At the start of 2015 I went to Beijing for seven days. I had planned the trip in ridiculous detail, so it went smoothly: most of the major sights, not too many crowds, and I came away satisfied. I had been worried about smog, but the weather was extraordinary—the best Beijing weather I could imagine. One night it even snowed, so I got to see the city under snow, which is rare for someone from the south. An older schoolmate took me for proper mutton hotpot. I still want to go pick a fight by the wild lake at the Summer Palace.
Around April or May, my father dragged me along on a trip to Shandong. It was a package tour, so there was little room for autonomy: Tai'an, Qufu, Jinan—a classic route through the province.
Then came the summer: about twenty days in Europe. I spent the first two weeks in Germany and the final week in Paris, with Luxembourg and Brussels tacked on along the way. Germany felt safe. It was not especially thrilling, but everything was comfortable. Berlin was the most interesting city because it was diverse and individualistic, unlike the typical German city. Paris made me uneasy—I kept fearing that street thugs would snatch my bag, until I realized that everyone around me was Chinese. Looking back, I wonder whether I happened to catch Germany during its last stretch of calm. The cities: Berlin, Munich, Stuttgart, Heidelberg, Cologne, Brussels, Paris, Luxembourg, and Frankfurt.
After Europe I went to Suzhou for a few days while writing travel guides. I tried various hostels, met some good people, and took a German brother and sister to Tiger Hill.
The second half of the year was mostly given over to preparing for APS—an interview and credential procedure I will not bother explaining. I passed it in November, which left me with some free time. Right around then China Southern had a member day, so I bought a 480-yuan round-trip ticket to Guangdong and planned to do Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and Macau in one loop. Flipping through my 2013 annual summary, I found that I had already resolved that 2014 absolutely had to include a trip to Guangzhou. It did not happen because I was unwell, and the regret kept repeating itself.
My reading tends to be goal-directed. While preparing for APS, I read a lot of English textbooks in my field and came away with a low opinion of Chinese textbooks and an even lower one of translated imports; reading the original English editions felt like a sudden clearing of the fog. In a field where Europe and the United States set the standards, the formulas, symbols, and measurements are all in English. If explanations and terminology are learned in Chinese, there is a strong sense of dislocation. Go straight to English, and the thinking flows much better. The recent talk of removing English from the college entrance exam pains me.
Before Beijing I read Beijing Fayuan Temple, which worked well as a guidebook. Before Europe I read The Shortest History of Europe—cheap-looking cover, genuinely good book—and roughly made my way through the hefty The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. The rest of my reading was scattered and unsystematic. I have to admit that I bought quite a few books this year and read few of them. Next year will probably be worse.
Film and television followed a similar pattern. Besides new releases, I watched a batch of Europe-related things: Over Germany, Generation War, BBC Berlin, Treasures of the Louvre, Masahiro Sekiguchi's railway journey through Europe and Germany, and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. For the Silk Road there was Hexi Corridor, one of CCTV's more conscientious documentaries this year. For gardens there was Six Chapters of Suzhou Gardens, an old documentary with plenty of 1990s Suzhou footage. The city felt completely different then. It discussed many ideas about protecting the old city, and the Suzhou of today was shaped by that period.
I watched a lot of Japanese films again this year. I turn to them when I am bored, and they reliably make me feel better, as if life is a little less hard. One of them, When Is Reading Day?, is a typically “boring” film, but I like exactly that vibe.
I rarely watch American series, but one this year—证据边缘—was genuinely superb.
At the end of the year I watched two films from Ang Lee's father trilogy: Pushing Hands and Eat Drink Man Woman. There is something teasing in them, but underneath it is a deeper warmth.
British television has always been my favorite. I watched only one series this year, but it was worth it: Brideshead Revisited, a story about the decline of the English aristocracy and about religion. I had heard of the film version, but honestly, the television version is the classic.
My music theme this year was classical. I only listened and enjoyed; I do not dare say much more.
In practical life, there was some decluttering. I abandoned the Mac—except for an iPad mini—and returned to Windows with an overseas-purchased ThinkPad X1 Carbon. Productivity went up considerably, and I was pleased. The software on Windows is still, frankly, a bit ugly.
This was also the first year I lost points on my driving record. In Shanghai I drove into the wrong lane and was stopped on the spot by a traffic officer: three points. Driving in Shanghai is character-building. Better to be careful and take it as a warning.
I made a small amount of money, thanks to a friend who made the introduction.
At the end of the year my mother had acute pancreatitis and was hospitalized for more than twenty days. It was the first time I understood that my parents' bodies could fail too. Recently I have had one problem after another—colds, stomach pain, a twisted back—and I am still not fully comfortable. I rested at home for a while, and the illness took about thirty percent of my energy. My mindset has gradually shifted. Before, I truly feared nothing. Health really matters, times three.
2016 is a critical year for me. I hope to live it seriously. And for the new year, I wish everyone good health.