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.

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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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..

This fact made it easy for the Chinese government to invade and take over the state. A fact that puts a very dark mark on the county’s reputation in the eyes of the world.

However, what most people don’t know, is that before Buddhism took it’s hold in this enchanted land the country was a warring nation.

So fierce were it’s fighters that on the 12th of November in the year 764 they took over the capital of the mighty Tang empire for 15 days before being tricked to flee by a Chinese army pretending to be much larger than it actually was.  .

He was born into a military family and quickly cultivated a reputation as something of a braggart. The family was fortunate enough to have enough income to afford him a good traditional confucian education though he prefered a more sporting life.

Once deemed time to pursue a profession he attempted on more than one occasion to pass the lowest classical exams.He failed every time. This didn’t thwart his ambition though. He went on to purchase a position in the military that would be his initial enabler to allow him to climb in stature and power.

His rise was not one without great turbulence though. At one point he was about to receive a large loan from overseas which was needed due to the empty coffers of the government. The KMT blocked him from doing so. Yuan reacted by murdering the chairman of the party. He managed to hold power for a short time trying to push to make himself the newest emperor of China which finally came to an end in 1916 when we was forced to abolish the title. A few months after this instance he died. .

The saturation of this product on the Chinese people proved debilitating for many of its citizens. The drug did have valuable medical uses but most of the merchandise became an addictive drug that incapacitated millions of unwary people to the debilitating sport known as “chasing the dragon”.

This spurred the Chinese government to attempt to stop the flow of this poison from affecting more of its citizenry. Their action was to seize as much of the opium they could get their hands on. Their first action took place in the Southern part of the country named Canton. While the Chinese action was initially successful, a reaction that could not be defended took place.

The British navy was petitioned to intervene and intervene they doid. Historically, China has had the pleasure of having one of the strongest armed forces with the most evolved military thought the world has ever seen. However, the poor economic and military condition of that day was very much lackluster compared to the days of old. The British navy danced around resistance with little or no problem forcing China to relent and pay homage to English superiority..