After five years covering China—and more than a decade in Asia—I’m soon moving to D.C. I’m in debt to every person who took the time (and, often, the risk) to share their story. Here, if you& #39;ll indulge me, are five I’ll never forget:

I’ll always smile when I think of Chen Aiwu and her husband, Wang Dongsheng, who survived the tumult of the Cultural Revolution, struggled, saved, then set out, rice cooker in tow, to discover America. To delight of many, they did. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/adorable-chinese-retirees-win-hearts-on-epic-american-road-trip/2016/08/16/6398739c-5f0c-11e6-84c1-6d27287896b5_story.html?utm_term=.3a50d374e4ea">https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asi...

I still read Xu Lizhi, the migrant worker-poet who wrote so beautifully and died so young. Let his life remind us of the big hearts and bright minds that power China’s ‘miraculous’ growth. http://time.com/chinapoet/ ">https://time.com/chinapoet...

I will remember, always, the family of Li Hongxia, a young Chinese woman murdered by her husband. Her parents and siblings fought like hell, against every odd, to make their village, their county, the country, care. , https://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/world/2016/05/02/china-domestic/?utm_term=.f5288462c6f9">https://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/world/...

Same for grumpy old Grandpa Han. He was one of millions of Chinese seniors growing old alone, so he posted a note asking for help—and from across China, people answered. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/he-was-one-of-millions-of-chinese-seniors-growing-old-alone-so-he-put-himself-up-for-adoption/2018/05/01/53749264-3d6a-11e8-912d-16c9e9b37800_story.html">https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asi...

Then there’s Ablajan, a Uighur pop star with a generous spirit and a soaring voice. He, like so many in Xinjiang, is missing. But I have not forgotten him, or the others. Nor, I hope, will you. http://time.com/3424671/ablajan-awut-ayup-uighur-xinjiang-music-pop-star-china/">https://time.com/3424671/a...