“As we visit His Holiness the Dalai Lama, our bipartisan delegation comes in his spirit of faith and peace. We come on this visit to be inspired by His Holiness and demonstrate our commitment to the Tibetan people, to their faith, their culture and their language,” Pelosi said.

China, which took control of Tibet in what it calls a “peaceful liberation” long has been accused of suppressing Tibetan culture. Throughout Tibet, reports come out of people engaging in isolated protest against Beijing. Recently, a 16-year-old boy set himself on fire while yelling “Tibet wants freedom” and “Let His Holiness the Dalai Lama come back to Tibet.”

Representative Jim McGovern, a Democrat traveling with Pelosi, has called for a new U.S. policy toward Tibet to safeguard the identity of the Tibetan people and hold China accountable for human rights abuses.

However, these issues out Washington in a sticky situation. President Donald Trump is now looking toward China as a potential piece of leverage to use against North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.

The Dalai Lama is still considered a dangerous separatist by the Chinese government. He has spent a lot of his life as technically a refugee. “Here the last 58 years I am the longest guest of Indian government,” the Dalai Lama said. “But, emotionally, some concern about deep inside Tibet, and in China proper there are 400 million Buddhists.”

Following Trump’s victory in November, the spiritual leader said he was interested in meeting the president. That invitation, however, may not be coming considering recent issues especially continued provocations by North Korea and China’s willingness to work with the United States.

Some say these gems, which include iron weapons and golden coins, offer proof to the tales of “The Yellow Tiger,” a peasant king who is said to have ruled Sichuan during the early Ming Dynasty. His real name was believed to have been Zhang Xianzhong. And if legend holds true, he went down in a blaze of glory back in 1646 when an imperial army sunk his armada causing him to drown with the goods.

“The objects uncovered are the most direct and compelling evidence to identify the area where the battle was fought,” said Wang Wei, a Chinese archaeologist.

Scientists began to unearth precious metals from the area before 2010, when it became a protected site. But that didn’t stop would-be treasure hunters. Police have arrested more than 31 suspects and confiscated their loot, along with their diving equipment.

Archeologists then went in last January with pumps to drain the waters and uncover the merchandise.

Known for taking politically sensitive cases and defending dissident scholars and sexual abuse victims, Zhou was sentenced to seven years in prison for subverting state power, which drew much criticism from international human rights groups. It was part of a widespread crackdown on activists that kicked off in 2015.

Chief Justice Zhou Qiang also applauded Chinese President Xi Jinping’s for leading his long-running, anti-corruption crackdown. Chinese courts heard 45,000 corruption cases in 2016 involving 63,000 people — up from 34,000 cases the previous year, according to figures given by Zhou.

He highlighted how the Supreme People’s Court had heard 23,000 cases in 2016 with just 1,076 defendants being found not guilty. That’s a 99.2% conviction rate.

He further commended the justice system for punishing “violent terrorism” and crimes against state security.

The University of California at San Diego announced it was welcoming the Tibetan spiritual leader Dali Lama to speak at commencement, causing Chinese students who view him as a dangerous separatist – a popular view circulated back home in state-run media – to seek safe space status.

Following the announcement, the Chinese Students and Scholars Association in a collective statement said: “UCSD is a place for students to cultivate their minds and enrich their knowledge. Currently, the various actions undertaken by the university have contravened the spirit of respect, tolerance, equality, and earnestness—the ethos upon which the university is built. These actions have also dampened the academic enthusiasm of Chinese students and scholars. If the university insists on acting unilaterally and inviting the Dalai Lama to give a speech at the graduation ceremony, our association vows to take further measures to firmly resist the university’s unreasonable behavior. Specific details of these measures will be outlined in our future statements.”

While the Dali Lama hasn’t publicly called for outright Tibetan independence, the Chinese government is highly critical of him.

One student on Facebook expressed concern over just how sensitive he is.

“Commencement is a landmark of our life. Our family members are coming all the way from China, flying for more than 10 hours to celebrate with us. The Dalai Lama, as a political icon, is viewed differently in our country. We want to spend a fantastic time with our family during the commencement, but his presence will ruin our joy.”

Still, the university is unlikely to revoke their invitation.

A school statement read: “Our 2017 speaker, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, carries a message that promotes global responsibility and service to humanity that is of great interest to the UC San Diego community and to our students as they enter their professional lives. As a public university dedicated to the civil exchange of views, the university believes commencement is one of many events that provide an appropriate opportunity to present to graduates and their families a message of reflection and compassion.”

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen is making a four-country tour of Taiwan’s allies in central America, visiting Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and El Salvador. But first, a pit stop in the United States. President Tsai stayed overnight in Houston, Texas Saturday, exchanging gifts with Governor Abbott Sunday.

President Tsai presented the governor with a lovely vase from her home island, and Governor Abbott? Well, he presented something not so lovely.

Abbott gave president Tsai a clock bearing the Texas state seal, according to the governor’s office. This may seem like an innocuous or even nice gift, but if Abbott had bothered to do his homework on his guest he would have known that giving a clock as a gift to a person from Chinese-speaking nations, especially Taiwan, China, and Hong Kong, is a huge n0-no.

This is because in both Mandarin and Cantonese the word for “clock” 鐘 is pronounced the same as the word for “end”, 終. So, “giving [the gift of] a clock” 送鐘 sounds the same as sending someone off to their end 送終. Clocks also signify that time is running out, as if you are blatantly pointing out to the receiver that his/her time is running out. If these are not reasons to abandon your clock gift, then I don’t know what is.

While President Tsai may have handled the gift-exchange with diplomacy and poise, Governor Abbott should have understood the cultural implications of such a gift, saving himself the embarrassment of this massive blunder.

Tsai Ing-wen will make a stopover in San Francisco on her way back to Taiwan. Hopefully Governor Abbott is not there to greet her – or if he is, please don’t make it be with a clock.

Each year, June 4th is filled with deep anguish and mourning of the thousands of innocent lives unmercifully lost that day.

To commemorate the anniversary this year, hundreds of demonstrators marched the streets of Hong Kong.

Hong Kong legislator Lee Cheuk-yan is quoted by Asia One as saying, “This is the 27th year after 1989 and the people in Hong Kong, we, are still persistently calling for the vindication of June 4 and the end of one-party rule and democratic China. And also, everyone can see that, the suppression is not just back in 1989, it is also today in China, today in Hong Kong.”

Hong Kong Free Press puts the number of protestors at approximately 1,500 people, though the official police statement, not surprisingly, estimated the size at half that. Last year’s commemoration attracted nearly 3,000 people.

The crowd was passionate, calling for equality and democracy as well as voicing their agony over the cruelty and callousness of the tyrannical Chinese Communist Party.  “Persist until the end! Never give up! Redress June 4! End one-party rule!” they chanted, Nikkei Asian Review reported.

Like most protests, however, groups of opposition were present as well. News platform Asia One wrote that Monday’s march was met by “dozens of pro-Beijing supporters,” who claim that reports agreed upon worldwide of civilian casualties at Tiananmen Square were enormously inflated.

One such CCP “patriot” was Peter Lam. “For 27 years, they (pro-democratic leaders) have been holding marches to draw attention to the Tiananmen Square massacre. I think this is not the truth. There are casualties in the 1989 riots, but the majority of those who died were military, as well as innocent civilians and students,” the loyalist said.

Mainland China works hard effacing what happened that tragic day 27 years ago; you won’t find the terms ‘Tiananmen Square Massacre’, ‘Tank Man’, or even the innocuous-sounding ‘June 4th’ anywhere on the web, and those who were alive then are too scared to mention the word, fearing persecution and imprisonment. The only version of Tiananmen Square is the Party’s version.

While people in mainland China are either clueless to the atrocious event or simply remain docilely silent on the matter, it is somewhat encouraging – even if ever-so-slightly – that the people of Hong Kong are taking an outspoken stand against the oppression and brutality of the Communist Party, paying tribute to and continuing on the message of the demonstrators who protested on June 4th, 1989.

Hong Kong’s unique legal status makes it the only place where commemorative demonstrations are allowed.

This German immigrant traveled to San Francisco during the 1800s and immediately fell in love with China Town. He decided to capture the essence of the cultural hub by snapping away with his small camera. Luckily, he kept his photos in a bank vault sparing them the chaos of the quake.

The photos resurfaced in his photo book “Pictures of Old China Town.”

Besides photography skills, Genthe also had a knack for poetically describing his surroundings taking readers on a trip through time.

“The smell of the place—it was a mixture of the scent of sandalwood and exotic herbs from the drugstores, the sickly sweetness of opium smoke, the fumes of incense and roast pork … And in the air there was always the sound of temple gongs, the clashing of cymbals and the shrill notes of an orchestra. It was something for me to write home about,” he explains in his book.

San Francisco’s China Town materialized after Chinese citizens turned to the West during the mid-1800s.

Many fled the country’s turbulent conflicts at the time. Others sought to test their luck during the California Gold Rush. Still, others decided to chase the American dream as job opportunities opened up on the Transcontinental Railroad.

San Francisco has since rebuilt its China Town. But, many say it’s simply not the same anymore..

Zhou is remembered in Chinese history as one of Chairman Mao Zedong’s most trusted lieutenants, and his right-hand man. He also is recognized for saving lives without being purged during the Cultural Revolution, which coincided with the height of Mao’s paranoia and blood spilling.

During his lifetime, his character was admired by all walks of life in China from peasants to top officials. His leadership and handling of foreign affairs was lauded by leaders from Beijing to Washington.

To celebrate his life, Sina published a photo essay capturing the highlights of Zhou through the eyes of those he met along his 77-year journey into the history books.

One photo depicts a young Zhou with friend Zhang Shenfu, the man who introduced Zhou to the Communist Party and essentially kick-started the legacy Zhou would create.

Zhang remembers Zhou as an energetic revolutionary studying abroad in Paris. Zhou eventually joined the ranks of the nascent CCP in the spring of 1921, months before the Communist Party became official.

The essay also contains photos of Zhou with his wife Deng Yingchao. She recalls marrying her husband with no ceremony because there were no registrars or witnesses at the time they wed in 1925.

As a high-ranking party official, Zhou came into contact with several foreign leaders especially during the three-party talks.

During this time, he captured the respect of many.

Former U.S. Ambassador to China John Leighton Stuart, who also is pictured in the essay among other American officials, said Zhou was a man of “infinite charisma.”

As the collapse of the 3-party talks came closer, U.S. General George Marshall expressed that the Nationalists under Chiang Kaishek did not give Zhou “the respect that a man of his caliber deserved.”

The essay features photographs of Zhou with former President Richard Nixon and former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.

Nixon described Zhou as a calm man who always “spoke directly and succinctly.”

Kissinger praised Zhou as “scholarly, patient, intelligent, adroit and agile. When discussing international affairs, he easily and quickly got to the heart of the matter, and it seemed that there was no affair he was not prepared to discuss.”

Nonetheless, Zhou resonated as much with the top of society as he did with the bottom.

One photo taken in 1950 depicts Zhou with Sun Yatsen’s wife, Soong Ching-ling.

She spoke highly of Zhou’s ties to peasants.

“Whatever the peasants ate, he ate too,” Soong said. “His clothes were often worn thin and covered in patches. He would often eat his meals with his driver, and would dine together with the wait staff during flights.”

Zhou’s life, however, began to deteriorate when he was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 1972 at the height of Mao’s ill-fated Cultural Revolution.

At the time, high-ranking officials needed approval from Mao before they could undergo surgery. Possibly due to Mao’s paranoia of party members conspiring against him and as his purge continued, Mao ordered Zhou’s diagnoses to be kept secret from him. By the time Zhou finally was operated on in 1974, the cancer already had spread. He died on January 8, 1976.

Deng Xiaoping said the following of Zhou’s role during the turbulent time before his death: “Zhou was placed in a difficult situation during the Cultural Revolution where he was forced to act and speak against his own will. Regardless, he deserves the forgiveness of the people. Because it was not truly him who did those things, nor was it truly him who spoke, and had he not, he would have forfeited the life of a great man. In working from behind the scenes, Zhou was able to save a great many people during the turmoil.”

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The 90-minute, six-part documentary took two years to make and it is the first documentary to be produced by China and a foreign company.

It was produced by state-run CCTV in cooperation with Britain’s Lion TV, China International Television Corporation and the Dazhong News Group.

Confucius is recognized as a symbol of Chinese history, culture and intellectualism. His teachings and philosophy are renowned around the world.

He was reportedly born in the present-day town of Qufu in east China’s Shandong Province around 551 B.C.

His philosophy, which came to be known as Confucianism, emerged from the school he founded in which students from all walks of life came to receive his wisdom. He is believed to be the first to establish private schools in China.

About 1,300 Confucius temples are scattered throughout China and overseas.

Today, about 9 million people are studying Chinese language and culture in 500 Confucius institutes

The documentary was broken down into six parts: the man, the legend, the philosophy, the master, the inheritance and the present day.

A 300-minute, domestic version of the documentary is under production.

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Those are the words that renowned humanitarian Elsie Tu lived by up until her death on Dec. 8, 2015 at the age of 102.

This Englishwoman arrived in the colony of Hong Kong in 1951 as Elsie Elliot to support her husband, a missionary named Bill Elliot.

But she soon wanted to do more than just spread the word of God.

At the time, Honk Kong was administered solely by British officials and businessmen for the purpose of exploitation. Elsie came to see the Chinese as victims and grew to view colonialism as something that brought out the worst in the British.

She became dismayed at the sight of Chinese refugees escaping newly-communist China into the cramped, dilapidated huts in the slums of Kai Tak in Kowloon.

She was heartbroken by the children walking into her church on fungus-encrusted feet and with boils from malnutrition.

So, Elsie set up a hospital clinic to treat them.

She saw children with an eagerness to learn holding cheap comics on the street.

So, Elsie founded Mu Kwang Middle school in 1954.

But, she didn’t stop advocating for the needy’s rights through philanthropy. She was also very vocal at criticizing the top.

Soon, Elsie was catching the attention of the Legislative Council, the police, and top British officials.

She got her first taste of Honk Kong’s corrupted underbelly when she began buying land for buildings and exploring the Education Department. She saw triads extorting protection money from hut-dwellers across the land.

She even noticed police involvement in the narcotics trade. Elsie exposed this corruption in her reports and letters to the South China Morning.

Police eventually accused her of inciting violence among demonstrators protesting against a fare hike on the Star Ferry linking Hong Kong island and Kowloon. After she proved the, wrong, she became widely popular.

Those at the top didn’t really know what to make of her. But, Elsie eventually climbed to the ranks of the Legislative Council where she sat from 1988 to 1995.

Through protecting the needy Chinese in Hong Kong, she also found love after having left her demanding, first husband.

In 1985, she married a Chinese patriot from Inner Mongolia named Tu Hsueh-kwei. She came to call him “Andrew” after the apostle who cared for the needy. Elsie adopted “Tu” as her last name.

Together, they founded Elsie’s school and worked toward humanitarianism. Today, that school stands as a seven-storey block with 1,300 students. It started as a 30-desk army tent.

Andrew also boosted her interest in Chinese culture. Through him, she learned the philosophy and poetry of China as well as the Chinese habit of patience.

The marriage served as a contrast to her previous one, where her most important roles including serving refreshments at meetings. With Andrew, it was he who greeted her with tea after she spent a busy day at the Legislative Council.

As Hong Kong moved closer to Communist China’s control, she attacked what she called “disgraceful” reforms belatedly introduced by the British.

In 1995, she lost her seat to a “pro-Democracy” candidate.

She refused to shake his hand..