In the midst of a drunken dream, I suddenly heard the news of spring's end and decided to climb the mountain. Passing through the bamboo courtyard, I met a monk and had a leisurely conversation, stealing half a day of idle time.
- Li She, "Inscription at the Monk's Residence in Crane Forest Temple"
It's been a long time since I had such a peaceful afternoon. I can continue reading "The Spice Route" that I haven't finished yet, continue my adventures in the Switch game, and sit in front of the computer desk listening to the sound of my fingers typing on the mechanical keyboard, feeling the crisp rebound of the keys.
I have been so busy, but I don't even know what I'm busy with. Am I busy planning my schedule? Am I busy arguing with a group of people in a WeChat group about irrelevant topics, showing off some unimportant and pretentious things that no one cares about?
Perhaps that's the case. I'm starting to feel tired. If there's one flaw in being young, it's comparing oneself too much to others, being too persistent in convincing others, especially for people who love reading.
I prefer to follow in the footsteps of the author John Keay, exploring the adventures of the daring captain in "The Spice Route," dispelling the fog that pervades the sea. I prefer to follow the songs of the doves, Huang Laoban, and Taylor Swift, constantly tapping my feet and feeling the beauty brought by pure rhythm.
Fortunately, I realized it and started to break free early, enjoying my own little world. Although it may be as small as a shell, it is enough to live in.
(Actually, I still owe a lot of things, so I plan to continue writing a few more articles and maintain a certain frequency of updates in the future.)
ENFJ Personality#
MBTI personality types have become increasingly popular nowadays. Since I first learned about this test, I have taken it three times at different times, and each time the result was ENFJ-A, commonly known as "The Protagonist." It is said that people with this personality type are very rare. Although the probability of having all four letters exactly the same is already low, based on the people I know, I have met fewer than five people with the same ENFJ-A personality.
A few days ago, I discussed this with Little Fox (who is also an ENFJ-A). The prominent features of ENFJ are as follows. Almost every feature accurately describes both of us. Here are a few examples:
- It is difficult to maintain a relaxed and carefree state. Although this applies to most people, I personally find it hard to completely relax. The idea of taking a gap year or two to travel seems like a distant dream to me.
- Believing in the equality of all beings and strongly opposing the idea of hierarchy. This may also apply to most people, but I have actually encountered people who still believe that the grass is greener on the other side, even in 4202. They had a heated argument in a WeChat group.
- Appearing aloof and difficult to approach. When I was in school, I was often criticized for being aloof, but those who know me well know that I will do my best to answer any questions asked of me. Even if I can't figure it out immediately, I will prioritize finding the answer and then inform the person. Sometimes, I even forget about attending classes because of this.
- Having broad but not deep interests. Let's just say, don't criticize me anymore.
And many more. It's just too fitting...
June 22nd - June 23rd: Exploring Shuangyue Bay in Huizhou and Getting the Sony A7C2#
Huizhou is not far from Shenzhen, about a two and a half hour drive without traffic. Xunliao Bay, Xiaojing Bay, and Shuangyue Bay are the three most famous attractions in Huizhou. Since I started working in Shenzhen, most of the team building activities have been held in these places. I have even been to Xunliao Bay twice!
One time was organized by the company, and I still have complaints about it. We did old-fashioned team building activities like Pictionary on the rooftop under the scorching sun in the afternoon.
The other time was organized by our team. Our team leader suddenly decided to take us on a day trip, as mentioned in Weekly Report #21: Huizhou, New Domain Names, and Reading Sharing. It was a last-minute plan that almost disrupted my original schedule.
I always like to observe a city from different perspectives, measure its length with my own footsteps, and experience every little detail. But I never thought about getting a camera until this trip to Huizhou gave me the opportunity to take photos. With the strong recommendation and detailed comparison of specifications from my friend, I ordered the Sony A7C2 + Tamron 28-200 lens on Monday and instantly became a photography enthusiast.
The itinerary in Huizhou didn't have many surprises, but I never expected the sunset on the evening of June 22nd to be so beautiful! After arriving at the homestay and resting for a short time (of course, I started working on my laptop because I had to report to my boss in a few days), it started raining. After waiting for the rain to stop, we went up to the observation deck of Shuangyue Bay. It was then that I understood the origin of the name Shuangyue Bay (I'll use a picture from Little Red Book if I can't take a good one).
Due to the recent rain, the view from the observation deck wasn't very beautiful, and it was extremely hot. So we decided to go down to the Lover's Dam, where the light was dimming. The beach was sparsely populated, and the setting sun seemed as if it had just woken up, lazily casting a few rays of light through the clouds. With the overlapping mountains in the distance shrouded in mist, standing on the beach and looking out, I wondered if the time was out of sync.
Here's the original photo of Octopus, my model:
Shen Fu once wrote in "Six Records of a Floating Life":
"We then boarded the boat and rowed back to Wan Nian Bridge. The sun had not yet set. The boat windows were wide open, and a gentle breeze blew in. With a silk fan and a silk robe, we cut open a melon to cool off. Soon, the sky was filled with red clouds, the willows were shrouded in mist, and the silver moon was about to rise. The fishing fires filled the river."
The key phrase is "Soon, the sky was filled with red clouds, the willows were shrouded in mist."
Who would have thought that we would see the "sky filled with red clouds" soon after!
Enough said, let's just show the pictures:
There was also a little incident during this trip that made me, someone who doesn't believe in superstitions, feel that there might be some fate at work.
It happened when it was gradually getting dark. At that time, we didn't realize that a beautiful sunset was about to happen. We were walking on the beach, and it suddenly occurred to us that we wanted to take photos with a camera instead of just using our phones. We hurried back to the car to get the camera, and that's when we realized that the car window was not completely closed!!! Octopus' camera was on the back seat, and if someone had reached in, they could have easily taken it. In that moment, we felt a sense of relief and joked that maybe there was some kind of fate at play. This sunset saved your camera.
On the way back, we encountered heavy traffic, which delayed us for a few minutes for Little Fox's "The Death of the Princess" book sharing. Sorry for the delay!
After the sharing session, we had a barbecue and drinks at a wooden cabin to end the day. "A cup of wine in the peach blossom season is worth a thousand gold coins, and a lamp in the rain of the rivers and lakes shines for ten years." (And I still had to go back to continue working on my report materials)
After finishing my report, it was a true happy ending!
Reading - Why Did the Qing Dynasty Collapse?#
On June 29th, I hosted a 20-minute grassland sharing session. The manuscript can be found here: Why Did the Qing Dynasty Collapse? - Book Sharing
But there were also some ups and downs in organizing the sharing session. In short, the picnic mats were not enough, the weather was too hot after the rain in the afternoon, and we didn't have a backup plan.
But fortunately, my friends were very understanding (it was really tough).
Although the title of this book may be a bit sensational, the content is really great. For this reason, I wrote a short review on WeChat Reading, and now, after more than a month, I have received many likes and agreement from readers.
Here's what I wrote:
History has its causes, history is constantly evolving, and history is full of opportunities and coincidences.
The late Qing Dynasty is not just about the signing of various unequal treaties as mentioned in textbooks, or the several attempts at reform, or the "the Wuchang Uprising marked the beginning of xxxxx" that can be skipped in a page. Faced with the "centipede" of the feudal era, faced with a great change that hadn't happened in three thousand years, faced with the intense collision of new and old ideas, this was a self-revolution of the Chinese nation. This revolution involved the reevaluation of national sovereignty, the people, finance, politics, and various aspects. The degree of transformation was comparable to the pain of childbirth, the complete replacement of a patient's blood, and the rebirth of a nation on this land.
When we talk about the painful modern history, we often feel ashamed of those treaties and oppressions, but what truly breaks our hearts are the people involved. From the moment "I laugh arrogantly with my sword held high, my liver and gallbladder are as hard as Kunlun," countless people, countless awakened intellectuals, countless soldiers who sacrificed themselves for the revolution, countless ordinary farmers, street vendors, and even ruffians and rogues who charged forward for a slogan. They may have different personal qualities, different aspirations, or ignorance and naivety. They may not be well-regarded by their contemporaries, but they all dreamed of overthrowing the old world, of building a China they wanted.
Finally, let me end with a quote from Comrade Sun Yat-sen: "The revolution has not yet succeeded, comrades still need to work hard."
Some Worthwhile Records to Share#
Feel free to join my channel, https://t.me/RayeJourney
I'm too lazy to copy them here. Writing this report is exhausting hhh