Black Sesame Peanut Butter Mochi Cake

过年了，吃年糕，发红包，都是为了讨一个彩头。红红火火，一年更比一年高的意思。

记得刚到美国来的时候，整天忙活着对付学分，为了找份工作拼死拼活，那来闲情逸致去享受生活和中国的传统习俗。到头来，美国人的节日，我们觉得跟咱们不沾边。中国人自己节日又好象没有太多心情去打理。到最后，成了不过节的孤家寡人。

后来，生活稳定了，有了自己的小窝，再加上遇到CHRIS，开始过些中西结合的日子。今年，突然来了心情，要把咱们老主宗的传统拣回来。那就从黑芝麻花生酱年糕开始吧.

这款年糕，香甜软糯，非常好吃。有一丝淡淡的牛奶搀杂着椰子的香味，用外公的秘方做的黑芝麻花生馅又锦上添花。 我一边切年糕块，一边忍不住吃了两三块。拿到舅妈家，大受欢迎。连舅舅都说比外面买的好吃。

Chinese are notorious for being superstitious. I guess it’s OK of being a bit this way, especially sometimes, it provides us excuses to enjoy our favorite food. It’s the Chinese tradition to have the rice cake for the Chinese New Year dinner. The rice cake symbolizes the wish that the next year will be more prosperous than this year.

Ingredients for the Flour Mix
1) 1 bag of Sweet rice flour （454g
2) 1/2 cup sugar (I used 1/2 sugar; 1/2 splenda)
3) 1/4 cup threaded coconut
4) 1 tsp baking powder
5) 1 tsp salt

Tip: Many recipes call for condensed milk. I replaced it with threaded coconut. This way, the rice cake still has the nice coconut flavor but the fat and calorie is much reduced.

Ingredients for the Batter
1) 3 large egg
2) 1/4 cup veggie oil
3) 2 cups skim milk
Assembly
1) Mix all the ingredients for the flour together
2) Beat the ingredients for the batter together
3) Spray the baking pan with some cooking oil
4) Add 1) into the batter
5) Pour 1/2 of the batter into a 9 inch baking pan
6) Put a think layer of black sesame mix or red bean mix on top
7) Cover with another 1/2 of the batter

Tip: I made my own black sesame mix. The red bean mix is available in any Asian market.

Bake
1) Preheat the oven at 350F
2) Bake covered for about 60 min (double check just like how you check for cake)
3) Turn to boil. For 2 min till the top is browned
4) It's done when you stick a toothpick into and are able to take it out with nothing on it

Tip: You want to spray some oil on the foil before covering the baking pan with it.

Cool Down the Rice Cake
1) Cool down uncovered for about 15min
2) Cool down it for another 60 min covered; This will keep cake moist.

Tip:The cake tastes great if you microwave it the next day for just 10 seconds.

Black Sesame Mochi Recipe Healthy Mochi Recipee Healthy Baking Recipe

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Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole - Comfort Food Can Be Healthy!

最近我的工作都有点让我们忙得晕头转向，我也开始贯彻一切从简的革命方针。

那就做个简单，美味，营养的芝士芥兰杂烤吧。谁说“COMFORT FOOD”就不能又好吃又营养呢？这款烤菜，特别适合带中餐。第二天，虽然扮相一般，但口味不减。试试吧！

A simple vision of food sometimes comes with many advantages, especially when recently both of us have been crazy busy and dealing with nutty jobs.

If we can remove peanut-butter sandwich from the gourmet food category temporarily, just for the sake of argument, nothing comes easier and tastier than a basic, down-to-earth broccoli casserole. The vegetables tasted tender and flavorful. The whole wheat bread added extra chewiness and texture of the dish. It’s perfect for taking leftovers as lunch the next day. And, who said comfortable food cannot be delicious and healthy at the same time? I added some lean ground-turkey in the recipe to give it an extra kick with protein. And this recipes has loads of fiber in it, as it include broccoli, cauliflowers, carrots and whole wheat bread.

Ingredients for the Source

1) 1/2 cup light mayonnaise
2) 1/2 cup plain non-fat yogurt
3) 1 1/4 cup light shredded sharp cheddar cheese
4) 1 can of clam chowder soup
5) 2 large eggs
6) 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Make the Source
In a bowl combine the above ingredients together.

Dry Ingredients
1) 4OZ whole wheat bread (2 days old)
2) 1 12OZ bag of broccoli
3) 1 12OZ bag of cauliflower
3) 4oz diced carrots

Cook all the veggies in boiling water for 3-4 min till crispy tender. And put them in a icy cold water to keep them green. Set aside.

Cook Turkey
1) Get 0.8lb ground fat free turkey
2) Simply marinated the turkey with some salt, poultry seasoning, sage, black pepper and 1-2 tbs of olive oil.
3) Set aside while cooking the veggie
4) Pan fry the turkey with some garlic (optional); take it out and set it aside

Assemble and Bake
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2) In a separate bowl combine the veggies with bread cubes (See the pictures above)
3) Put Turkey meat on top of the veggie mix
4) Spread the wet mixture and vegetables to evenly coat. (See the picture on the left)
5) Place in an 8 by 8-inch baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray
6) Bake for 45 minutes covered.
7) Then remove cover and bake for additional 15 minutes to brown. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole Recipe Healthy Casserole Recipe Healthy Comfort Food Recipe

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North Kaibab Trail - A Real Stepping-Fitness Challenge

这条山路可以从大峡谷的北沿一直通到谷底。总长14英里。虽说一路风景如画，但这直上直下的路线对体能确实有挑战性。

The North Kaibab Trail is the only maintained trail into the Canyon from the north rim. It takes you 14 miles from its trailhead to its terminus at Bright Angel Campground and the Colorado River. The trail is well maintained and easy to follow throughout its entire length.

The trail is easy to follow because it only has two directions, either going straight up or going straight down.

中国一句古话说得好 - 上山容易，下山难。确实如此。

Like the other rim to river trails the top sections looks easy enough on the way down. Just pray that you are not coming back up this way. After a long day of hiking this trail is a killer of a way to end it. If you think you are so good at stepping machine in the gym, this certainly is not a piece of cake.

但风景宜人。是我在大峡谷最喜欢的一条路线。

The trail is quite pretty, filled with fall colors and lovely trees.

虽然我都算体能强健的那类。这条山路还是把我们折腾的够呛。累归累，这还是我最喜欢和最开心的一个。

Although it's challenging, it counts as one of my most favorite hikes during the trip.

柳暗花明，红军长征，终于盼到尽头了。

God, finally, the trail end is not too far away from us.

Grand Canyon Grand Canyon North Rim North Kaibab Trail

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Touring the Bond ( ShangHai) with Mom and Dad

今年回家，不知道为什么，在机场临别去桂林的时候，抱着我妈哭得一塌糊涂。这下老妈马上受不了了。立刻派我爸买了机票要到上海来配我。我计划在游完桂林，就从上海回旧金山。会在上海停两个晚上。哪怕仅仅是两个晚上，我妈也一定要来配着我她才能放心。这种心态我不能理解。不过这正是老一代常常说的，不养儿不知父母心了。

那就顺便带老爸老妈去外滩，城隍庙转一圈。下面是外滩的夜景。

说点我家三人的家常。老妈嘛，按照我家马老者(我对我爸的昵称)，95%的时候可以用三个词语概括 - 嘻嘻哈哈， 马马虎虎， 糊里糊涂。但是我家老妈偶尔冒出一两句颇具哲理的批语，常常把我惊得一呆一呆的。

今天我同她打电话。我妈:“看你做的那些西点，好看是好看，好不好吃了？”
我(也不脸红):“那当然是好吃了。这叫色香味俱全。”
我妈:“看来你也是勤劳的人啊。“
我(看我妈这么夸奖我，我也来劲了):“就是，就是。昨天烤的蛋糕，今天做个煲仔饭。一会儿回到家，我还想把厨房的柜子清理一下。”
我妈:“我看你， 又要忙工作，又要做好吃的，还要把你的房子打扫干净，辛苦啊。”
难得我妈今天这么理解我， 我感动呀。马上说:"妈，你也很勤劳嘛。”
我妈说:“我的勤劳没有你的复杂。你那种和咖啡的杯子不能用来喝茶的习惯让你有点累。”
还没等我张口向我妈倾诉倾诉, 我妈继续:“不过呢，你这样身体上虽累一点，但心不累呀。身体累点没关系，不劳心就行。“
我无语。天啊，至理名言啊！马上对我妈肃然起敬。

敬仰的心情还没有正式出门，就给我妈接下来稀里糊涂的发言给打道回府了。
我:"妈，我这个勤劳，爱收拾的个性，都是爸的遗传。”话一出口，我就知道讲错了。
我妈马上反驳:" 怎么是你爸的功劳？我才是家里勤劳的那一位。再说了，女儿是我生的，能让你爸沾个光就不错了。“
我赶紧弥补错误，争取把损失降低到最低点:"对， 对。。我爸没有功劳，功劳都是你的。”
我爸对我妈这种把所有功劳画归己有的言行也是见怪不怪了。

According to my dad, at least 95% of the time mom is funny, happy, a great-companion but a little bit clueless. Occasionally, my mom does pull some suede comments out from no where, which often surprises both my dad and me a great deal.
Here is our conversation over the phone today.
Mom:” Hey, all those cakes and western food you made these days look pretty nice. Do they actually taste good?”
Me (always ready to brag):” Of course, they do. They are both tasty and highly presentable.”
Mom (with a sigh):” You are a pretty hard-working girl.”
Me (surprised. wow, how come my mom appreciates me this much today?!):”Yeah, I made cake yesterday. Today, I am going to make some traditional Chinese food for Chris to try. When I get home, I am also going to tidy up the panty.”
Mom:” Hmm…you must feel pretty busy everyday. You need to work, cook and clean the house.”
Me (continue to feel surprised…):” Mom, you are very busy everyday too.”
Mom:” But, I don’t have the wacky habits you do. I don’t think I can deal with your rules of flat sheets, no mix-matching tea-cups and coffee-mugs. Don’t you think your habits may tire you out unnecessarily?”
Me (about to explain to her my thoughts):”….”
Mom:” You know what, if you don’t stick with your wacky stuff, you might feel more tired. It’s OK to feel tied physically, better than feeling tired mentally.”
Me (deal God, my mom can be wise sometimes!)

Tasty ShangHai Food Chinese Local Food ShangHai Local Food Travel ShangHai
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Delicous Blueberry Streusel Coffee Cake (Healthy Version)

星巴克的咖啡蛋糕确实让人无法抗拒，特别是我这种又特别爱吃甜食的人物。那就寻求一个美味健康的解决方案吧。这款香甜美味的蓝莓咖啡蛋糕，滋润，高纤，营养健康。在味道上虽比星巴克稍差一点，但想想免去了那60分钟的跑步机。那一点点的差距也值了。

Seriously, we need a cure over the coffee cakes from Starbuck. Those stuff are flat-out evil and bad. There was once I asked the shop-girl which one might be a remotely healthy choice there. The answer is pretty much nothing.

So, I figured that I need some tasty, moist and yet coffee cake. Here it is... Although it does not taste as good as the ones from Starbucks, I had to admit that, the taste did not suffer much at all.

Ingredients for the Flour Mixture
1) 1 cup whole-wheat flour
2) 1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour or low carb baking mix (I used Carb Quic)
3) 1 tsp baking soda
4) 1/2 tsp salt
5) 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6) 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
7) 3 tbs sugar (I used Splendar)

Prepare the Flour Mixture
1) Whisk together the all-purpose and whole-wheat flours, the baking soda and salt. 2) In a small bowl, stir together the granulated sugar, cinnamon and walnuts.

Ingredients for the Batter
1) 2 tbs butter, at room temperature
2) 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
3) 2 tbs canola oil
4) 3 large eggs
5) 1 tsp vanilla extract
6) 1 cup plain nonfat yogurt

Prepare the Batter
1) In a large bowl, beat the brown sugar, butter and oil until fluffy. If necessary, use the back of a spoon to press out any lumps in the brown sugar.
2) Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until fully combined.
3) Beat in the vanilla and yogurt.

Ingredients for the Streusel
1) 1/4 cup granulated sugar or Splendar
2) 1/6 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
3) 1 and 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
4) 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
5) 1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
6) 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1/2 of whole-wheat flour and 1/2 of oaks)


Make the Streusel
1) Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl.
2) Stir in the melted butter and then the flour mixture.
3) Mix well and set aside.

Ingredients for Final Assembly
1) Cooking spray
2) 1 and 1/4 cup fresh blueberries, or frozen and thawed (drained)
3) 1/3 cup chopped walnut

Assemble and Bake
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2) Spray an 9-inch cake pan with cooking spray.
3) Add the flour mixture in 2 batches, stirring until just combined.
4) Spread half of the batter into the prepared pan.
5) Sprinkle walnut over the batter and top with the blueberries, gently pressing them into the batter.
6) Spoon the rest of the batter into the pan, smoothing the top.
7) Put the streusel on top, pressing gently
8) Bake until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes.

Per Serving

(serving size, 1 piece)

Calories 210; Total Fat 8.5 g; (Sat Fat 2 g, Mono Fat 2.5 g, Poly Fat 3 g) ; Protein 5 g; Carb 30 g; Fiber 2 g; Cholesterol 41 mg; Sodium 230 mg

Blueberry Streusel Coffee Cake Recipe Coffee Cake Recipe Streusel Cake Recipe healthy baking recipe

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Crunchy Asian Peanut Noodle Salad

烘配需要科学严谨的态度。凉面色拉就提供太多随意发展的空间了。想吃酸，多加点醋。想要花生味浓郁一些，多点花生酱。想要控制卡路里，少放点油。象我这种在辣椒坛子里长大的“就怕不够辣”，要放多少辣椒酱，完全可以随心所欲。

这个凉面基本是我们贵州凉面的变本。多了一些花生酱。把鸡蛋面还成了全麦面。口感还是相当不错。

小时候最爱隔壁觉园(尼姑庵)老师傅的凉面。也没有什么特殊的佐料，就是比别家的好吃。还是佛家说得好 - 心诚则灵。做好吃的饭菜也终究是一个“诚”字。我没有老师傅心诚，所以我的凉面也要比她的差一点点。就一点点。将就吧，要求不高的人是快乐幸福的人。

Baking requires scientific approach. Accurate measurement of ingredients calls the shots. Salad-making provides much more rooms for personalization. The measurement of the ingredients of the dressing does not need to be exact. If you like more peanut-buttery flavor, add more peanut-butter; if you want to be more healthy, use less oil; or you prefer to have the dressing more sour, add more vinegar; if you are one of those people who grow up in the hot source like me, just simply go crazy with the chili pepper.

This noodle salad is pretty much similar to the one from my hometown, except the addition of the peanut butter and replacement of egg-noodle by the whole-wheat spaghetti. The whole-wheat noodle actually adds pleasing texture to the bite, in addition to the nutrition and fiber.

In my childhood, I absolutely loved the cold noodle made by the nun next door. I don't recall any special secret ingredients were used, but her cold noodle no-doubt tasted better than the cold noodle from anywhere else. There is an old Chinese saying - the purist mind creates the best recipe. Guess my mind is not as pure as hers, with all the stressful workload and freaking nutty life we have to deal with. My noodle was not quite as good as the cold noodle in my memory. Just a tiny little bit short. Oh, well, it's good enough. Tip of the Day: Those who don't seek perfection are the happiest in the world. Enjoy!

Noodle
1) 1 box of whole wheat think spaghetti (a box)

Cook the Noodle
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Tip: I coated the noodle with a tbs of sesame oil or olive oil and let the noodle cool. This prevent the noodle from being sticky, and also adds flavor to the noodle.

Veggies
1) 1 pound sugar snap peas
2) 2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded, and thinly sliced
3) 1/2 pound bean spouts

Cook the Veggies
1) Bring another large pot of salted water to a boil, add the sugar snap peas, return to a boil, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until crisp tender.
2) Lift the sugar snap peas from the water with a slotted spoon and immerse them in a bowl of ice water. Drain.
3) You may cook the peppers or not cook it. Up to you.

Ingredients for the Dressing
1) Kosher salt
2) 1/4 vegetable oil
3) 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
4) 1/3 cup soy sauce
5) 2 tbs dark sesame oil
6) 1 tbs honey
7) 2 garlic cloves, minced
8) 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
9) 2 tbs toasted white sesame seeds, divided
10)1/3 cup smooth peanut butter

Mix the Dressing
For the dressing, whisk together all the ingredients in a medium bowl.

Garnish
1)2 scallions (with and green parts), sliced diagonally
2)3 tbs chopped fresh parsley leaves

Finish and Garnish
1) Combine the spaghetti, sugar snap peas, peppers and scallions in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the spaghetti mixture.
2) Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds, and scallions and the parsley and toss together.

Crunchy Asian Peanut Noodle Salad Recipe Asian Peanut Noodle Recipe healthy noodle recipe

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Warm Turkey Chili Black Bean Dip with 3 Cheese Blend

看球赛吃的零食，没有比这个更好的选择了，好味道，好扮相，简单方便, 还很健康。

The usual snack choices for a football game, such as nachos, chicken wings, are tasty but not good to weight-management. I picked this one, delicious, pretty presentation, easy-to-make and healthy.

While I was trying to pulse the ingredients for this snack, Steeler's accidentally let the Raven's score a touchdown during the first 10 min of the play-off game.

Ingredients
1) 1 plum tomato, diced
2) 1/2 of a medium to large size diced red onion
3) 1 tbs cilantro, chopped
4) 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
5) 1 tbs ground cumin
6) 2 tbs hot sauce
7) Salt
8) A clove of garlic

Mix
1) Place all the above ingredients in a food processor and pulse until well chopped.
2) Add the black beans and pulse till the mixture is mostly smooth.
3) Adjust the salt, hot source to taste

Bake and Finish
1) Heat up a can of 98% fat-free turkey chili first and put it at the bottom
2) Pour the scrape on top
3) Layer three cheese bland to cover (I used the Light version)
4) Put in the oven at 375F for about 10 min till the cheese is melted
5) Garnish with cilantro sprigs and some green onin

Serve with tortilla chips.

Black Bean Dip Recipe Chili Black Bean Dip Recipe healthy snack recipe

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Delicious Pumpkin Raisin Muffin with Walnut and Raspberry - Healthy and Low Carb

上个周末在PEETS， CHRIS看着柜台里的小点心流口水。我就问他最想要吃什么。他点了一个南瓜玛芬。这个周末，在家看球赛，做一些边看球赛边喝下午茶。明天还可以做早餐。

下面的配方蛮健康的。我把原来FOOD NETWORK的配方做了些修改，减少了一些糖，用了全麦面粉，麦片和LOW CARB的面粉，加了葡萄干， 核桃仁和一些红莓酱。成品香甜滋润，很好吃。CHRIS说比STARBUCK的玛芬还好吃。

试试看吧？

Last week, while we were getting some coffee in Peet’s, I noticed that Chris was drooling over the pastry plate. So, I asked asked Chris what pasty he would fancy. He said pumpkin muffin. Oh, well, since I still have a couple of cans of pumpkin left from the Thanksgiving. I made it today, a perfect afternoon snack for a play-off game for Steelers.

In spite of many ingredients this recipes calls for, this is a rather easy and healthy recipe. The mini-pumpkin-muffins turned out moist and delicious. The chopped walnut and raisin enriched the texture, and made each bite more interesting and satisfying.

Marsha;"Chris, compared this one with the Starbuck's muffins, which one you like more?"
Chris:"Actually, believe it or not, yours seems to be better."
Marsha:” Chris, maybe we should wrapped all those little muffins up, otherwise, we would finish them before the game.”
Chris:” Na, not necessary…”
(A few minutes later and with a few more muffins disappeared) Chris:” Marsha, I think you are right. Those are so good, we’d better put them away, otherwise, we won’t have any thing left for tomorrow’s breakfast.”

Ingredients for the Batter
1) 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
2) 1/4 cup splenda
3) 3 tbs molasses
4) 1/4 cup canola oil
5) 2 large eggs
6) 1 cup canned pumpkin
7) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8) 1/2 cup of raspberry source (from Trader Joe's) (optional)
9) 3/4 cup low fat buttermilk or (1/2 yogurt plus 1/2 milk)(Set this aside)

Prepare Batter
In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, molasses, oil and 1 egg until combined. Add the other egg and whisk well. Whisk in the pumpkin and vanilla.

Ingredients for the Flour Mixture
1) 1/2 cup all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour (I used whole wheat)
2) 1/2 cup oat bran
3) 1 cup whole-grain flour (I used CarbquiK low carb bake mix)
4) 1 tsp baking soda
5) 1/2 tsp salt
6) 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
7) 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
8) 1/2 tsp ground cloves
9) 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Add Flour Mixture to the Batter
1) In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose and whole-wheat flours, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg.
2) Whisk in the flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the buttermilk. Whisk just until combined.

Adding Extra Flavor
1) 1/2 cup chopped walnut
2) 1/2 cup raisin

Bake
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2) Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray.

Tip: This is important to make it easier to take out the muffin. Today I coated it with margarine, I had a little problem of taking some of the little muffins out.

3) Pour the batter into the prepared muffin pan.
4) Tap the pan on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles.
5) Bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of 1 of the muffins comes out clean. For mini-muffin pan, I baked 10 min. It worked very well.

Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the muffins to loosen them and unmold. Cool completely on the rack.

delicious Pumpkin Raisin Muffin Recipe delicious Pumpkin Muffin healthy baking recipe

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Travel in GuiLin and YangShuo (1) - Boat Trip Along Li River to YangSuo

桂林山水甲天下。果然名不虚传。

A famous saying goes: North in China is Great Wall, South is GuiLin. Guilin is regarded in China as the country's most picturesque city, a must-see.

游桂林不能不乘船顺着璃江从桂林到洋朔。这一段美景可以算作我们这趟桂林之行的亮点。
The landscape of Li River usually reputed as the symbol of the natural landscape in China. Li River is the highlight of your Guilin tour, as is one of the highlights in China. A visit to Guilin without Li River Cruise would not complete.

看了璃江上的山水烟云，就明白中国的水墨画是怎样产生了。
With the river winding its way like a green ribbon and peaks lining up like bamboo shoots, the landscape presents a breathtaking Gallery of the Nature.

Li river wind and meander its way through thousands of hills from Guilin to Yangshuo, Gorgeous Karst peaks give you surprises at each bend of the limpid river under the blue sky.

Laura, FuJun and I spent wonderful 4 days together traveling in GuiLin. Taking the tourist boat trip along the Li River was definitely the highlight of this trip.

Travel Guilin Travel YangShuo Travel China

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