Raoul F. Duke

I feel like I missed out.

I hope the long term members of this forum keep the spirit going.


To Raoul and the forum   

Mutual appreciation of Hunter S Thompson brought Phil and I together. He'd love this outpouring.

He's probably have corrected your grammar though (-:


I don't post much - but I read here often.
I doubt it will continue to be the same.  The moderators are not Raoul.  They are good, but their personalities and beliefs are different.

So, goodbye to you, Raoul, and goodbye to all!

He's probably have corrected your grammar

He'd

By "good bye" do you mean you won't be dropping in here? Others have said it and I agree, the best way to remember Phil is to work hard to keep this place going.

Mutual appreciation of Hunter S Thompson brought Phil and I together. He'd love this outpouring.

He's probably have corrected your grammar though (-:

Possibly. He'd certainly have corrected yours!
Cheers Ruth.

This is a beautiful morning, or it was:  sunshine pouring through my window, a feeling that at last the darkest days of winter have passed;  even my Internet provider seems to have got its act together after depriving me of access to the web for a week.  What better way to celebrate renewed admission to the cyber world than to log in to the China saloon, which I haven't visited recently?  Now I feel plunged back into solsticial gloom.

I never met Raoul personally and can't even claim to have known him "virtually" in the sense of frequent exchanges through the medium of the forum, so I shan't try to add another tribute to the many that have already been paid, but I'd just like to express my appreciation of what he did.  His photo shows him to have been a big man (unlike the Doonesbury cartoon character in his profile) and that accords with the feeling I had of him being a larger than life character.  His posts and replies to the posts of others were sometimes ascerbic but always balanced and objective, as well as being entertaining.  If I have a personal reason to be grateful to him, it's because he was generous enough to bestow the honourable title of barfly on a mere gadfly like myself, and broadminded enough not to deprive me of that distinction when I failed to live up to expectations by not buzzing around the bar very often.  RIP Raoul Duke! (And good luck to those who have the heavy burden of running the China Saloon without you)!

I just logged on for the first time in a while and I certainly wasn't expecting this upsetting news 

RIP Raoul. I'll always remember you for the help you gave me when I first joined. You are a legend and your legacy will always live on to help those who live in the Big Silly.

Quote from: Paul on February 01, 2013, 04:10:11 AM

Mutual appreciation of Hunter S Thompson brought Phil and I together. He'd love this outpouring.

He's probably have corrected your grammar though (-:

Possibly. He'd certainly have corrected yours!
Cheers Ruth.

Don't let humour and irany get fergotten in times of sadness.

and irany get fergotten

Speaking of irony.......

Very upsetting news.  I always regretted never making the bus ride to Suzhou ten years ago to a bar that felt like the centre of the sinoverse.  I will never have the chance now to buy him a beer and say, 'Thank you.'

As 'My Turn Now' he was funny and stood out at that other website, as 'Raoul' he created his own website that, for me, made life in China that little bit more bearable and understandable.   

Raoul once wrote, 'One of the hardest and saddest things about being a long-term expat in China is that it's such a transient existence. Key businesses shut down or turn to shit. Good folks pack up their tent and go back to Old Country. There's always new stuff coming down the pipe, of course, but it's hard to avoid missing the old people and places.'

I cannot help thinking that this is well and truly the end of an era.  Raoul's website was an umbilical cord to my China past. It really is a transient existence, but when I remember China, I also remember Raoul, and as long as I am able to do that, Raoul F. Duke lives.

Wow, verity, that should be another quote for the hall of fame.

Gān bēi Raoul! Big heart for a big man. Rest easy and thanks for all the support.

Wow, just got the email this morning and I'm still a little shocked. I only knew Raoul from the forums, but what he created here was something that I (and a lot of other expats) could never repay him for. His humor, his kindness, and his desire to help others will be sorely missed.

This message board is a testament to that, and I get the feeling it won't be going anywhere for a long time.

RIP Raoul

Despite only 'knowing' Raoul via "Raoul's China Saloon" I feel this loss quite distinctly in a small part of me, but more broadly as a larger part of the world. Without him, this saloon, and the others (Granny Mae mostly) my first 6 months of China would have left me desperate, jaded and beaten. It was this place, and all you guys on it, that helped me move from struggling to flourishing and leave China a better stronger person.

Raoul, and the rest - thank you. What a wickedly brilliant legacy to leave behind. Not many can say they have helped (in various often humorously wicked ways) thousands of people, but Raoul can.

Rest in peace homie.

Dear Bro

go in peace man. Thanks for all you did for us laowais here and elsewhere.

your insights and advice you gave to me was so very helpful when I had no clue what was happening.

this website will go on and will ring with your presence forever.

you will be missed

he ping

I've been absent from the forum in quite a while but my absence pales in significance to that of the big man. 

In the short while I knew the big guy he demonstrated a compassion and dedication to those whom he considered to be extended, extended family rarely seen in these times. To read this very sad news today really has thrown me off kilter. My thoughts are with your family and loved ones mate, it's been a rough ride for them. Tonight I raised my glass to fond memories of visits to Suzhou, even fond memories of being somewhat stuck there without a return train or passport during spring festival. At that time I was worried about how I'd get home but it did afford me a longer time to spend with the fine man. 

To Con, Nolefan and the rest of the Mod crew: A tip of my hat and heartiest regards. An irreplaceable part has gone. It's up to you to see this place right and I worry little. Condolences to you all, his legacy is in good hands. A sad day indeed.