# Forum About Russia Culture and History  Take off shoes

## lauradh

Recently I invited a russian woman to my house. She is from Vladivostok. When she was entering, she asked me where she should leave her shoes (   ::  ). She explained that in Russia, people has a wardrobe at the entrance, where they change the shoes. They also have shoes enough to offer some to visitors. I thought it may be a custom of eastern russian people only, because they are near Japan, China, ... But she affirmed it was a custom in all Russia. 
Can anybody tell me more about this? 
(I'm studying russian, but my level is still very poor, sorry).

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## FL

See this topic  http://masterrussian.net/mforum/viewtop ... highlight=

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## Miknich

> Recently I invited a russian woman to my house. She is from Vladivostok. When she was entering, she asked me where she should leave her shoes (   ). She explained that in Russia, people has a wardrobe at the entrance, where they change the shoes. They also have shoes enough to offer some to visitors. I thought it may be a custom of eastern russian people only, because they are near Japan, China, ... But she affirmed it was a custom in all Russia. 
> Can anybody tell me more about this? 
> (I'm studying russian, but my level is still very poor, sorry).

 Russian climate differs from yours. Are you sure that you dont want change your shoes for the sleepers if it is winter season? If you change your shoes - it will be polite, because it is difficult to clean the room in such climatal conditions

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## translationsnmru

> She explained that in Russia, people has a wardrobe at the entrance, where they change the shoes. They also have shoes enough to offer some to visitors.

 I think they do the same thing in Sweden too. At home, most Russians wear slippers or sandals.

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## FL

And usually there are parquet floors in Russian houses. So in winter or fall seasons water from shoes would damage a cover. And one would be too hot in winter or fall shoes at home.

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## lauradh

As it seems to be a question of climate, I agree it's more comfortable even here in winter to wear slippers at home, but when we have guests, we would never let them see us in sleepers. Even when the postmans rings, I take off my sleepers and wear shoes to open.
So it's not only climate, is it?

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## lauradh

I’m sorry, I think I exagerated too much in my last post. I was at my father’s village some years ago: it’s a very small village in Granada, so little that the butcher comes from another village in a van, and he stops at  the square and all women in the village run there to shop, in sleepers, of course... It’s like the hole village is a great home...
I like very much to notice these differences between people with other customs, it’s what I like to know while I am learning other languages. I would very much like to be in Siberia, to come back home and take off my boots full of snow, and put on some beautiful sleepers... I just wondered if it had something in common with japanese customs, (Vladivostok is so near Japan...), which seems to be based in other reasons ...
Thanks to all of you for your responses

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## Zhenya

In Sweden everyone take their shoes off aswell. Tourists that came here always though it was some ritual, when it's just plain sense to not want streetcrap in the house  ::

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## chaika

In the US you will be hard-pressed to find a house that lacks a vacuum cleaner. This is not all true for Russia, just the opposite probably. So you take your shoes off when you enter a house/apartment. Walk in your socks if there are no slippers (not "sleepers" that was a movie!!).  
I usually do that here in the US for the same reason, even though I have a vacuum cleaner that set me back $400.

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## VendingMachine

> In the US you will be hard-pressed to find a house that lacks a vacuum cleaner. This is not all true for Russia, just the opposite probably. So you take your shoes off when you enter a house/apartment.

 LOL. Do you know how many hoovers we own per capita? 2.73 they said in some mag or something. I take my shoes off only when it's snowing outside. And I don't wear slippes, I walk barefoot - I've got nice tatami floors in my apartment (it is also a dojo).

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## DDT

VM, do you live in a dojo? How so, are you Sensei VM by any chance?

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## JB

We take off our shoes when we enter a home because the streets here are FILTHY!!!  I don't want what i see on the street to be on my bedroom floor when I put my bare tootsies on the carpet.  In winter we wear warm slippers or house shoes at home and in summer we wear light slippers or sandles (i like plastic flip-flops).  Usually people have extra slippers in the entryway for guests.  We have Hoovers, Electolux, Philips, and many more machines for cleaning the carpet but they are usually the canaster style and not the huge upright styles like in the USA.

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## net surfer

You live in Dmitrov, right? Is it a town in Moscow region? If so, you live in the clearest town in Russia with population up to 100 000. Imagine how filthy are other towns and cities :) 
I saw a report about your town on TV and it looked nice and clean. It was found the clearest town this year with population up to 100 000.

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## JKDMan

This was the first "cultural" observation I made when I visited my friends apartments in Minsk. They took off their shoes immediately and walked around in their socks. I was not used to this, as I wasn't raised to do so in the U.S. But when in Rome...So I just automatically took off my shoes like everyone else.

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## JB

Yes, I live in Dmirov (2 hours north of Moscow by train) which is very clean. Our adminisration works hard to make our city the best in Russia. We have workers cleaning the city center daily and they also do routine sweeps through the parks and forests in town to pick up all of the litter. But unfortunately the current culture of littering and (men and boys)spitting on the sidewalks is hard to keep up with. So, unless it rains, the sidewalks are still not as clean as we would like. Our city is also built on sandy hills so everyone has rough plastic mats at the entrance to homes and stores to keep the sand out of the buildings.

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## kalinka_vinnie

> You live in Dmitrov, right? Is it a town in Moscow region? If so, you live in the clearest town in Russia with population up to 100 000. Imagine how filthy are other towns and cities  
> I saw a report about your town on TV and it looked nice and clean. It was found the clearest town this year with population up to 100 000.

 Clearest town? What, like in terms of air visibility? Or did you mean cleaNest, netsurfer  ::   
-Nitpick

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## net surfer

[quote=kalinka_vinnie] 

> Clearest town? What, like in terms of air visibility? Or did you mean cleaNest, netsurfer :)

 [/quote:3iv3s6wn]
Lol, cleanest of course! Thanks Nitpick :)

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## JB

We have clean air (no smog or pollution), almost no stray dogs (no puppy pies or towers of frozen pee on the walkways), and litter is picked up daily.  We also have street cleaners that sweep and wash the sand off of the sidewalks after big rains. And this summer there was an extensive sidewalk remodel project that repaved old sidewalks and built many new ones in places where there were only dirt pathways.

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## mishau_

take a look at this http://www.russianparis.com/forum/in...c=2025.msg6456
That's interesting. Inviting guests to my home, I never want them to take of their shoes for a few reasons:
- it can bother a person in different ways; http://www.prazdnik.by/essential/eti.../guests_invite
- sight might be rediculious (a man in a white shirt, suit, tie and slippers or a girl brilliantly-dressed and in slippers as well); 
- there's nothing wrong in sweeping the floor. To clean up the floor takes me 1 minute (linoleum) or 3 minutes (carpet);
- what if a person is infected by some kind of fungus or so (http://news.izvestia.ru/tech/news78469);
- if a sanitary technician has a privelege not to take off his shoes, why do my guests have to have less rights in that and not to take them either? 
P.S. the Preview mode is not working, but anywhay.

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## gRomoZeka

> That's interesting. Inviting guests to my home, I never want them to take of their shoes for a few reasons:
> - it can bother a person in different ways;
> - sight might be rediculious (a man in a white shirt, suit, tie and slippers or a girl brilliantly-dressed and in slippers as well); 
> - there's nothing wrong in sweeping the floor. To clean up the floor takes me 1 minute (linoleum) or 3 minutes (carpet);
> - what if a person is infected by some kind of fungus or so (http://news.izvestia.ru/tech/news78469);
> - if a sanitary technician has a privelege not to take off his shoes, why do my guests have to have less rights in that and not to take them either?

 That's just a tradition which shows your respect to the host (or his carpet). Why are you trying so hard to prove this tradition is rediculous?  _- it can bother a person in different ways;_
What ways? Do your guest hide his ragged socks?  _- sight might be rediculious (a man in a white shirt, suit, tie and slippers or a girl brilliantly-dressed and in slippers as well);_ 
Those who want to look brilliant bring their own *clean and dry* shoes which fit to their suits/dresses.   _- there's nothing wrong in sweeping the floor. To clean up the floor takes me 1 minute (linoleum) or 3 minutes (carpet);_
ha ha
Maybe you like cleaning up lots of dirty melting snow on your carpet during a party instead of having fun with your guests..  _- what if a person is infected by some kind of fungus or so_  ::  What if a person is infected by chicken myeloblastosis virus?  _- if a sanitary technician has a privelege not to take off his shoes, why do my guests have to have less rights in that and not to take them either?_
Any sanitary technician if he's well-brought-up takes his shoes off as any other guest.

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## mishau_

> That's just a tradition which shows your respect to the host (or his carpet).

 I'm the host - it's me who must show respect to the guests. My guests have already shown their respect by coming to me. If I don't respect a person, I'll hardly come to him.    

> Why are you trying so hard to prove this tradition is rediculous

 this tradition comes a great deal from the Soviet past. People lived (and live now) in communal flats and they invented their own rules according to the regime (rememver Bulgakov's Sharikov). To be honest, I hate any Soviet habits. If not stealing, hosts would require to leave the shoes outdoors, I'm sure. So do those who have long corridors outside their flats; they often make their guests leave their shoes there, not inside. That's odd: I'm here, but my shoes somewhere out.   

> What ways? Do your guest hide his ragged socks?

 It happens now and then. It may happen to you right at the moment you think everything's all right.    

> Those who want to look brilliant bring their own clean and dry shoes which fit to their suits/dresses.

 going to a party they probably have to deal with 2 pairs.   

> Maybe you like cleaning up lots of dirty melting snow on your carpet during a party instead of having fun with your guests..

 Not during, but after. But look, if guests are supposed to take off their shoes, why do hosts a small carpets outside in front of their flat doors?    

> -What if a person is infected by chicken myeloblastosis virus?

 hardly that, bisides chicken myeloblastosis virus is not incurable.   

> Any sanitary technician if he's well-brought-up takes his shoes off as any other guest.

 I've never seen a well-brought-up sanitary technician; on the other hand the shoes he's wearing only might be suitable for his work. When a decorator came to me to install a new window frame, he produced so musch mud that I took me a day to get rid of it, although he got out some mud as well. Probably, being polite, he would never come, because of not leaving dust.

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## JB

Not only mud and melting snow come in on guests feet but also that weird chemical the city calls "salt" that is put on the sidewalks and roads in winter. It eats up the bottom of my pants and coats and will of course put holes and stains on my carpets. I, and all of my friends, always have clean washable slippers in various sizes in our entryways so guests can take off their cold ,wet, dirty shoes and have warm, cozy feet. We also keep clean rags and shoe cleaning supplies by the front door to clean and prepare the shoes (protects the leather for a longer shoe life) before leaving.  This is common courtesy to the guests!

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## JJ

> That's odd: I'm here, but my shoes somewhere out.

 Do you also find a custom to take off your hat, gloves and wet raincoat odd too? That's another soviet regime tradition. That's odd: you are at the table and prepair to eat but your wet hat, gloves and raincoat are somewhere out...

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## mishau_

> That's another soviet regime tradition.

 It's either your sarcasm or you are merely mistaken. You think, you're arguing with me, but indeed you're arguing with the decencies, etiquette. What can I say?   

> That's odd: you are at the table and prepair to eat but your wet hat, gloves and raincoat are somewhere out...

 I'm sure, you take off your court, hat and gloves in a restaurant. Tell me, do you take off your shoes as well? 
They call it pulling the phrase out of the context. That's really odd if one makes you leave you hat or whatever out of the flat, but, I don't know why, it doesn't stand for shoes. So, according to your logic I have to make my guests take off the shoes in front of the entrence of the building. Why? In order not to clean up the flights. In general, I wonder why we are so lazy to clean up our floors extra time, but as soon as I find myself in a park I see a lot of garbage: plastic bottols, plates, packs, paper, fish bones, tins and so on ans so forth. On the flights of stairs I see a lot of cigarette stumps, peels, pieces of newspapers ans so on ans so forth. Of course, it is aliens, who do so, extraterrestrials.

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## JJ

> You think, you're arguing with me, but indeed you're arguing with the decencies, etiquette. What can I say?

 Where do you leave, you smart pants? I got back home about an hour ago, what did i see before my apartment? The large damn pile of mud around all my block. Some days ago they repeared pipes, they dig them out of the ground and then was raining. You can imagine what has happend. There is no chance to pass through it keeping shoes clean. I dont want to see this sh@t in my room and I dont want to keep my feet in the wet dirty shoes. If you find it odd and call it etiquette you have a real problem with logic.  

> I'm sure, you take off your court, hat and gloves in a restaurant. Tell me, do you take off your shoes as well?

 Jeez man, do you spit on a floor in your house? If you do, there is nothing to talk about. If not... well I guess you dont find it odd to spit in a WC. Dont you see the diffrence between PUBLIC places and PRIVATE apartments?  

> They call it pulling the phrase out of the context. That's really odd if one makes you leave you hat or whatever out of the flat, but, I don't know why, it doesn't stand for shoes. So, according to your logic I have to make my guests take off the shoes in front of the entrence of the building......ans so on ans so forth. Of course, it is aliens, who do so, extraterrestrials.

 Bla-bla-bla. Kill yourself by the table. Не говори что мне делать и я не скажу куда тебе идти.

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## kalinka_vinnie

What's with all the spitting, anyways? Why do every Russian male (approximately) find it necessary to spit on the street (or anywhere for that matter)? I don't see women do it! None of my friends spit here in America or in Norway! What's the deal, fellas?

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## JKDMan

> What's with all the spitting, anyways? Why do every Russian male (approximately) find it necessary to spit on the street (or anywhere for that matter)? I don't see women do it! None of my friends spit here in America or in Norway! What's the deal, fellas?

 A LOT of men spit on the street from what I see here in the U.S. I think it's gross, but I see it all the time. So I don't think that's something unique to Russia.   ::

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## kalinka_vinnie

No, it is probably not. I heard that in China it is even worse... well, ok, why do men spit in the street at all? In any country? Just curious... kinda off-topic...  ::

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## JB

Even if the men did not spit on the street there is still doggy pee and poop, oil from cars, melted ice cream from children's cones, etc, etc. I guess if mishau wears his shoes in his apt it is safer for all of his guests to do so also. Since they will not have to place their bare feet on that carpet every morning it is not their problem  ::  . But mishau, do you have a wife or girlfriend who lives with you? I would be surprised that a woman would want to spend so much time scrubbing floors and rugs!

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## Friendy

> What's with all the spitting, anyways? Why do every Russian male (approximately) find it necessary to spit on the street (or anywhere for that matter)?

 lol, that always surprised me too. Especially when there are a lot of people around, because they choose a spot on the ground and aim at it but the next moment there may be someone's foot on that spot.  So I often have a feeling that had I been a little closer the spit would have been on me.    ::

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## net surfer

> No, it is probably not. I heard that in China it is even worse... well, ok, why do men spit in the street at all? In any country? Just curious... kinda off-topic... :)

 Maybe because they eat sh1tty food and smoke sh1tty cigarettes that leave nasty aftertaste? I myself don't spit.  *mishau*, are you even Russian? How long have you been living in Russia?

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## JJ

> Why do every Russian male (approximately) find it necessary to spit on the street (or anywhere for that matter)?

 I dont. But I see men on the streets who do.  ::   

> I don't see women do it!

 My wife's sister did. When she was 14-15 she had this bad habit.

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## Rtyom

Smoking cigarettes causes salivation. That's why they constantly spit. Yuck!

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## mishau_

> Jeez man

 [qoute]
Where do you leave, you smart pants?
[/quote]
[qoute]
Не говори что мне делать и я не скажу куда тебе идти.
[/quote]
Now it's come to insulting. I provided the things written in books. It's pitiy that you have no more arguments, but only your insulting sentences. It's sad and laughable. You seem you're rather ill-bred; how can you speak about Russian traditions then? How can people trust your descriptions? I don't know why Russians in Russian forums are so unfriendly to Russians, but this merely underlines that the country has taken a wrong way.   

> There is no chance to pass through it keeping shoes clean.

 mmm, I hear they turn the water-pipe off now and then. However, it's up to you what to do at home; for me, if I got my shoes in wet everyday, I'd buy a sort of waterproof shoes. I'd feel more comfortable in them. So, I think you speak about special cases. 
[qoute]
Dont you see the diffrence between PUBLIC places and PRIVATE apartments?
[/quote]
It doesn't mean that we can affrod swinish behaviour in a public place, don't you find?    

> do you spit on a floor in your house?

 Our old spinster school teacher used to say so. And a few more phrases  she used to use:
"Maybe you've forgotten your head at home, too?"
"If they told you to dash against a wall, would you also do?"   

> do you have a wife or girlfriend who lives with you? I would be surprised that a woman would want to spend so much time scrubbing floors and rugs!

 Why do you think everyday cleaning is not ok? Sure, you've never serverd in the army, right?  ::  Well, maybe, maybe, actually it depends on your attitude. I can't say that I see crowds at home; by no means I do, just a few people. Besides, I have a doormat, my guests could use it. Well, in my office men don't change their shoes (not like girls), but we can't complain that it is so dirty in here.  
So for me, it still remains unclear whether it's unwillingness to clean the place extra time or a custom to show your respect to hosts or both.

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## scotcher

Pffft. Get a grip. 
The thick black oily soup that coats everyone's shoes when a thaw arrives in Russia would ruin any carpet on Earth within days, even if you washed it every time it was walked on (which would be a site more than once a day). 
Even here in Britain, where we don't really get a proper winter and so our streets are pretty clean year-round, anyone who refuses to take their shoes off when they come into my house simply doesn't get in, and probably doesn't get invited in the future either.

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## JJ

> Why do you think everyday cleaning is not ok?

 "Shoes on" lifestile would take here not "everyday cleaning" but every "half of an hour" cleaning.

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## JB

mishau, no I have not been in the army but my husband is still in the army and he also has no desire to clean our rugs of snot balls,mud,oil and everything else that clings to shoes.
And as for Russian customs, it is the usual custom to remove one's shoes upon entering an apartment.

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## Rtyom

Mishau_, you make me laugh. You have been providing us with the info you read in books?! Hahaha! It feels like either you left Russia long ago and now get a mess in your head about its traditions or you are very unpleasant host (or maybe even as a person) judging by your behaviur with other people. I don't have saomething against you but that is the opinion you leave by your words. The end.

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## mishau_

Your husband must be an officer, so he must make soldiers do all the things.
Once again, as I leave one. A nice custom is to be afraid of cleaning, to make people look rediculious in slippers + a suite, to have a good-for-nothing doormat and not to take care that right out of the door is garbage. 
P.S.  http://www.2hearts.ru/prav_hor_tona.html _
Встречая гостей, хозяева должны отказаться от мысли предложить им домашние тапочки. Это абсурд! Предлагая тапочки, хозяева вольно или не вольно разрушают ансамбль туалета гостя. Не представляю, как можно чувствовать себя "в своей тарелке" в выходном, не говоря уже о вечернем, платье или костюме и в шлепанцах?!_

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## gRomoZeka

mishau_, I see now that your self-appraisal is based exclusively on your shoes. And you are definitely not Russian, even if you think so.

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## JB

Actually my husband is an officer (but he doesn't bring soldiers to our house to clean the carpets every day  ::  ). And why are you so worried about looking "rediculious" in slippers? Sounds like you have quite an insecure personality!

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## mishau_

Although I provided you with links and said nearly nothing about myself, I don't know why everyone here is caught in a loop of my personality, which probably might show up certain narrowness in your communication (or might not, all right), but if you think such disharmony in a person's dress is fine, I have nothing to discuss at all. Just glance over other forums - in which foreigners discuss Russian habits with each other, without Russians, not like here enchained by politeness - the way people feel in situation like that. Anyhow, all that I wanted to say I said, this custom contradicts the rules of politeness, regardless if you agree with it or not.

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## scotcher

Politeness is a two-way street. Personally, I think a host asking a guest to wear slippers is a lot less impolite than a guest expecting their host to allow him to walk whatever crap he has on the soles of his shoes all the way through the host's house just because the slippers might mess up the aesthetic of the guest's ensemble, but each to their own I guess. 
I'll make sure and wear shoes if I am ever in your house though. Not for any considerations of politeness, but to make sure I don't soil my lovely socks on your filthy, thread-bare carpets. 
Incidentally, I am neither Russian, nor a Russophile, nor "enchained by politeness" by my presence on a Russian language forum (as I am sure any of the many Russians I have offended with my opinions on here will confirm), I simply think you are wrong. 
As I said though; each to their own.

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## adoc

Are you a Russophobe scotcher   ::  ? 
I'd prolly just join the statement: politeness in general is something that makes people within a group feel comfortable with each other.  I'd most likely just ignore any of the important shoe issues and try to adapt  (if everything else is not completely outta whack, an example being the undoubtly hygeinic habit of wearing gloves everywhere).

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## scotcher

Russo-sceptic  ::

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## adoc

Hahaha

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