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  • Faith Behind Stone Walls: The Hualiling Catholic Church and China’s Late Qing Religious Conflicts

    The Hualiling Catholic Church (花梨岭天主教堂), located in Lichuan City, Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Hubei Province, China, is a historic church known for its European castle-style architecture. Introduction The Hualiling Catholic Church offers a compact lens through which to examine the wider encounter between Catholic missionary expansion, local society, Qing state power, and Chinese…

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  • The Quiet Return

    Sometimes my mind feels like waves hitting a rocky shore, carrying the same images, words, and emotions back to me again and again. I am learning that I do not have to stand there and be worn down by every wave. When I give myself room to notice what is happening inside me, I can…

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  • Watercolor Painting: Characteristics, Materials, Techniques, and Composition

    A beginner-friendly guide to how watercolor works and how to use it with intention. Watercolor is a water-based painting medium known for its glow, loose movement, and the way it lets the white paper underneath shine through. For me, watercolor feels personal because I connect it with my mother’s paintings and the quiet care she…

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  • Mother’s Judgment, Mercy, and Corrective Accountability

    Mother’s love is often described as unconditional, yet this reflection examines its necessary complement to the previous article posted: judgment that corrects, accountability that teaches, and mercy that makes transformation possible. In summary, the document argues that true mercy does not excuse harm but creates a path through judgment, repentance, repair, and lasting transformation. Divine…

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  • A Mother’s Love as Living Philosophy

    Everyone has a mother, yet each person’s relationship with their mother is deeply unique. We do not choose our mothers, but many people come to believe that theirs is the person who understands and loves them most deeply. She may not be perfect, but she is irreplaceable: the person who gave us life, nurtured us…

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  • How Emotions Change What We Hear and Read

    I recently went back and reread messages, emails, and articles I wrote over the past five years, and I was surprised by how differently they landed with me now. It made me think about how much our mood can affect the way we hear, read, and understand things. How Mood Can Change the Meaning of…

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  • Appreciating Hanfu Culture in China: An American Perspective

    Art is deeply integrated into society and shapes many parts of daily life. Having lived in different parts of the world, I have encountered art in many forms throughout my journey. In China, I became especially interested in traditional clothing as I traveled, observed daily life, and met people from different backgrounds. This article shares…

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  • The Butterfly Neckless

    I think about you even when I try not to, I keep my distance but l will always wait, waiting for something that I know will likely never come. Because I made you a promise. a\ promise I would love you till the end. That’s a promise I’I never break. And if one day you…

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  • Art Appreciation

    Today, I want to look more closely at beauty, and art. Throughout this article, I will share my mother’s artwork and words, while also referring to well-known artists and scientific research to explore a central question: why does art move us? Art surrounds us in architecture, parks, clothing, sculpture, the human body, and the natural…

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  • Part 1: Love Triangle

    I write as a form of self-care therapy and to better understand myself. This will be the first in a series of articles in which I analyze and reflect on the subject of my love triangle relationship. More specifically, this is the story of how I fell in love with two women at the same…

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