Northwest China cast its spell on me in countless ways: along the ancient Silk Road where camel caravans once trudged, through mysterious Buddhist caves with their centuries-old murals, past traditional cave homes dug into the yellow hillsides of the Loess Plateau. The landscape itself tells endless stories – from endless desert dunes to mountains that humble you with their scale. And then there are the people, their cheeks glowing red in the harsh climate, living their lives between dazzling bright days and nights so dark they seem to hold ancient secrets.