Politically, China proper (where the core of Han culture and settlement began in the middle of the Yellow River valley) and frontier areas of China were brought together under the Qing dynasty, mostly during the 18th century. Incursions by earlier dynasties into Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia and southern Manchuria did occur, but were later reversed. It is this latest process of expansion that accounts for the enormous size of the People's Republic of China today.

As we age, the major arteries of our bodies frequently become thickened with plaque, a fatty material with an oatmeal-like consistency that builds up along the inner lining of blood vessels. The reason plaque forms isn’t entirely known, but it seems to be related to high levels of cholesterol inducing an inflammatory response, which can also attract and trap more cellular debris over time.

Now came shipwrecks and life in open boats, with the usual paucity of food.

A knowing old sheet-anchor-man, an unprincipled fellow, putting this, that, and the other together, ferrets out the mystery; …