live each day as if it was the last
General-purpose AI agents can reason, plan, and execute — but they cannot perform well in a specific operational domain without local knowledge. We argue that the gap between general intelligence and …
In economics, demand corresponds to scarcity — for without scarcity, there is nothing we need to have satisfied. Air, for instance, has no economic value in the conventional sense (a simplification, o…
All human economics to date, at its most fundamental level, treats economic activity as an exchange of utility. A grows rice on his land, B labors to produce clothing, C sings "I Love You, Snow of the…
— An Interpretation of the Rules on the Effectiveness of Special Civil Rulings Under the Anti-Domestic Violence Law
By Sima Xiaoqian (This work was funded by DreamBubble, Co. and the Parallel World Press Agency)
Sometimes a person remembers many things that never happened. It was 2006, and I had come to Xi'an. The autumn wind blew, and I felt it strip away everything material from my body, leaving me nothing …
Months have passed, and I still haven't been able to write the final chapter of this series. About Lu Yao, it seems I still have much to say — yet what more can I say?
For a while, every day at noon I would go to the Regency Café and order a jasmine cold brew. When Fatima brought the coffee, I'd chat her up: "What a coincidence — Fatima again?" Because I made all of…
This is the last lyric of "Heart Fire." If you've heard it, you know: those three exclamation marks were sung by Yao Beina. It is a song brimming with emotion, yet she sang it with elegance, restraint…
Note: Meng Sheng simply means "Mr. Meng" — a man surnamed Meng.
"Thank you / for letting me in this ordinary world / discover myself." The first song was "Lover." Before the first note, the moment the first drumbeat reached my ears, I broke down crying, as though …
§ 2.7 Let the People Decide
§ 2.3 The Fledgling Legion After the thunderous roar of "Resist Russia, Aid Ukraine, Defend Europe" subsided at the Meinau Stadium, Ma Youchang sighed to me: "What fine people! Enlistment enthusiasm i…
"Hegel remarks somewhere that all great world-historic facts and personages appear, so to speak, twice. He forgot to add: the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce." —Karl Marx, The Eighteen…
July 14, 2025—an important day. It was two days before my son Sima Xiaoyu's first birthday, and also the national day of the French Republic. France held its customary National Day military parade. Pr…
Author's Preface
"Parallel World News Agency · European Bureau" is a fictional documentary project chronicling a dramatic upheaval in the fate of European nations in a parallel world. There, great powers realign, armi…
In the preceding text, we used the phrase "Beijing zhiqing" as a modifier to refer to Lu Yao's two lovers. This was not out of any perverse taste on the author's part. I wrote it this way because Lu Y…
I heard this story from Alarm Clock.
Elva Hsiao appeared in Infernal Affairs for just a few minutes — a cultural icon's finishing touch on a film and an era. I don't remember when I first saw it, but whenever it was, it completed the ima…
Sometimes, without warning, you walk into a space wrapped in frosted glass — very bright frosted glass. You can see endless lines of rain outside, the sound rolling on and on, the light and sound both…
This is the second installment of the series A Fiction About Lu Yao. This series is fictional writing; any resemblance to real events is purely coincidental. Recap of the first installment: A Fiction …
All of this is what I've heard. It is said that he—the one you all know—during his years as a sent-down youth in northern Shaanxi, once knew Wang Weiguo. They shared the same ambition, the same love o…
When you have a four-year-old daughter and a six-month-old son at home, plus a seven-year-old British Shorthair cat, the resolve needed for a family trip is probably equivalent to launching an uncerta…
A few days after the Spring Festival of 2019 — around the time when the year felt like it was truly about to begin — I was in Hebi, Henan, when I seemed to crash into a wall "infinitely high above, in…
In certain cities, on certain evenings, there comes a brief and exquisite interval — when the sky turns a blue that defies description, quiet and seemingly eternal, though in truth it is about to go d…
In Jia Zhangke's Still Life, there is a quintessential "spiritual punk" character—the dock worker nicknamed "Xiao Ma Ge" (Little Brother Mark). He's a punk in the literal sense too, with his dyed yell…
When she appeared on the Spring Festival Gala stage again, she looked as solemn as a dharma figure. That statue of the 1990s, co-sculpted by herself and her audience, seemed unchanged—and yet entirely…
This article was co-created by Mr. Alarm Clock and DeepSeek. Mr. Alarm Clock's contributions are marked in green; the rest was generated by DeepSeek with only minor technical edits.
[]()
Ever since we moved to Jiaoda Yicun, the place where we used to pay our mortgage every month to maintain the right to live became "the old home." Ma Xiaoyuan calls it "Xi'an," because she's known sinc…
Having "big" or "small" in a name is common enough, but Big S always gives you a certain feeling: she is what remains of the S she is after you remove the small one, and Small S is what remains of the…
While driving Xiao Yuan and Xiao Yu on a lap around the city, I played Faye Wong's "Red Bean." To this day, Faye Wong and this city give me the same feeling: that sharp, youthful pain—so distant and e…
I wanted to write a few words because of a news story I saw. In short: a woman from the Xihaigu region, from a poor family, graduated from a 211 university in Beijing. You can imagine what a sensation…
What is economic growth? The question seems easy, but many schools of economics contain no growth—Marxist economics, for instance, appears to be economics without growth. Or rather, without growth in …
There is an English idiom — "It's not rocket science" — which roughly means something isn't that difficult. For instance, putting an elephant in a refrigerator isn't rocket science, because it's simpl…
After Tanchun gained authority over the household management, she launched sweeping reforms. Starting with Baoyu, Jia Huan, and Jia Lan, she abolished the pocket money these three uncle-and-nephews re…
At thirty-five, I liked to go to the gym at night and shoot baskets alone in the dark. Every day I walked 1.5 kilometers in a straight line, arrived at the gym, took off my down jacket, put on my nois…
I am a jianbing guozi enthusiast. I have consumed a considerable number of jianbing guozi in Xi'an, Beijing, and Tianjin — you could call me half an expert. But in recent years, I've rarely eaten jian…
I often dream of a gray snow mountain, grayer and vaster than any snow mountain I have ever dreamed of. Once, I dreamed of it continuously for months, trekking day after day across a rock on the south…
I had a beheading dream—dreamt that my head had been severed, and not cleanly either. So I carefully aligned the jagged edges top to bottom, securing them loosely with a scarf. This was, of course, ra…
It was in the course of growing up that I gradually came to understand the impact a good teacher can have on a student. This made me feel that teaching is truly a profession with a rare opportunity to…
When a newborn arrives, there is so much paperwork. On form after form, we watched Yuanyuan's age go from two hours, to two days, to about seven days, when we finally brought her home. The neonatal wa…
Sometimes the truth of the world is complicated — it is both what people say it is and not what people say it is. Take Kyrie Irving: the media and fans call him selfish, lacking leadership, brainless,…
I quit smoking on some day in April 2019. It was in a city in Hebei province, and I felt acutely that my throat had been severely damaged by over a decade of smoking. I resolved to quit, and I haven't…
On Su Shi's Criticism of the New Policies. Su Shi's criticisms of the New Policies were, on a micro level, often correct — but they make little sense. Governing a great nation is like kneading dough: …
I was recently scrolling through Douyin and saw a video by an American who goes by "Cao Cao." He told a story about how he said "Black people" to his daughter, and she corrected him, saying he should …
There is an old saying in our tradition: "to not lose the teaching of poetry." To have grievance, to have satire, and for these grievances and satires to be expressed rightly—this is called not losing…
Shock. I remember when the pandemic first started in China, everyone was wary of people from Hubei and Wuhan. A truck driver from Hubei drifted on the highway for several days before our kind-hearted …
Possibly even more handsome than Li Shimin himself. Before the Xuanwu Gate Incident, while the three brothers were locked in fierce struggle, Li Yuan came up with a harebrained scheme to sacrifice the…
Every version of The Investiture of the Gods features a character called Xibo Hou — Lord of the West — who is none other than King Wen of Zhou, Ji Chang. But what does "Xibo Hou" actually mean? Some b…
I saw this poem on the Shuimu BBS forum, and I must credit the poster by name: topboy. It is a poem by the English-American writer W. H. Auden, translated by Cha Liangyong (Mu Dan):
First came a big-eyed beauty poking around inside my mouth. Because of the mask and the close proximity, those eyes—which were merely somewhat large to begin with—became as vast as two lakes in which …
When I was young — younger than now — I didn't believe in dialectics at all. The idea that fortune and misfortune are interdependent? Pure sophistry. And that story about the old man at the border who…
Among ancient Chinese military strategists, Han Xin was a master of idioms—one man who contributed a remarkable number of them to the language. "Fighting with one's back to the river" (背水一战, bèishuǐ y…
Two days ago, the Liangzhu Archaeological Site was inscribed on the World Cultural Heritage List, and China's archaeological achievements in recent years are finally gaining public attention. Some may…
KD's career has been murdered. Now those shadowy culprits are squeaking like rats, claiming that KD's return was a "collective decision" and that nobody should be "blamed." They know — they know perfe…
Heartbroken. Furious. Helpless. I wish I had never loved basketball.
Wishing everyone a better tomorrow.
During a vacation I once went to Wutai Mountain but passed through the gate without entering, wasting over a hundred yuan on the entrance ticket. Later, visiting the Shanxi Museum, I learned about the…
The evening after I published the last article, I came home to find Duoqi Tsukuru clumsily swiping his paw across the phone screen (probably trying to like something). When he saw me come in, he could…
Back in elementary school, I heard the saying: "Humility leads to progress; pride leads to decline." Then in middle school, reading collections of excellent student essays, a peer argued that humility…
Master Xuanzang. Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons is a film rich in detail and exquisite in allegory. On the surface, it tells the story of a "professional demon hunter" subduing monsters. I…
In middle school I listened to Jay Chou. One of his lyrics says, "We all have sins, each committing a different kind." I didn't quite understand it then, and I still don't quite understand it now—take…
In my understanding, The New King of Comedy tells the story of an actress who harbors a deep love for her craft but whom heaven has not blessed with talent. Each of us, living in this world, carries s…
Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons is a film rich in detail and exquisite in allegory. On the surface, it tells the story of a "professional demon hunter" subduing monsters. In truth, it tells…
During the Hundred Days' Reform, Kang Youwei submitted the "Memorial Requesting the Prohibition of Women's Foot-Binding," petitioning Emperor Guangxu to issue an edict banning foot-binding and transfo…
Have you heard of the Floor Cat of Line 4? The Floor Cat of Line 4, rather than being a cat, is more like a kind of tiger—though of course cats are already a kind of tiger. People usually call tigers …
I spent the Spring Festival alone in Beijing. The Ziroom apartment complex had organized a gala, but I couldn't bring Duoqi Tsukuru along. So I cooked two dishes and celebrated by myself. The dishes w…
On the way home I kept listening to Dao Lang's "Thank You." If there's one last thought before I die, I hope it would be: thank you.
Li Ao is dead. The news was truly shocking — one always assumed a fighter like him would never die. How could such a fighter, brimming with energy, joy, and darkness, possibly die?
It was a bright day. My mother called me over to look, and from her arms poked out a small yellow tiger-striped head. A light that contained neither sun nor moon—a brightness like the clarity after wa…
The high-speed train from Yunfu East to Guangzhou South takes just over forty minutes. For Zhao Xiaomao, aching to see her lover, those forty minutes stretched into eternity. She clutched her tiny clo…
Haze is a rather lovely character—雨中的猫—rain with a cat. Her paw pads soaked with rainwater, she treads across the rain-washed floor and leaps nimbly toward the sky. The elastic return to earth you exp…
After raving about The Three-Body Problem in my recommendation on Duozhuayu, I felt there was still more to say, so here's a brief write-up. I believe The Three-Body Problem is a robust bestseller wit…
A major event in my personal history. I am still in pain as I write this, though the degree of pain is hard to gauge. I can chat and laugh, but I can't say it's nothing — with things we must endure, i…
Reaching thirty one morning startled to find I am not this person nor am I any of the persons who woke in shock each day before to find they were not this person either I suspect I am not the person I…
I set off around ten in the morning and arrived in Beijing at eleven at night, sleeping for one hour in between — at a rest stop, of course. The route took me along the G30 Lianhuo Expressway to Fengl…
On the road I saw several enormous cranes, cordoned off with red traffic cones, hanging lanterns on trees. The area enclosed by the cones seemed to exist outside this world, oblivious to the tides of …
I recently read a news story about a PhD in the aerospace system who devoted his life to the country until he literally worked himself to death. This kind of story is all too common in our country's n…
On the way back from working overtime on Saturday—just now—a torrential rain came down over Beijing. Cold, icy rain slapped my face haphazardly. Summer's dust and smell rose into the air. Walking down…
Falling in love with a serious diversion. "It was that game, at the Toyota Center." Miss Rocket Bear hollered with excitement. "Where there's a road, there's a Toyota," I said absently, rather pleased…
In the end, we must admit that one person's feelings never truly reach another. Even though we rely on that illusion to live. To sympathize with someone is to feel as they feel—but who can truly feel …
In the last fifty seconds of Game 3, Durant hit the shot that ended the series. Though there was absolutely no need to prove it again, Durant once again proved beyond doubt that he is a basketball dei…
Summer arrives the sky blank again the sun shining clearly on this side of the world the other side asleep houses standing upright on the ground drenched in sunlight as though humanity has perished th…
The leaves hang motionless in the sky, only I can feel the wind. I am the masked rider of this city, masked with a face you do not know. Where did you see me? You might have just walked out of a shopp…
Head full of white snow like white hair,
"I read the garbage you wrote," my brother said, blowing smoke rings with a look of contempt. "Overblown and poorly constructed." The real story goes like this. My brother tossed his cigarette butt on…
The night before my fourteenth birthday, it began to snow. First came the salt-grain kind that crunched underfoot, each step like trailing a string of shattered dreams. Then it grew lighter, larger. L…
On the slope behind the back gate of Xunyang County People's Hospital, there was a basketball court. When school was locked up during holidays, I often went there to play. Back then, I was nobody's Ke…
The protagonist of this novel would be me. Before the time-travel, I was terrible at history — I understood neither the grand currents nor the succession of dynasties. After traveling back, I'd find m…
A spark slowly grew at the Toyota Center arena logo, first catching James Harden's big beard on fire. Three Rockets players ran over to help put it out. Just then, Xiaoli walked out of the bathroom, w…