Maura Elizabeth Cunningham

Historian and Writer

Weekly Wanderings: July 19, 2026

A photo filled with pale pink peonies in bloom

Heat, humidity, wildfire smoke … I’m sure I wasn’t the only person struggling with conditions this week. I told my brother yesterday, “I hate feeling hermetically sealed,” but the only way to cope has been with all my windows shut and the air conditioner running. At the same time, I’m ever-conscious that I’m only experiencing the effects of wildfires, not directly confronting them.

If you’ve been following these Weekly Wanderings posts, you might have noticed that I usually pick a feature photo with some link to the content: sometimes it’s from my week, other times it connects to one of the stories I’ve selected to share. Today, though, I decided that no one needs one more image of a red sun against smoky skies. I went digging through my photo library for something beautiful and alive—something that shows what we should all be working to save.

Thanks for joining me this week. 🌻

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China Stories

Associated Press, “Hong Kong official warns booksellers on security risks after raids”

The year 2026 marks the 60th anniversary of the outbreak of the Cultural Revolution, a milestone known in China as a jiazi, a full sixty-year cycle. Traditional Chinese historiography views history as a cyclical progression between order and chaos, meaning the start of a new jiazi symbolizes a potential reset of the cycle. Likely driven by the symbolic weight of historical recurrence and the current high-pressure political climate, the authorities have tightened information control more aggressively than in previous years. Suppressing any commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the Cultural Revolution has become a top priority, with security agencies working tirelessly to nip any suspicious activities in the bud. — Fei Changdao, “From Universities and Customs to Copy Shops: How China Silences the Memories of the Cultural Revolution”

Brian Kern/Kong Tsung-gan, “This American Writer Was Politically Screened by the Hong Kong Immigration Department”

Alastair McCready, “China’s graduate glut: millions enter a job market with little use for them”

Austin Ramzy, “China Wields Security Laws to Cow Hong Kong’s Once-Free Literary Scene”

Vivian Wang, “‘They Don’t Need People’: The Workers Left Behind by China’s Robot Drive”

Zichen Wang, “Beijing’s message to the world’s tourists: come here and judge China for yourselves”