Word: narrowing
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Chen used to spend his evenings in the corners of Shanghai's cheapest bars, whiling away the hours with his Sprite-and-beer shandies and a stack of car magazines. But last September, the 20-year-old engineering major discovered a new hangout. Ascending a narrow staircase to a windowless room, he found a place near several other men sitting alone, obscured by clouds of cigarette smoke. Chen (he declines to give his full name) is now devoted to this Internet cafe. In May he spent 32 hours straight here, working his way through six packs of Double Happiness cigarettes...
...means an overnight train to the Manchurian sprawl of Shenyang, then another eastward to the industrial city of Tonghua, followed by a gut-churning hour in a taxi via the hairpin turns and dense forests of the precipitous peaks of the Changbai range. Simply reaching Ji'an's narrow valley sanctuary along the Yalu River in one piece feels like a miracle...
...Surrounded by mountain scenery and set on the banks of the Yalu, Ji'an exudes a shabby charm. Dimly lit narrow streets, lined with local markets and Korean, Chinese and Manchurian eateries, lend Ji'an a small-town feel, despite a population of more than 100,000. Few buildings are taller than four stories, and many homes retain their traditional Chinese layout of inner courtyards roofed with orange tiles. Though at first glance Ji'an's ancient heritage appears to have been washed away with the changing course of the Yalu, the discerning eye may yet spot a stretch...
...rare glimpse of the forlorn North. To do that myself, I hired a moped-and-rickshaw hybrid for a tour of the sites, culminating with a trip out to the Chinese border post. The guard in charge collected a visitation fee of $8, then pointed me to a narrow dirt path I was to follow?alone. Two minutes later?after passing a group of enthusiastic South Koreans returning from their own heady, if cursory, view of the North?I reached a ramshackle Chinese guard hut tended by a young Chinese soldier in a uniform two sizes too big. Once...
...corners of Shanghai's cheapest bars. He was content with his Sprite-and-beer shandies and a stack of car magazines to keep him company. But last September, the 20-year-old engineering major decided to break with routine. He bypassed his usual watering hole and climbed a narrow staircase to a windowless room. There, too, the men were sitting alone, obscured by clouds of cheap cigarette smoke. Chen had found a new hangout. In late May, he spent 32 hours straight in the illegal Internet caf?, working his way through six packs of Double Happiness cigarettes and relieving himself...