Asian Uncle

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Death rituals reveal profound truths about a culture's deepest beliefs. My journey to witness a Tibetan sky burial transformed my understanding of mortality, compassion, and spiritual connection.

The day began innocently with breakfast at a Buddhist academy before my guide (a Tibetan spiritual teacher I call LB) drove me to a remote mountain burial site. What awaited shocked me to m...

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Perched at 4,400 meters above sea level, my second journey into Tibet began at Daocheng Airport—the highest commercial airport on earth. The breathtaking landscape transformed before my eyes as we drove through mountain passes where all four seasons appeared within a single journey, the scenery shifting dramatically with each change in elevation.

My destination was Larongar Buddhist Acad...

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Hidden away in the remote Tibetan highlands exists a world vastly different from our own - one where polyandry (the practice of one woman marrying multiple brothers) makes practical sense, where bathrooms hang precariously off cliffs offering panoramic views, and where sending your youngest son to become a monk is considered a privilege rather than a sacrifice.

My week-long journey from ...

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Few travel experiences have challenged my worldview like my journey to a remote Tibetan mountain temple. Arriving after a bone-jarring twelve-hour drive through rugged terrain, I expected to find an ornate religious structure. Instead, I encountered hundreds of orphaned children living as young monks, their curious faces lighting up at the sight of my camera.

The high priest's quart...

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What does immigration look like from inside the room where every word matters? I step behind the headlines to share what I’ve learned as a Mandarin interpreter working across ICE—moving from intake to medical checks to immigration court—translating for people who’ve crossed jungles, oceans, and moral gray areas in search of a future. It’s not a defense and it’s not a takedown. It’s a field guide ...

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A chance encounter with a devout Buddhist au pair changed everything about my understanding of spirituality. After watching her weep for crabs we cooked and eventually leave her family behind to become a monk, I found myself on an unexpected journey to the remote corners of Tibet – places where foreigners rarely venture and Chinese visitors are almost unheard of.

My invitation came from ...

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Ever heard of Dongguan? Few Westerners recognize this southern Chinese megacity that operates as a manufacturing powerhouse—but for years, it harbored a secret economy built around what might have been the world's most organized prostitution industry.

Join me as I pull back the curtain on my three visits to this remarkable city between 2005-2010, where I witnessed a system so thorou...

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Journey with me through the shadowy world of China's elite entertainment industry as I pull back the curtain on experiences few are willing to discuss. Drawing from my year managing a KTV club and witnessing the evolution of "duck culture," I reveal how this underground economy operates and has transformed over time.

My story begins at my sister's gathering where I en...

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Stepping back into the shadowy world of Shanghai's KTV clubs, we pick up where we left off in the previous episode - exploring life as a "duck" or paid male companion in China's evolving nightlife scene. 

The unexpected relationships formed with wealthy female clients reveal complex human stories beneath the surface of simple transactions. My first regular, a divorced...

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China's opium war shame has shaped its modern approach to drugs and nightlife in ways few outsiders understand. From the death penalty for drug distribution to mandatory rehabilitation programs that leave permanent marks, these policies directly impact entertainment venues like KTVs (karaoke television clubs).

Walking into these establishments as both a manager and reluctant "d...

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The shadowy economics of high-end Chinese nightclubs comes into sharp focus through this unflinching firsthand account. Taking us behind the velvet curtains of KTV establishments in early 2000s China, our host reveals the carefully orchestrated hierarchy that kept these businesses profitable and protected.

We journey through the nightly routines of an assistant manager, from prioritizing...

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Step behind the velvet curtain of China's high-end nightlife as a former KTV assistant manager reveals the raw, unfiltered reality of managing an elite entertainment establishment. From the hidden door concealing hundreds of hostesses to the intricate social hierarchies that determine every interaction, this candid account offers rare insight into a world where business deals happen over kar...

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What happens when your father suggests you take a job as an "Assistant General Manager" at a friend's Chinese KTV nightclub? My journey through Shenzhen's vibrant nightlife industry during China's economic boom reveals a world few outsiders ever glimpse.

During the early 2000s—what I consider China's golden age of economic expansion—I balanced respectable da...