third ring road

Forbidden City in rare form

Hutong Guardian

Mom and I at JFK. Some crying, but not on her part. Did you know she has a tracker on my phone. Why am I okay with that?

This was spicier than I let on. I was pretty heavy handed with the chili oil. Just trying to act tough in front of my new friends. Mistake (See: puffy eyes, runny nose). I am also a cat.

Hanging on a Hutong

My future evidently lies in still-life photography. And phone app editing. Someone call National Geographic. I happily accept a fleeting career and eventual graceful dismissal from my position as a wildlife photographer.

Stone Lion in the Forbidden City

Ashley with that filter! She’s giving me some good Facebook fodder

More lions. This one is bronze!

Not to be that girl but I took this when I was out on a run

And just when you thought taking bad pictures you’d regret for years to come was a thing of the past

Corners of the Forbidden City

And she said, can I have a candid picture to send to my mom please? That beer was $0.30

Laoshan Mt, Qingdao

Don’t worry, I instagrammed this, Laoshan Mt, Qingdao

When you cute and want everyone to know it, Qingdao

Qingdao

My hands down favorite picture of the semester thanks dudes

Laoshan Mountain, très misty, girls weekend, frizzy hair, wet shoes

Laoshan Mt, Qingdao

Lao Shan Pamous Mounlain !

Dinner party!

Tsingtao beer factory, Qingdao

This is so true, like, so so true

Shnaghai Bund lit up at night

Shnaghai Bund in the punishing light of day

Dusk approaches the West Lake, Hangzhou

I feel this is self explanatory, Hangzhou West Lake

When your natural talents are overlooked by mainstream culture but keep faith that one day you’ll make it big as a still-life photographer

Beijing Botanical Gardens

I’m SORRY. I caved! I bought a selfie stick. Jeez.

You know you’re a Chinese student when..

A lot of eggs, Hangzhou

Old Summer Palace, Beijing

First of all, fashion. Second of all, he was a dancer

Yuyuantan Park, Cherry blossoms on tomb sweeping holiday

I’ll probably get an honorable mention sometime in December when the NYT looks back at Photos of The Year

Old Summer Palace, Beijing

Sometimes I feel like my life sucks. And then I remember I was never a Chinese high school student and had to wear a noisy tracksuit and do exercises outside in the winter and everything seems just that little bit more bearable.

You never photograph a lady when she’s elbow deep in her 外卖

四姑娘山，4 sisters mountain in the Tibetan Autonomous Region of Sichuan.

She been eating good in China

Mama and her faithful Tibetan hound.

Oh, I didn’t see you there. I was just wandering into the sandy horizon in the dunes of Inner Mongolia. Is this not a relatable experience?

Mountain monastery

JESu-s christ I did not see you there

Probably nothing in my life will ever amount to the cocktail of fear and adrenaline that was riding this beast into the Inner Mongolian desert. No. Adult. Supervision.

I cried, she didn’t.

Horse be like “wait you just spent a semester eating 拉面 every day..? GET TF OFF”

Yala mountain retreat, Sichuan

Yala in the front, Yaks in the back

Give me my swag I just ran 5k in the grotesque Beijing summer heat.

Alternate caption: Honorary Mongolian invader pic

Me giving everyone the smolder against a dramatic mountainous backdrop

Beijing, 2003

My sister trying to show up her family in front of the camera

Beijing, 2003

Windswept mother

Beijing, 2003

My sister being offered up as a human sacrifice. (Alternate caption: man picks up tiny human because she is admittedly very cute)

Beijing, 2003

Sister again. Beginning to see a theme here.

Beijing, 2003