2019-07-26

【Aiden in English】

        I thought my dining experience was luxurious in the Fragrant Pavilion in Hangzhou. 

        When one mentions "fit for a king," one sees a massive set of food in front of a gluttonous man with a gold crown and handleba

2019-07-25

"Night Revels of Han Xizai" by the Southern Tang Painter Hongzhong Gu (南唐画家顾闳中·《韩熙载夜宴图》)

【Aiden in English】

        There are two types of people.

        Every day, people take dumps on a plane.

        Like, wh

2019-07-24

【You say…】

        You say that you love rain,

        But you open your umbrella when it rains…

        You say that you love the sun,

        But you find a shadow spot when the su

2019-07-24

【You say…】

        You say that you love rain,

        But you open your umbrella when it rains...

        You say that you love the sun,

        But you find a shadow spot when the

2019-07-24

【You say…】

        You say that you love rain,

        But you open your umbrella when it rains…

        You say that you love the sun,

        But you find a shadow spot when the su

2019-07-24

【You say…】

        You say that you love rain,

        But you open your umbrella when it rains…

        You say that you love the sun,

        But you find a shadow spot when the su

2019-07-24

【You say…】

        You say that you love rain,

        But you open your umbrella when it rains…

        You say that you love the sun,

        But you find a shadow spot when the su

2019-07-24

Prosperous Suzhou by the Qing Painter Yang Xu (清代画家徐扬·《姑苏繁华图》)

【Aiden in English】

        Up above, there is heaven; down below, there are Suzhou and Hangzhou.

        I asked my mom what the difference was between the four attractions that we saw in Suzhou

2019-07-23

【You say…】

        You say that you love rain,

        But you open your umbrella when it rains…

        You say that you love the sun,

        But you find a shadow spot when the su

2019-07-23

【You say…】

        You say that you love rain,

        But you open your umbrella when it rains…

        You say that you love the sun,

        But you find a shadow spot when the su

2019-07-23 

【Aiden in English】

        Suzhou is full of quirks. What are quirks? It's a characteristic that causes one to tilt their head slightly. Suzhou is quite full of the mentioned quirks. I am going to elaborate.

        I'd never in a hundred years t

2019-07-22

【Aiden in English】

        Fine dining just took on a new meaning for me. 

        When people eat gold, it's the equivalent of running expensive wine through a wire mesh and throwing out the wine that passes through, as if expecting to retain some nutrien

2019-07-22

【Far and Near】

Cheng GU (1949—1993)

     You,

     you look at me one moment

     and at clouds the next.

     I feel

     when you're looking at me, you're far away,

    but when you're loo

2019-07-22

【A Song of a Little Sparrow】

Dan JIAN 

         Only a step away, I would catch you.

         But I gave up.

         I gave up because

         An old sparrow I saw.

2019-07-22

【Spring On Lake Qiantang】

Juyi BAI (772—846)

      West of Pavilion Jia, north of Lonely Hill,

      Water brims level with the bank and clouds hang low.

      Among some sunny trees the first orioles trill;

      Down from the eaves to peck in mud young swallows go.

  &nbs

2019-07-22

【Some People Don't Say Much】

Dong HAN (1961—)

        Some people don't say much 

        They are neither mute nor introverted 

        Saying only what's necessary 

2019-07-22

【Night Observations】

Lan WA

        Who in deep night measures the area of darkness

        An angel? An Owl? A schizophrenic patient? 

        Surveyor? Insomniac? Poet? Departed sage

     &nb

2019-07-22

【Monologue】

Yongming ZHAI (1955—)

I, a rhapsodist, am full of the charm of the abyss

given fortuitous birth to by you. earth and sky

unite as one, you call me a woman

and strengthen my body

I am as soft as the white-feathered body of the water

carrying me in your hands, I

2019-07-21

【Single Heart】

Qi AN (1969—)

Single heart aches to be double, so it adds self to

The purity of a river and

The dawn of a garden.

It learns Tao,

Round PAST for three,

Round NOW for three, and

Round FUTURE for three, along with the hour hand, heart on the palm

Eyes closed as many years ago.

It murmured

It was written until came the God named Happine

2019-07-21

【Aiden in English】

        A lotus flower grows to a certain height. Within a patch, the ideal situation for all is that each rises to the same height. Life would be simple for every plant.

        On my way to the hotel room in West Lake State Guest House, I

2019-07-20

【Sunset and Moonrise on the River】

Juyi BAI (772—846)

      The last departing rays pave their way on the river;

      Half its waves turn red and all the others shiver.

      How I pity the third night of the ninth month, alas!

     The moon looks like a bo

2019-07-20

【Mount Heaven's Gate Viewed from Afar】

Bai LI (701—762)

      Breaking Mount Heaven's Gate, the great River rolls through,

      Its east-flowing green billows hurled back here, turn north.

      From the two river banks thrust out the mountains blue,

      Leaving the sun b

2019-07-20

【Tune: " Fair South Recalled"】

Juyi BAI (772—846)

      Fair southern shore

      With scenes I much adore;

      At sunrise riverside flowers redder than fire,

     In spring green river waves grow as blue as sapphire,

      Whi

2019-07-20

        南京三伏天气温通常在38^oC/100^oF以上，如果是单纯的干热反倒没什么可怕，但出了黄梅霉雨的七月，空气湿度依旧很大，炎热指数往往超过42^oC/107^oF，因此只要外出活动，浑身燥热汗如雨下，感觉就像生活在蒸笼里面似的。站在生物医学角度来看，人体内有一种热休克蛋白，具有应激反应性功能，42^oC/107^oF高温条件容易大量诱导产生，

2019-07-19

【Aiden in English】

        Nanjing is a fascinating city designated as a UNESCO City of Literature in 2019. However, among the other cities of my traveling career, it does not deserve to be revisited for a fourth blog post. Yet last night, a peculiar thought crossed my mind. What amazing flash of e

2019-07-18

【Aiden in English】

        And we're back. China beckoned re-adventure, and I answered the call. Well, technically, my mother answered and dragged me along. The story went a little like this.

        "How was your day, Aiden?"

   &n

2019-07-11

【Aiden in English】

        What is work? A job – a monotonous, persistent pursuit of promotion? Is it sitting at a desk, eight hours a day, mulling over some characters on a computer? Is it speaking into a microphone for four hours a day to an unknown number of people? Is it smiling at the camera,

2019-07-06

【Aiden in English】

        If there was ever a moment of divine intervention, the past two years must've included some magical editing. My first and second years in high school felt as if someone copied and pasted the same algorithm into two time slots in my life. That isn't such a bad thin

2019-07-04 Independence Day

【Aiden in English】

        Time is a funny thing. It’s a measurement, an event, and a mysterious force that flows through us, unexplainable with words at times (pun intended).

        From a mathematical perspective, time is the fundament

2019-06-28

【Aiden in English】

        "How does one think of something to write about?"

        I often hear that from my students. Usually, a prompt is slapped in their face, a pencil is stabbed into their hand, their arms are taped to the table, and a clock i

2019-06-21 Summer Solstice

【Aiden in English】

        To what point has humanity crumbled? Recently, I read about complaints that Father's Day is "offensive" to single mothers and working women. While somewhat laughable, this is a strong viewpoint in society. The same drastic feminist ideas

2019-06-01

        春节过去两个月，我家圣诞花环依旧挂在大门中央。今年宾夕法尼亚“山林”州出冬后雨水多，春天迟疑不决，花骨朵无所适从，这披红挂绿的松枝饰物便成了前院一道不可或缺的风景。平日全家从车库进出，难得与花环碰面，若不是为更换旁边瘪了的灯泡，我轻易察觉不出什么变化。

2019-05-31

        2019年5月31日，春夏之交，暖风骀荡，大费城“兄弟之爱”地区迎来美中医药协会第17届年会。会议以“创新与合作”为主题，旨在推动国际医药行业的发展。大费城地处美东中枢，前临华盛顿，背靠纽约，聚集了强生、辉瑞、葛兰素史克、默克等制药巨头——方圆十几里，街坊邻里不是在这些公司任职，便与药厂有生意往来，

2019-05-27 Memorial Day

【Aiden in English】

        I watched Kawhi Leonard's shot bounce in. It defied physics. 

        If you're unsure, try searching for a clip on YouTube. The ball was short. It hit the rim at such an angle that it bounced straight

2019-04-19 Good Friday

【Aiden in English】

        Recently, I've been diving into politics. If there's ever a time to get interested, the Trump administration is as good an opportunity as any. While everyone is going ballistic over the allegations and frantic scramble between parties, I look back

2019-03-24

【Aiden in English】

        Enter March. Possibly the most enjoyable month of the year. While that same argument can be made for all other 11 months, it's called March Madness for a reason.

        It's almost poetic that such a chaotic aspect of sports

2019-02-17

【Aiden in English】

        While being a teenage teacher has moments, receiving an invitation to an appreciation dinner incites a rather satisfying feeling. Granted, the honor of hosting such an exclusive banquet stems from the endeavor to promote Chinese heritage despite hardship, as having money

2018-12-06

【Aiden in English】

        A village sits in the mountains, deprived of food, fertile land, and the eyes of heaven. Water is a commodity; trees are a rarity, and brief flashes of green only originate from an occasional sprout or small, slimy reptilian creatures. 

     &

2018-08-25

【Thoughts on a Silent Night】

Bai LI (701—762)

             Before my bed a pool of light—

             Is it hoarfrost upon the ground?

             Eyes raised, I see the moon so bright;

             He

2018-08-25

【Seeing Meng Haoran off at Yellow Crane Tower】

Bai LI (701—762)

        My friend has left the west where towers Yellow Crane

        For River Town when willow-down and flowers reign.

        His lessening sail is lost in a boundless azure sky,

        Where I s

2018-08-25

【Aiden in English】

        Well, it's the final day. I'm not particularly glad to go home, but YouTube, Snapchat, and Instagram have a large hole that food can't fill. Additionally, I miss air conditioning and don't sweat all day. Philadelphia is a rather hot city temperature-wise,

2018-08-24

【Aiden in English】

        Today was the first day I felt this adventure in China was almost over. Thirty-six hours in Nanjing, twenty-four more in Beijing, and then fourteen hours sitting in one place surrounded by strangers while flying through freezing clouds. Oddly enough, when the finish line

2018-08-24

【The Answer】

Dao BEI (1949—)

    Baseness is the secret knock of the base

    Integrity is the epitaph of the noble

    Look how the gilded sky drifts full of

    The inverted crooked reflections of the dead

         &n

2018-08-23

【Declaration for Luoke YU】

Dao BEI (1949—)

          Perhaps the final hour comes

          I have left no testament

          Only a pen, for my mother

          I am no hero

          In an ag

2018-08-23

【Coming Home at Night】

Dao BEI (1949—)

 After braving the music of the air raid alarm

 I hang my shadow on the hat-stand

 take off the dog's eyes (which I use for escape)

 remove my false teeth (these final words)

 and close my astute and experienced pocket watch (that garrisoned heart)

 The hours fall in the

2018-08-23

【A Country Night】

Dao BEI (1949—)

          Evening sunshine and distant hills

          fold into a crescent moon

          passing through an elmwood

          The bird nest is empty

2018-08-23

【Farewell Doesn't Mean Forgetting】

Dao BEI (1949—)

            I'm leaving for a distant place.

            Don't blame me for going too far way.

          &nbs

2018-08-23

【Nice to Meet You】

Dao BEI (1949—)

            I don't remember how many times

            I've prayed in secret

            For my dream to come true.

&nb

2018-08-23

【Aiden in English】

         Shanghai was fun while it lasted, and I don't think two days do it justice. That is also why Mom furiously pushed the exploration of Shanghai yesterday and today. Luckily, we covered a good bit of the tourist section last night, so all that remained near the city center was Sh

2018-08-22

【Hope and Dashed Hope】

Dao BEI (1949—)

      Hope, hope, where can I find hope?

      Between the collapse of two waves,

      Between two rippled peaks,

     And in the valley of waves, there hides hope.

2018-08-22