Mark was one of the most exceptional persons that I met on that entire trip to the east . He spoke perfect English without a hint of an accent and told us that he had never been outside of China with the exception of one day spent in Hong Kong. During the trip, he pointed to the building where he studied (a major in economics) so needless to say, he was exceptional both as a guide and as a person.

To be honest, the three guides (my terminology) on that one day trip to the Guangdong province (Canton) were #1. I chose to include the bus driver who spoke no English but Mark explained that they were business partners and the partner was a silent, smiling angel. My choice of the 2 pieces that I have typed was made from the notations that were made in the book while reading it ages ago. My intent is not to be deliberately naive or stupid. Maybe Mark was obviously familiar with the "Tao te Ching" but I never really made note of his surname and only rediscovered his writings after choosing the pieces. (The name of the hotel is written in Chinese and as I neither read nor speak Chinese, I am assuming that this is the hotel's name, that could only be the conclusion. We were all civilized and they, especially humane.) I hope you like my selections: #34 is simple, clear and precise. I found #32 to be intriguing and invited thought.