After seven years in China, I’ve decided it’s time to spend some time on the other side of the Pacific. I’ll be moving back to the U.S. this month to focus on local reporting following years as an international news editor. If I’ve learned anything in my time around foreign journalists, scholars and policy types in the Northern Capital, it’s that nobody ever really “quits China.” I have been fascinated by this country since I was 18 — nearly half my life — and I expect it will remain a focus of my career and intellectual pursuits for decades to come. I can’t promise I’ll never be back. There’s too much of this country and region I didn’t get to see — Guizhou, Gansu, Sichuan, Mongolia, Indonesia and Uzbekistan come to mind. For now I’m saying 下次见！

Here are some of my favorite photos from around China and Hong Kong.