Reporters tackle plenty of tough stories daily, striving to bring better understanding to complex and often weighty issues. Today’s stories on artificial intelligence deepfakes and urban tent encampments are just two examples. But there are also moments when a casual tip or simple serendipity reveals a place that brings connection, that gives our world more breadth by making it a little bit smaller.

Ann Scott Tyson shares such a moment in Chengdu, China, when strangers shifted into friends, and the tyranny of the clock melted away. It, too, helps us understand our world just a little bit better.