Essays ⁽³⁴⁹⁾

On September 1st the children went back to school and my wife went back to work; the house was left to me alone again, far quieter than during the summer break. I like quiet. Alone at home, after striking the singing bowl a few times…

Heaven has always treated me kindly; it let me live five very comfortable years. For the past five years I have had a separate study. Although the study was rented, I nevertheless kept it thriving and spotless. Walking into this study was like stepping into…

Unnoticed, I have reached forty-two years of age. The number forty-two means much to me: my favorite Buddhist sutra is the Sutra of Forty-Two Sections, a scripture as plain as the Analects that has greatly influenced me. Though I am not a Buddhist, I have…

Waking up and reading the news on the Henan disaster again, I found the death toll had doubled, and I felt even worse. I discussed with my wife donating some money to Henan, and also urged my son to contribute a little of his pocket…

These days I have been busy. To finish some important work, I spend whole days immersed in piles of medical materials, reading and organizing the literature, with no time to sit quietly and write a proper article. My daily posts feel like mere perfunctory updates,…

During the Dragon Boat Festival, the rain-lilies I had planted were in full bloom. Waking early and pushing open the window, I saw the flowers blooming on my balcony and felt great joy in my heart. I did not know whether to describe them as…

On June 15, 2020, I rented a small vegetable plot at the foot of Xiangshan (Fragrant Hills) in Beijing. From then until now, I have been growing vegetables for nearly a year. Riding my bicycle back and forth between Zizhuqiao and Xiangshan, plus doing farm…

Today I reopened an oncology monograph read years ago and found in the blank pages a clumsy poem I wrote in my thirties: 'Thirty years chasing fame and gain, helpless at Mother's illness, pleading to heaven. Old dreams and karmic ties return to dust; all…

On the morning of May 22, 2021, the news was that earthquakes had struck Qinghai and Yunnan; after my midday nap, the news was that Academicians Yuan Longping and Wu Mengchao had both passed away, as if departing together. That day saw sorrow: national treasures…

In the morning, when I open the window of my study, I can always hear the clear, melodious call of a Chinese hwamei (laughingthrush). I do not know whether it is a bird kept by a household downstairs or a wild one in the woods…