At a desserted village

Lin Zhai, Guang Dong, China

Lin Zhai, a remote village in the far northern part of Guang Dong.  It used to be right at the hub of the trade route between the north and south, and with it, good fortune.  It had banks, safe deposit houses, pawn shops, and other financial services for the traveling entrepreneurs, and those were heavily fortified for protection against privates.  Those were times of yore.  Today, the remains of the infrastructure is still there, but the villages were deserted, with only the aged and the young staying behind, guarding the remains of a once affluent place.  Other than the natural pace of change, there had been other threats too.  The marking on the wall right behind the charming old woman read "water level for the 2005 flood".  That's high above her head. Even more striking, here's another picture, with the mark for the 1964 flood.....

The flood marks of 1964 & 2005