Words and Thoughts from Yanwen

Lately, I’ve been reading an intriguing book by Rolf Dobelli titled Stop Reading the News: A Manifesto for a Happier, Calmer and Wiser Life , published in 2020. According to estimates from the Pew Research Center in the U.S., people spend an average of 58 to 96 minutes per day consuming news. If you're awake for about 16 hours a day, that means roughly one-sixteenth of your life is spent reading or watching the news. Interestingly, the more educated someone is, the more time they tend to dedicate to news consumption . Dobelli urges us to stop reading the news. Why? Because, as he argues: News is irrelevant to your life. Reading it is a waste of time.   News offers a narrow, fragmented perspective.   It makes you lose sight of the big picture.   It reinforces bias.   It manipulates emotions.   It stifles creativity.   It destroys peace of mind. Often, the most meaningful changes in the world happen quietly, behind the scenes—while the noisiest, most publici...

我在北京听说过不少人家，或因财产，或缘其他因由，兄弟姐妹反目成仇，闹上法庭，甚至有人因败诉而气绝身亡。最近，我家姐妹间，也因小事生隙，心中感慨。于是写下此文，愿与自己、与世人共勉。 人非圣贤，孰能无过？若人们能常念手足之情，在不如意时，仍能保有一份善良，许多悲剧或许可以避免。 人们追求美，多是外表之美，而在人世间长存不灭、可歌可泣的真善美，更多源自心灵之美。 人们常祈祷上天保佑，却未曾深思，天道自有其公义：上天的眷顾，正是凭着人间的真善美而赢得的。正所谓：“老天是公平的。” 人与人之间，尤其是至亲之情，最难得的是一份宽容与体谅。怨恨易积，恩情难续，世间许多悲剧，往往始于一念之差。若能念及同根之情，念及共度童年的温暖时光，许多隔阂与纷争，或许便可烟消云散。 人生无常，得失荣辱皆如过眼云烟。唯有守住心底的那片真善美，真心待人，善待亲情，方能在风雨飘摇中，留下一片温暖的人间净土。 常有人叹世道凉薄，感慨人心不古。其实， 世道如何，人心如何，很大程度上取决于我们自己。若心中有爱，眼中便有光；若肯以善待身边的人，生活便不会太冷。 手足情深，亲情可贵。人生苦短，愿我们都能珍惜那一份来之不易的缘分，在纷繁世事中，守住内心的一片真善美。

Saturday, April 26, 2025 I returned from Beijing on April 14 this year, carrying with me many impressions, but one stood out so vividly that I felt compelled to write about it: the transformation of Shougang Park and the lessons it could offer to the U.S. Rust Belt . An old friend had visited Shougang Park the previous year. Our conversation sparked a deeper reflection on how aging industrial facilities can be reimagined for dynamic, new purposes. Shougang — 首钢 (Shǒu gāng), the Steelworks of the Capital — was once a towering giant in western Beijing, bearing witness to China's industrial rise throughout the 20th century. Established in 1919, it stood for nearly a century as a cornerstone of the nation’s steel industry. But in 2010, after the final batch of molten iron was poured, Shougang closed its doors and relocated operations. The once-bustling steelworks fell silent, becoming a relic of a bygone era. In 2018, Shougang was listed among China’s " Industrial Heritage Conser...

April 25, 2025 On April 20, my final article was published on the WeChat platform, marking the end of my journey there. After that, I set up a new space on Blogspot. Unfortunately, WeChat users can’t open Blogspot links within the app, and it’s inaccessible in China. So, I decided to stop sharing altogether — a cold-turkey halt, without explanation. Of course, I’m still writing and sharing — here on social media, and with my children — but not through the daily individual updates I used to send. It’s been five days now. If anyone asks, I’ll offer an explanation. Otherwise, I'll let silence do it all. In the past, I shared with over 20 individual readers and three WeChat groups every single day. Part of me believed they were eagerly awaiting my words, that I had a responsibility to meet their expectations, and that failing to deliver might disappoint them. Now, after days of non-delivery, only three people have reached out — expressing concern, and saying it’s unlike me to stop writ...

Thursday, April 24, 2025 My mind won’t let go of something I didn’t even cause. The words echo in my ears as I try to fall asleep—sharp, unfair, and on repeat. In moments like these, I think of Master Nan Huai-Chin , the renowned scholar of traditional Chinese philosophy. He once said that the three habits most harmful to our health aren’t smoking or drinking. They’re far more subtle—and far more effective at draining our energy, vitality, and spirit. 1.  Defying Nature’s Rhythm "Staying up all night, sleeping through the day." When we live against the natural rhythm of day and night, we throw the entire body into chaos. It’s as if 60 trillion cells are put on high alert, constantly battling against the clock. Eventually, exhaustion overtakes us, not just in body but in spirit. No tonic is more precious than sleep that follows the sun. And no entertainment or ambition is worth the damage we do by robbing ourselves of rest. 2.  Draining the Mind “The heart governs clarity—not...

Thursday, April 24, 2025 At the WMCA swimming pool this morning, I noticed a group of elderly women chatting cheerfully in the pool. They are always like this. They are more for each other than just for exercise. Watching them, I was reminded of the video chat with a college friend yesterday: her mother-in-law, who began showing signs of Alzheimer’s in 2017, had been living alone ever since her husband left more than 40 years ago. The contrast between these two scenes—the quiet decline of one isolated life and the vibrant connection among these women—was striking. Science backs up what my instincts sensed . The Cognitive Reserve Theory suggests that regular social interaction helps maintain brain health, buffering against the effects of aging and diseases like dementia. Laura Carstensen’s Socioemotional Selectivity Theory adds that older adults, aware of time’s limits, naturally gravitate toward emotionally meaningful relationships. And countless studies have found that loneliness—more...

Tuesday, April 22, 2025  My WeChat publishing platform was originally set up using my sister’s account, since mine isn’t registered in China. This setup has become increasingly inconvenient—every time I publish an article, she has to scan a code through her WeChat app. So, I’ve decided it’s time to move my blog elsewhere. Unfortunately, two of the sites that currently host my articles are not accessible in China. But trust me— nothing stops me from writing, and now, I write with even more purpose . It’s just that, due to the inconvenience, I’ve been sharing more with readers in America and less with those in China. For a while, I’ve focused on new developments in China, particularly those unreported in mainstream Western media. Since March, however, I’ve been delving into the history of the Silk Road, hoping to uncover topics that are both rich in historical depth and relevant to today’s world. Yesterday, I wrote about the Silk Road and its role in the spread of the Black Death. To...

Monday, April 21, 2025 Years ago, I came across a book that has intrigued me ever since: The Evolution of Cooperation (1984) by Robert Axelrod. In it, Axelrod delves into a timeless question: how can cooperation arise and thrive in competitive environments where selfishness seems to always give the upper hand? Through computer simulations grounded in game theory, he explores how cooperative behavior can evolve—even when individuals are tempted to betray one another for personal gain. The strategies tested in the simulations fell into three main categories. The “ good guy” strategies were those that prioritized cooperation and never initiated betrayal. The “bad guy” strategies took an opportunistic approach, betraying occasionally to maximize short-term gains. Then there was a third group: the random strategies, which made unpredictable choices between cooperation and betrayal in each round. To me, the results felt almost like a fairy-tale ending—surprising and thought-provoking. The...

Thursday, March 6, 2025 On Wednesday morning, as I was out with my sister, we passed the Second Ring Bridge on Dongzhimen Avenue and spotted two young men in uniform, unarmed but standing watch. My sister identified them as militia (民兵, Mínbīng), a state-organized force deployed during China’s annual "Two Sessions." Curious, she asked me about militias in the U.S., and I gave her a brief comparison. In China, militias function as an extension of state security, engaged in various tasks, like emergency response, disaster relief, infrastructure projects, and maintaining internal order. As we observed, they remain unarmed in public-facing roles. By contrast, American militias are more decentralized. Some, like the National Guard, are well-organized and state-run, with the ability to be federalized. Others, particularly unorganized militias and private paramilitary groups, are formed by civilians—often outside government oversight. The U.S. Constitution grants citizens the right ...

Wednesday, March 5, 2025 A recent article from Brooklyn Paper reports that Brooklyn leaders are protesting the Trump administration’s efforts to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelan and Haitian migrants. The piece highlights that nearly 8 million Venezuelans have fled their country since 2013, driven by a severe humanitarian crisis marked by food and medicine shortages. The U.S. should not only welcome these migrants but also recognize its role in creating Venezuela’s crisis. Decades of economic sanctions have exacerbated the country's instability. As a major trading partner, particularly in the oil sector, the U.S. played a critical role in Venezuela’s economy. But U.S. sanctions started under Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro, whose policies sought more independence from U.S. influence. The U.S. crippling sanctions isolated Venezuela and deepening the humanitarian catastrophe. A similar pattern has unfolded in Africa. Muammar Gaddafi repeatedly warned in 2010 and 2011...

夏燕文  2025年03月02日 20:13 北京 Monday, March 3, 2025 Today, I begin my exploration of the Silk Road. But before diving in, I want to share something that caught my attention recently. On March 1, The New York Times published an article with an intriguing question: "Why Can a Chinese Gadget Company Make an Electric Car When Apple Can't?" The so-called "gadget company" in question? Xiaomi. And indeed, who wouldn’t be curious to know the answer? "After nearly a decade of trying, Apple finally gave up its effort to produce an electric car last year, canceling a project that soaked up $10 billion. But last year in China, the no-name gadget maker Xiaomi  launched its first electric car after just three years of development and delivered 135,000 vehicles, determined to double that number in 2025." What most Western media fail to grasp is that China has built a complete production ecosystem—not merely an assembly line, as commonly assumed. Now, back to the Silk Roa...