feeling from the city.

The homestay was built beside her husband’s old countryside house. The old house is preserved (保留), while a brand-new building was built on its side and the whole site is made up of four courtyards. It has been updated to have a hall, a tea room, a kitchen, a dining room. Japanese cherry trees are planted in the east courtyard. A swimming pool is placed in the west courtyard, with a bar located on one side.

Li and her husband love gardening and music, and their new home gives them enough space to continue their interests and relax in the heart of nature. Li wants to share the quiet country life, so she makes her new home a homestay. In 2019, the homestay became an online hit after guests shared their experiences on social media. “The longer I stay here, the more I feel it was the right choice to come back, and this is more meaningful than making money,” Li says.

3 . Kompong Phhluk Private Tour

Depart the city for an unspoiled(没破坏的) floating community called Kompong Phhluk which is astonishing for its stilted-house villages and flooded forest.

Stop on the way for the Rolous Market tour. This is a great chance for you to take the photos of locals selling vegetables，different fish species and other local produce.

After this market tour we'll all have a boat trip to the floating community of Kompong Phhluk，visit an island pagoda，school and houses standing on 8 or 10m high stilts，fish farms and learn about the village life.

Stop and have lunch in a family's house before getting into a row boat and venturing into the flooded forest，the habitat to some famous water-bird species.

Eventually we jump back into the big boat and set off for the largest fresh water lake in SE Asia，Tonle Sap.

Tour Details

•Departs 8.30am

•Returns around 2pm

•A picnic lunch with sandwiches and drinks is provided. We cannot provide local food from the area due to poor sanitation，lack of hygiene standards and refrigeration.

•No passes required

Rates

•These rates are based on an English speaking guide.

•Rates include all transport，water and a picnic lunch.

•Children 11 years and under are 50%.

•Children 4 years and below are free.

•If your group is larger than 5 people please email us for the best rate.

Number of People       Price Per Person

1 Person               $65；2 People               $45；3 People               $40；4 People               $35；5 People               $32

What to Wear

•Please be mindful of your clothing and try to avoid anything too revealing.

•We strongly recommend a sunglasses，hat and sunscreen.

General Information

•This is a poor rural village，please be mindful of the environment.

•Please do not hand things out to villagers，for this contributes to creating a begging cycle

and can create jealousy.

•We recommend heading to the toilet before you go on this trip as facilities are very basic.

Tangshan's revival

After one of the most deadly earthquakes     1     happened on 28 July 1976, Tangshan started to revive     2     (it) and get back up on its feet. With strong support from the government and the tireless efforts of the city's people, a new Tangshan     3     (build) upon the earthquake ruins. The new city became a home to more than 7 million people, with great improvements in transportation, industry and environment. Tangshan city has proved to China and the rest of the world that     4     times of disaster, people must unify and show the     5     (wise) to stay positive and rebuild for a brighter future.

9 . Take a closer look at the wonders of Kew Gardens by joining a guided walking tour. Led by our knowledgeable volunteer guides, it is a fun and informative way to explore the grounds.

Free daily walking tours

Tours leave at 11 am and 1:30 pm from the information desk at Victoria Gate Plaza. Each guide presents their own tour and takes in the highlights(最精彩的部分) of the season.

Themed tours

Tours leave at 12 from the information desk at Victoria Gate Plaza. Our guides offer attractive seasonal themes including Autumn Colour and Winter Evergreens.

Expert-guided tours

Every Tuesday throughout the year at 11:30 am and 2:30 pm we’ll be holding an expert-guided tour. The tour will feature (以…为特色) a different plant each month and you’ll go behind the Scenes and talk to Kew staff about their work. You’ll find out interesting facts about the featured plant or fungus(真菌), including why it’s grown at Kew   and how it’s used and cared for.

Price

The cost is £ 60 per guide (this does not include your entry to the Gardens). Each guide can take 15 people. Groups of more than 15 must book more than one guide. Smaller groups are also accepted but the cost remains £ 60.

Tours take about one hour and may be booked from 10 am every day. Please note that no refunds(退款) can be given once tickets are booked.

10 . You don't need to travel far away to write a travel diary. Your writing can start with a family vacation or a weekend getaway. All you need is a destination or a place of departure(出发)!

    1     Your trip journal can begin before your trip has started Use your journal to start planning the things you want to do. It can be a cool restaurant where you want to eat, a hike you want to go on or different sights you want to see.

Write about what you imagine it will be. Sometimes when you travel, your destination is wildly different from what you expected. Maybe you expected the local food to be bad but it turned out to be delicious.     2     Maybe you thought you would not be comfortable with the climate while you adapted to it. Whatever, try to write it down before you arrive. It will be interesting to compare these predictions to what you have actually experienced.

    3     It is always easier to remember things when they are fresh in your brain, but it may be diluted(冲淡)with time going by. So try to write as much as you can during travelling every day if you can. Your journals don't have to be long, but letting then express your feelings is the most important.

Add pictures to your journal.     4     Combining pictures with your first-hand accounts of what they represented, or what happened when they were taken, will make for a better travel journal.

Write about your trip after you leave. It is important to reflect on your travels, so you can have a new understanding.     5