Portrait of an LBX

"Payer ses impôts conformément à la loi est un honneur"

Brother and sister sit in the back alleys of Xiazhai, Fujian.

A little boy stares at the three goofy looking foreigners walking around town in spandex shorts and bike jerseys.

This girl didn't really want her picture taken and looked away from the camera right as I was taking it. Now it looks like she's got some serious attitude.

A man stands in the entrance to a tulou (土楼) in Xiazhai, Fujian. Tulou are large, almost castle-like structures with a thick, circular, earthen wall around the outside and homes around the inside and a courtyard and well in the middle. The unique structures serve as both a means of defense in rough times and as a place to keep a large family together in one place. The tulou in some areas have been recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Those have been restored and of course have a hefty entrance charge slapped on them. We've been told the one we considered going to costs 120 yuan ($18) to get into.

An out-of-place-looking man reads to the side of the Xiazhai, Fujian street market.

An old woman in the Xiazhai, Fujian street market looks away from a conversation with a friend.

The elderly in China are still going strong with those cigarettes...along with everyone else.