Pure as Blank Paper; the Quiet Joys Are More Flavorful

Recently I have been working on my new website www.zhiyuanzhai.com, intending to use it to systematically organize and present my articles. I have not designed a new website for nearly ten years, and many skills have faded.

I recall that around the year 2000, when I first began learning web design, I used FrontPage, the web-design software bundled with Microsoft Office. That software is now obsolete and few people use it. It was a foolproof tool (for fools like me); in just over an hour of learning, I could already use it to build my own foreign-trade website.

At the time I was in my early twenties, in college, too poor even for meals. In about a week I built a static English website showcasing my products, uploaded it to a server with FTP software, and used search-engine optimization to push my keywords to the very top of the rankings.

Foreigners found my site through Google and other search engines, inquired and placed orders, and that is how I came to do business with customers in over a hundred countries around the world. My family was poor then and could not afford to hire someone to design a website, so I had to learn everything myself. With the skills I taught myself, I worked my way through college and solved my financial problems.

Looking back now, I even admire my younger self—crossing several majors to learn, mastering skills that many people never acquire in a lifetime, and then using those skills to earn a living and support my family. Later I even became an online-marketing expert, and many peers in international e-commerce asked me to be their consultant. Not to boast: if I were to return to international e-commerce today, after relearning the new technologies of recent years, within three months I would again be an expert in the field, because my foundation is solid.

So I have a piece of advice: if you now feel lost and uncertain in life, quiet down and learn a practical skill rather than obsessing over academic degrees. I have spent my whole life continuously learning all kinds of skills. In school, besides studying, I also worked hard at writing. Later I learned many IT skills, how to do business, and then medicine; as I learned and learned, I became a composite talent. People like me are not afraid of unemployment. I often tell people that no matter how society changes, people like me will not starve. This is not boasting: heaven rewards diligence—truly it does.

Later I learned Dreamweaver and PHP to build more powerful dynamic websites, and now I have not used them for many years. In recent years I have not even read a single book on programming or web design; I only use a simple open-source program, WordPress, to build my personal site. Many programmers contribute their wisdom to WordPress, while I am merely a free rider who has never written a line of code for it, just using it to build my personal website.

Among the many open-source programs, WordPress is probably the simplest and easiest to use, which is why I chose it. For someone with experience building websites, giving up one's own site and relying entirely on other media platforms is not something he wants to do, because most other platforms impose too many restrictions, while developing your own site has very few. We can customize everything as we wish; design the style however we like, edit articles however we like.

Take website templates, for example: we can design them entirely to our own taste. Perhaps because I am older, I no longer like flashiness, so I dislike many of today's websites. What I like is a design as plain and clean as a blank sheet of paper; no more than three colors on a page—more than three and I find it too showy—let alone gaudy background images.

I am especially fond of paper books, so in the end I designed my blog to be as plain and clean as a paper book. Not only did I design the new site this way, I also redesigned my old website www.zhouzhiyuan.com to match. Adults reading books do not want too many colors and illustrations; we prefer pure spiritual communion with the author. So the less "noise" on a book's pages, the better; too much noise interferes with the spiritual exchange between author and reader. It is precisely with this idea that I have done my design.

These technologies are all shallow, entry-level ones, but for an ordinary person these shallow entry-level skills are enough. At the very least, I myself have benefited enormously. Today, if I want to build a website to do a little business or publish my articles, I do not need to spend money, ask favors, or wait. In less than half an hour I can handle it myself.

My reading tastes now also differ greatly from before. I used to enjoy reading various news, learning about changes in the world, and having a curiosity about novel things. Now I have less of that curiosity; I prefer to sit at home, or go to a library or bookstore, near a window, find a suitable spot to stand or sit, bask in the sun, and quietly read professional books. I have no interest in literature now and have not read literary works for years; what I prefer are technical and theoretical books.

In my writing now, I like plain, direct language. I once envied writers who used florid diction and mighty parallelism, thinking them brilliantly gifted, and liked to imitate them; now I most fear writing that kind of article. Today I feel that in writing, it is enough if the prose flows smoothly, the meaning is clearly expressed, and the reader can understand; there is no need to overuse rhetorical devices.

I have no interest in tea, coffee, or any other drinks; I drink plain boiled water all year round. I have also lost interest in handsome clothes, expensive shoes, and delicious food; I dress plainly and eat simple fare. I like solid-colored casual and sportswear—T-shirts in summer, athletic outerwear in autumn and winter. When buying clothes, I basically buy several pieces of the same style and color (mostly dirt-resistant dark shades) at once, and wear the same clothes every day, so I need not tax my brain choosing what to wear.

Reaching middle age, people imperceptibly return to simplicity. We have experienced the world's novelty; after the glamour fades, an afternoon's sun is enough to satisfy us. Taking a little time each day to bask in the sun, leisurely read a book, and enjoy a quiet pleasure can keep the brain from being too tired.

Brain scientists say humans have three brains: a physiological brain (also called the instinctive brain), an emotional brain, and a thinking brain (also called the rational brain). Many people run all three brains at overload. The physiological and emotional brains are especially good at tormenting us. I would rather shut down the emotional brain, keep the physiological brain in moderate dormancy as much as possible, and let only the thinking brain do what it enjoys; imagination and logical thinking, too, can bring great pleasure.

As for social relationships, this is how I see them now: the simpler the better. Although I do not like socializing, because I have written so many articles on various platforms over the past twenty-plus years, I have attracted many readers. Many readers gradually became friends, so I have numerous friends, though most have never met in person. People often want to meet me and give me gifts; whenever I can refuse, I refuse.

I also maintain limited contact with a few friends, occasionally consulting them on professional questions, but I never trouble them with difficult matters; I do not like imposing on others. After all, apart from a little medical knowledge, I have few other strengths, no power or influence, and no way to repay favors. Over time, I grew used to a life of not asking for help.

When life is simple, there is little to ask others for. Food, clothing, shelter, and transport cost little; if you do not stir up trouble, you make no enemies; with moderate forbearance, the small frictions of life basically dissolve into nothing. When you live like this, what is there left to ask others for?