WALK THE  STREETS OF HONG KONG WITH AN ACCOMPLISHED ARTIST, PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER AND PRIVATE TOUR GUIDE

IMPECCABLE ONE OF A KIND GUIDE SERVICES AND LOCAL experiences FOR INQUISITIVE AND DISCERNING WORLD TRAVELERS

There be those who say things and places have souls, and there be those who say they have not;
I dare not say, myself, but I will tell of the street.
— –H.P. Lovecraft

INTRODUCTION

Greetings from Hong Kong!

Call me William, Bill or Big Bill whichever you prefer.

I am a semi-retired Asian American who has been an expatriate living in Hong Kong for 20 years. My earlier career for 27 years was as an international corporate lawyer with a prominent New York firm. Later in life, I changed direction and switched to other creative pursuits. I now style myself as a professional photographer, visual artist and since 2015, a purveyor of premium private tours in and around Hong Kong. I have delivered over 1,000 private tours to date on behalf of various travel agencies. During the pandemic, I delivered over 500 private online tours via Amazon Experiences.

This website is aimed principally at my activities as a freelance tour guide specializing in private tours of Hong Kong and it’s surrounding environs for solo travelers, couples, families and small and large groups including on occasion corporate outings.

All of the experiences I deliver are unique and tailored to meet the particular preferences, requirements and expectations of my clients.

Local history, culture, food and all levels of photography are the primary themes I cover. Here you will find a detailed description of my background, professional highlights and my approach to private tours of Hong Kong, the sights, the narrative and the logistics.

Here on this web site, you will also find a Blog highlighting my musings on all things Hong Kong in the form of short dispatches and links to my street photography images all of which are available for acquisition as fine art prints.

Note: Following three years of the pandemic I have slightly re-calibrated my personal priorities. In particular, I am allocating more time to other passions involving my interest in travel, historical research, writing and photography, etc. This activities are highly synergistic with my activities as a guide inasmuch as I am eager to share whatever interesting information I am able to discover.

I love conducting private tours for many reasons, most importantly spending quality time with folks such as yourselves. Accordingly, I will continue to offer guide services on a first come first served basis into the foreseeable future.

You can learn more about my background and various interests as well as the kinds of tours I deliver by exploring this website.

Contact me if you want to enjoy experiencing this great city in all its dimensions with someone who knows and appreciates it well.

See you on the Streets of Hong Kong!

William

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Meet William

*Asian American raised in New York City and Japan.

*A resident of Hong Kong SAR 20 years.

*Tourist Guide Pass TG12434 issued by Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong (Expiry July 31, 2026).

*Retired International Lawyer, BA, JD, LLM (NY State Bar, inactive).

*Completed Online Courses With HarvardX:

-China, From the Mongols to the Ming Dynasty

-Modern China’s Foundations: The Manchu and the Qing

-Invasions, Rebellions and the End of Imperial China

-Creating Modern China: The Birth of a Nation

-China and Communism

*Lived, studied and/or worked for substantial periods in the following global cities: NYC, Washington DC, Chicago, London, Warsaw, Kobe, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Bangkok.

*Master Digital Artist and Professional Photographer (viewers from around the globe purchase and collect my works).

*First Aid Certification by Hong Kong Red Cross (2017, 2023).

*Feature article in Hong Kong's Apple News Daily (William, an American tour guide who knows his way around Hong Kong like a true local).

*1000+ Hong Kong Private Tours Completed to date.

*Virtual Experience Provider on Amazon Explore (500+ Virtual Tours Delivered to date).

*Private Tour Guide since 2015

*Joel Meyerowitz Master's of Photography Self Study Course, 2018.

*Greg Williams Candid Photography Online Course (2020).

*Listed on Trip Advisor (since Autumn 2015) and Tours By Locals (since Spring 2017).

*260+ Million Image Views on Flickr.

*Tours By Locals Guide On Boarding Team (2018-2020).

*Awarded Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence every year since inception.

* Rated the Best Photography Tour in Hong Kong based upon Traveler Reviews on Trip Advisor.

* Invited Local Expert for Local Topics on RTHK Radio Hong Kong

*Recent Reading:

Hemingway on the China Front, Peter Moreira (2006)

China Hands, James Lilley (2004)

Hong Kong in the Cold War, Edited by Priscilla Roberts and John M. Carroll (2016)

Total Espionage, Curt Reiss (2016)

A Truly British Samurai, The Exceptional Charles Boxer (1904-2000), Paul Budden (2015)

History Without Borders-The Making of the Asian World Region. 1000-1800. Geoffrey C. Gunn (2011)

Justice By Gunboat, Warlords, Lawlords, and the Making of Modern China and Japan, Douglas Clark (2017).

Wealth and Power, China’s Long March to the Twenty First Century, Orville Schell and John Delury (2013).

Shanghai’s Baghdadi Jews, Masie Meyer (2015)

Four Hundred Million Customers, Carl Crow (1937).

The Silver Dollar as an Element of International Trade: A Study in Failure, John Kleeberg (1993).

Happy clients, enjoying a tasty local style meal in one of my favorite Hong Kong neighborhood joints.

Happy clients, enjoying a tasty local style meal in one of my favorite Hong Kong neighborhood joints.

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February 1, 2023

Dear Friends and Clients,

It was my greatest pleasure to host and serve each and every one of you through the travel season ended January 2020, which marked the arrival of the global pandemic and a 3 year hiatus of tourism in Hong Kong.

During the pandemic Hong Kong was closed to non-resident international arrivals. So it is no exaggeration to say there were literally zero tourists visiting Hong Kong.

Nevertheless, by delivering 500+ live virtual tours for Amazon Experiences and Tours By Locals, I was able to continuously enhance my local story telling skills.

Earlier this year, Hong Kong fully reopened to non-resident travelers.

This is terrific news and I am eagerly looking forward to seeing you once again soon!

Warm regards,

William

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A  Message  from  WilliaM

 

Greetings Fellow Travelers,

Welcome to Hong Kong SAR, the Pearl of the Orient!

Allow me to share with you the finest ways to experience all facets of this truly magnificent city, culturally, historically and visually, just as a local does; so that when we are finished, you will be able to confidently and knowledgeably relate the modern story of Hong Kong as an inquisitive and well informed cultural traveler!

Bob Marley was once asked: "Are you a rich man, do you have a lot of possessions?" To which he responded: "I don't have that kind of richness, my richness is life."

If you fancy yourself as one with a strong appreciation for the richness of life, then join me and together we will experience the full sensory extravaganza that awaits you on the Streets of Hong Kong!

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WB7--Eastern Standard Tribe

WB7--Eastern Standard Tribe

An American Who Loves Hong Kong

I am a mixed Asian American who grew up in New York City and has spent many years living and working all around the globe, in particular the United States, Europe and Asia.

Most recently, I have resided in an old Chinese District of Kowloon coming on 20 years. This is my home, the people out on the street know me and I have lived here longer than any of the other neighborhoods I have lived in during the entirety of my adult life.

Hoi Sham Island, To Kwa Wan (circa 1950s). The island pictured is now part of a public park just around the corner. As is the case with most of the original shoreline of Victoria Harbour, the water separating the island has been reclaimed with landfill. (Source: SCMP)

Myself a Tour Guide

I am also a retired international lawyer who has reinvented himself as a professional artist/photographer and street savvy Hong Kong private tour guide.  When I am not out on tour engaging with diverse clientele from all over the world, I am busy reading, exploring, photographing and creating. This is not a routine for me. This is both a passion and a blessing!

When you engage me on your forthcoming visit to Hong Kong, you will be engaging someone who has spent the better part of his professional career around the globe learning and assisting others in assimilating diverse cultures both East and West. Someone who successfully made his living pioneering new geographic markets for a diverse range of organizations by mastering the art of cultural intelligence...”

Now I am doing essentially the same thing with essentially the same kinds of folks who were previously my clients as an international lawyer (highly successful, driven, well traveled, well informed and demanding), only now, instead of closing a deal, the goal is fun!

Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.
— Confucious

The inception of Hong Kong and the liberalization of the 'China Trade' coincided with the golden age of Yankee clipper ships. A point of keen interest inasmuch as I grew up sailing.

Some would find the story of my transformation alone to be one worth hearing about. But as you will see, there is much much more that goes with it.

As an American offering high touch cultural-historic-photographic tours of Hong Kong, one of the things I do is to dig up and integrate into my narrative historical nuggets of particular interest to American travelers. For example, what was the role of Yankee clippers and the California gold rush in the emergence of Hong Kong as the gateway to China; or

 

Commissioner Lin standing guard in Chatham Square NYC

Commissioner Lin standing guard in Chatham Square NYC

who was Commissioner Lin and why is his statue sitting in the heart of New York City's China Town; or why and where did Edward Snowden hole up when he passed through Hong Kong; or why is it that so many Americans are buried in the old Protestant Cemetery located next to the former British East India Company headquarters building in Old Macau; or which Taoist temple in Macau was the signing venue of the first treaty between the United States and China, or what brought FDR’s grandfather to Macau and later Hong Kong, or why was the US Consulate in Hong Kong reputed to be the largest in the world during the Cold War? How did American merchants behave during the opium wars? What was the early approach of the United States vis-a-vis China and how did that affect global events in the 20th and 21st Centuries?

My time spent living and working in the London further elaborates the depth of my gaze on the history of this former British Colony as well.

I have plenty of other intriguing facts and anecdotes I like to share: the old coastal China trade, triads and secret societies; South China pirates; Chinese folk religion; how to haggle in street markets; Hong Kong style messy urbanism (the squatter villages, the Kowloon Walled City, street markets and informal use of public space); the trading patterns of colonial Asia, the essential role played by the indigenous Tanka boat people in the development of Hong Kong and Macau as port cities; and my favorite regional Asian and Chinese cuisines, to name a few.

All of the information I have accumulated over the years is available to my private Hong Kong Tour and Hong Kong Photo Tour clients!

You see, it is one thing to blather on with marketing cliches about showing you the much touted "hidden gems"and "back streets" , it is another to put in the requisite elbow grease necessary to build and share a comprehensive framework connecting a multitude of cultural and historic dots in an engaging and user friendly narrative.  That is my singular aim!

In my preparations for your private Hong Kong walking tour, I have literally spent thousands of hours reconnoitering the streets of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, the New Territories and Old Macau, camera in hand, searching for all manner of intriguing characters, urban legends, local points of interest, world class street art, delicious eateries and the wonders of raw Cantonese street culture (don't worry, I will explain what that is) in all of its curious manifestations. I have also logged hundreds of hours engaging in relevant historic research of precolonial, colonial and modern day Hong Kong, Macau and China as well as greater Asia.

During my private Hong Kong walking tour engagements, in addition to queries  concerning ground covered on the tour itself, I am routinely called upon to comment on other diverse topics, including:

-What it is like living, working and raising a family in Hong Kong;

-Local and regional business, politics and current affairs (Hong Kong's government and so called Basic Law, Hong Kong's world class transportation system, Hong Kong's real estate bubble, Hong Kong's massive commitment to public housing, Hong Kong's public and private educational system and Hong Kong's public healthcare system);

-Diverse historical matters including the origins of the European spice trade, the golden age of Macau (sometimes referred to as the Japanese Southern barbarian trade), the Canton (barbarian) trading system, early Sino-American relations, the opium wars, the age of the treaty ports and importantly, China's so called century of foreign humiliations,

-China's struggle towards modernity and the role of Hong Kong vis a vis same;

-the Battle of Hong Kong and the Japanese occupation;

-Hong Kong's rapid socioeconomic growth in the period from 1950-1990 (the "Tiger Economy");

-Hong Kong's adjustment during the post 1997 handover period.;

-Ongoing developments in US-China relations and my views leading into the future of the region.

-My experiences and knowledge of South East Asia and the greater China region.

Most importantly,  during my private Hong Kong walking tours, I always endeavor to relate these subjects in a personalized, engaging, entertaining and fully accessible style.

In other words, you can expect to be interacting with someone who is much more than a repository of trivial facts, figures and dates, spewing them forth like a walking tape recorder wearing a tour guide pass.

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You will be visiting Hong Kong, but I consider it my calling to offer a well considered perspective on broader issues that will greatly illuminate your stay.

What can be learned from the culture, history and people of the Pearl River Delta region (including Macau, Old Canton (Guangzhou) and Hong Kong), the earliest commercial and cultural interactions between China and the West, all of which literally began here, and how this knowledge be applied to broader use?

As a simple example I will mention the re-animated US/China trade war you have no doubt been reading about. Would it surprise you if I said there is much more to it than meets the eye?

At the end of my private walking tours,  I want you to feel like you have learned something transcending a run of the mill tour. Something that will give you a better grasp of current global events as they unfold. Something interesting you can confidently share with your colleagues, family and friends following your return home. Something in addition to the differences between Cantonese and northern Chinese cuisines, a topic I consider of equal importance!

I always assume my clients fancy themselves as sophisticated well informed travelers and not mere tourists simply being led from Point A to Point B, with a jewelry factory stop in between.

The traveler was active; he went strenuously in search of people, of adventure, of experience. The tourist is passive; he expects interesting things to happen to him. He goes ‘sight-seeing.’
— Daniel J Boorstin

Are you intrigued? Then please read on...

Now  I recognize that not everyone will want to delve into weighty topics on break. That's fine because you are on holiday, there is only so much one can manage out on a walking tour and we all want to lose weight. Indeed, there are more than a few occasions where silence is indeed golden.

So if you just want to go out, lighten up, have fun and enjoy the fabulous sights on the wonderful streets of Hong Kong, I'm with you. Let's go do it!

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A FAIR Bit More THAN JUST ANOTHER Hong Kong Tour Guide

When you engage me to be your private guide, I will share with you my Hong Kong. My Hong Kong is a place most visitors will never see. It is a place that I have spent a great deal of thoughtful time and effort creating with a palate consisting of my own lifelong interests, experiences and appetites. It is an urban canvas. And on that canvas I have carefully collected and composed a well balanced composition consisting of theoretical and street wise cultural observation, intriguing historical background, compelling photographic moments, delicious food, plenty of humor, imagination and good old fashioned fun. Let me assure you, I will share as much of my Hong Kong as I can in the time we will share together. And when you leave this magnificent city that I now call my home, you will leave with two things: wonderful memories and a hunger to return for more. Come and experience my Hong Kong...”
— William
I am a rapacious reader of colonial history throughout Asia. I also collect antiquarian maps and books covering the 'Great Game' in Western China and Central Asia. Read Peter Hopkirk's works for a teaser.

I am a rapacious reader of colonial history throughout Asia. I also collect antiquarian maps and books covering the 'Great Game' in Western China and Central Asia. Read Peter Hopkirk's works for a teaser.

Just a few of the notable personalities I regularly introduce on my private Hong Kong walking tours: (1st Row) Song Emperor Zhao Bing (the boy emperor), Vasco Da Gama (the explorer), Commissioner Lin Zexu (the Emperor's mandarin), Madam Zheng Shih (…

Just a few of the notable personalities I regularly introduce on my private Hong Kong walking tours: (1st Row) Song Emperor Zhao Bing (the boy emperor), Vasco Da Gama (the explorer), Commissioner Lin Zexu (the Emperor's mandarin), Madam Zheng Shih (the Pirate Queen) (2d Row) Martha Cuijk van Mierop (from orphan to benefactress), Zheng Guanying (the compradore scholar of Macau), Sun Yat Sen (the founding father of modern China), Sir John James Cowperthwaite (the architect of prosperity); (3d Row) Henry Pottinger (the Governor), Sir Robert Ho Tung (the Grand Old Man of Hong Kong), Warren Delano (an American trader), Charles Elliot (a much misunderstood figure), William Jardine (the Taipan), Harriet Low (an American in old Macau). There are of course many others...

In addition to Europe, more than half of my time abroad was spent in and around Japan, Hong Kong, China and South East Asia. Both my Dad and my Grandfather managed trading businesses in China (Hong Kong and Shanghai) and Asia during the first and latter part of the 20th century. Half of my immediate and extended family is Asian, so Asian history and culture is in my blood. Experience, brings context and if you are coming from any of those places, you can count on me to help you connect all of the cultural and historic way points you may have passed during your journey. Conversely, if you are headed to those places, you can ask  me for whatever insights I may have to share. 

My Mom, who was Japanese, was a spiritually gifted human being and raised me to relish and respect all cultures and religions. While I grew up going to church on Sundays, I discovered Zen Buddhism living in Japan as a teenager.  My wife is a Thai Buddhist who has lived in Hong Kong 26+ years.  Some guides will show you an authentic local temple. I will show you the temples where my family goes to pray and what awe inspiring temples they are!

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William Esq. Brushed Up!

You won't be seeing me dressed like this on tour!

One thing I noticed, however, there were plenty of characters with the Esq. title after their names, involved in the early history of Hong Kong. They say lawyers are social engineers and there certainly was plenty of social engineering involved in the creation of Colonial Hong Kong.

I strongly recommend a book titled The History of the Laws and Courts of Hong Kong by James William Norton-Kyshe. A fascinating explication of the challenges encountered by the colonial administrators of rough and tumble Hong Kong during the swashbuckling era of opium Taipans, pirates and Yankee clippers on the high seas. You can find this book on the internet for free since it is public domain.

Having spent a lifetime perfecting my skills at persuasive oratory and written communication (gift of the gab) I have now redirected those skills to sharing my unique portfolio of local knowledge and experience with maximum efficacy. Optimal communication translates into maximum information sent and received.

Which direction we turn in our discussions is entirely up to you. Suffice it to say that having lived abroad more than half of my life, I have resided, worked in and visited some extraordinary places (60+ countries and counting) and I have plenty of interesting memories and experiences to share as I am sure you do as well.

I take pride in being a keen social observer, an artist/entertainer, a lover of good food and a culturally intelligent human being.

And speaking of entertainers...

Here I am with with Jean Claude Van Dam, another Hong Konger (circa 2004)at Spring Moon in the magnificent Peninsula Hotel. My first time staying in the Peninsula was Summer 1974! You never know who you might run into on the Streets of Hong Kong!

Here I am with with Jean Claude Van Dam, another Hong Konger (circa 2004)at Spring Moon in the magnificent Peninsula Hotel. My first time staying in the Peninsula was Summer 1974! You never know who you might run into on the Streets of Hong Kong!

With famous Hong Kong TV/movie actor Lau Siu Ming in Nan Lian Garden.

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Photography: A Lifelong Passion leading to new opportunities

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The Yashica Electro 35 GSN

My first adult film camera...made in Old Kowloon in the early 1970s. I shot lots of Kodak Ektachrome slide film which Kodak has announced will be reintroduced in 2018!

And yes, I still shoot film along with digital and use many kinds of cameras vintage and modern.

Detailed information about my private Hong Kong Photo tours and Hong Kong street photography courses can be found at this link.

I have been a photographer all of my life. In fact I got my first job with a camera.

My Dad taught me how to take photographs on his Leica film camera when I was 8 years old. I grew up with film, darkrooms and plenty of photographic exploring during my travels. My first summer job opportunity as a 14 year old, literally fell onto my lap as a result of my documentary photography with the camera pictured to the left.

Following my retirement from the law, which coincided with the advent of digital cameras, I was finally able to channel my lifelong passion for photography. More specifically, I was able to stylistically refine my "photographic eye" and develop a visual style that connects with my viewers.

I am happy to share all I have learned over the years with all of my clients and very happy to shoot lots of memorable photographs of you during your premium private Hong Kong walking tours and Hong Kong photo tours!

My street photography and artwork has racked up more than 260 million views on the internet. Check out some of my Hong Kong Street photography here. My digital artwork and Hong Kong photography has been acquired by collectors and followers from all over the world.

I have scouted and know exactly where to capture the best images along all my tour routes and I am eager to share all of my hard won secrets with you! Here are some of my Hong Kong fine art images for your perusal (print inquiries are also welcome).

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Lion Rock, February 2017 (whatever it takes to get to the top!).

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My Mission

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My mission can be simply stated as follows: To provide all of my private Hong Kong walking tour clients with an entertaining, deeply informative and street savvy premium travel experience ultimately leading to cherished memories, a portfolio of stunning on-tour photographs, an urge for further investigation and a strong desire to navigate your way back to this wonderfully engaging city.

The gold standard of premium tour guiding is to be found in one's mastery of every detail.

The gold standard of premium tour guiding is to be found in one's mastery of every detail.

 

All of my premium Hong Kong private tours discussed on this website are performed soulfully by me. Business professionals will recognize immediately what I mean when I say I am a "high touch" service provider. By engaging me to be your guide, you can expect the utmost attention to detail in personalized service, proactive communication, positive attitude, transparency, the highest standards of best practice and client service professionalism. There is no such thing as overkill.

Six brilliant days guiding Steve and Jo in early December 2017

Six brilliant days guiding Steve and Jo in early December 2017

So you may ask, why have I written this somewhat lengthy description of my background and personality? Well the answer is plain and simple, you are about to make a very important decision: Is this someone I want to spend a full day or several days with on my visit to Hong Kong? I want you to make that decision as a well informed consumer. Because who you see above is who you are going to get!

Now hopefully, I will have provided you with a fair idea of who I am, where I am coming from, the nature of my expertise, the style of my patter and the overall multi-dimensional spirit of my endeavors.

Enough so that you will find yourself sufficiently intrigued to take the next big step and click the Inquiries button below!  

The bottom line, spend a day or two with me and I guarantee that you will leave Hong Kong with a memorable and entertaining experience exploring the richness of life on the Streets of Hong Kong.

And on the way you will have also gained a friend for life!

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The noblest art is that of making others happy.
— P.T. Barnum
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NEXT STEPS

How to Navigate This Website

How to Navigate This Website

For details concerning the private Hong Kong tours I offer, please jump to my Private Private Tours page. Please note that all of my tours are personalized and are meant to be configured to meet your specific preferences and requests. This means, with advance notice, I am perfectly willing to deliver a tour designed specifically for you. Alternatively,  as many do, you can just leave it with me.

Finally, to inquire as to how to engage me to be your guide, or send me a message, please jump to my Inquiries Page or click the red navigation button you see below and through out the rest of this website.

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I am very proud to be included as a guide in Tours By Locals global guide community where I am listed as William in Hong Kong (Guide No 15942).

I am very proud to be included as a guide in Tours By Locals global guide community where I am listed as William in Hong Kong (Guide No 15942).


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Hong Kong and the surrounding island. Plenty of stories to tell, plenty of yarns to spin…


LIVE FEED FROM THE STREETS OF HONG KONG...


I’ve lived a life of travel,
In many foreign lands,
I’ve met rovers of all nations,
With hearts cleaner than their hands.

I’ve found them most like children,
Who love to play and sing—
To pulsate with the Heavens,
And with every Living Thing.

My simple rhymes and ballads,
Were made for folks like these,
Who love the Love and Friendship,
Of the rovers overseas.
— Shamus A. Rabbitt-Ballads of the East (1937)

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“To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place… I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.”
— Elliot Erwitt
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