2019-07-27

"Spring Poetic Painting by Teachers and Students in Beijing" by Qing Dynasty Xu Yang (清代画家徐扬·《京师生春诗意图》)

【Aiden in English】

        The food is good. That's a simple fact anyone can draw regarding China. There isn't an alarming meal insight, but everyone alr

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

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

【Aiden in English】

        Alright, so now I'm in Shanghai… That was fast. I guess it's expected of a bullet train. Leaving Nanjing in the late morning, we arrived in Shanghai at midday, where we received a warm welcome accompanied by delicious Shanghai cuisine. Luckily, the humidity diale

2018-08-21

【On Phoenix Terrace at Jinling】

Bai LI (701—762)

       On Phoenix Terrace once phoenixes came to sing,

       The birds are gone but still roll on the river's waves.

       The ruined palace's buried 'neath the weeds in spring;

       The ancient sag

2018-08-21

【To Wang Lun Who Comes to Bid Me Farewell】

Bai LI (701—762)

        I, Li Bai sit aboard a ship about to go,

        When suddenly on shore footsteps and songs o'erflow.

        The Lake of Peach Blossom is a thousand fathoms deep,

        But not so deep as

2018-08-21

【On Death-Bed】

Bai LI (701—762)

        When flies the roc, he shakes the world.

        In mid-air, his weakened wings are furled.

        The wind he's raised still stirs the sea,

      &

2018-08-21

【Aiden in English】

        I've heard plenty of demonic college anecdotes. In some ways, the stories align with the Marine Corps, as terrifying experiences bring strangers together into bonds stronger than bullets. In this case, college years form bonds that are strong enough to survive the test of time.

 &nbs

2018-08-20

【The Summit Temple】

Bai LI (701—762)

         A hundred feet high the Summit Temple stands,

       Where I could pluck the stars with my own hands.

         At dead of night, I dare not speak aloud

         For fear of waking dweller

2018-08-20

【The Waterfall in Mount Lu Viewed from Afar • II】

Bai LI (701—762)

       The sunlit Censer Peak exhales incense-like cloud,

       The cataract hangs like an upended stream sounding loud.

       Its torrent dashes down three thousand feet from high

2018-08-20

【Aiden in English】

        Mixed between the constant ingestion of food and sweating, this summer trip was sprinkled with visits to friends in China. Friends typically meant old college folks Mom hadn't seen in three decades, so most of the time, I felt detached from the conversation, hence the time to w

2018-08-19

【The Moon over the Eyebrow Mountains】

Bai LI (701—762)

      The crescent moon looks like old Autumn's golden brow,

      Its deep reflection flows with limpid water blue.

      I'll leave the town on Clear Stream for Three Canyons now.

      O Moon, how I miss you when you

2018-08-19

【Sitting Alone in Face of Peak Jingting】

Bai LI (701—762)

            All birds have flown away, so high;

            A lonely cloud drifts on, so free.

           &nb