网民

The people in China who end up becoming creators of tech- and culture-related content — the kind consumed by China’s billion-strong wang min (网民) — are often those bottle-half-full Chinese youths who dropped out of U.S. universities. These are the modern 邯郸学步 types: they have not truly mastered the foreigners’ stuff, but have already managedContinueContinue reading “网民”

Citizenship — A Pipe Dream

Bristol, Rhode Island There are 193 member states in the United Nations. Nearly all of them are republics of one kind or another. Republic of this. Federal Republic of that. People’s Republic of something else. The modern world is a forest of republics. Given the prevalence of republics among humans, one suspects that in theContinueContinue reading “Citizenship — A Pipe Dream”

Inventory of Small Affections

Inventory of Small Affections 1 In the morning, Cheng Yi and I went to the car rental agency next to our hotel. It was called Ruichijie Self-Drive Service. Cheng Yi was the one driving, so she handled the pickup formalities at the counter while I stood off to the side, idle. At the counter besideContinueContinue reading “Inventory of Small Affections”

阿菲家の好物

早晨和程奕去旅馆傍的租车行提车,叫瑞驰捷自驾服务的。车是程奕开,所以是她在柜台那里办提车手续,我做个闲人,在一边站着。傍边的柜台是另一个顾客,二十来岁样子的女孩,也在办提车手续,她身边站着个女孩,与她年纪相仿,两人长得极像极像。我听到那个在办手续的女孩问车行的服务员,自驾去泸沽湖,路上有什么需要注意的。服务员给她讲解的时候,我心理想,这两个人也是去泸沽湖呀,我们也是要去同一个地方。后来手续办完了,去车场取车,是辆黑色新款大众朗逸。颜色是程奕挑的,我心仪白色,但我……点击故事标题👆阅读全文👆

Wiggums, Szyslaks, Nahasapeemapetilons—A Super Bowl Story

Super Bowl fun with Moe, Wiggum, Apu Super Bowl LX is just a week away. Earlier today, an email landed in our inboxes from the company’s event committee announcing this year’s Super Bowl Squares challenge. Two brackets, two winners, no cost, a modest gift card. The twist: instead of employee names, each square is labeledContinueContinue reading “Wiggums, Szyslaks, Nahasapeemapetilons—A Super Bowl Story”

高处不胜寒

… 山中的夜来得快。等他在一段尚存的残墙檐下安顿下来时,四周已经一片漆黑。他在地上坐下,随后从挎包里取出他的 64 式手枪,放在身旁伸手可及的石板地上,水壶放在另一边。他把酸痛的两腿伸直,背倚在冰凉的墙壁上。稍事歇息之后,从挎包拿出一块压缩军粮,开始机械地咀嚼… 点击故事标题👆阅读全文👆

The Return (abr.)

残灯守旧梦,冷月葬诗魂 Author’s note: The original, written in Chinese, was a novella—too long for this platform, and paced too slowly for the age of TikTok. What follows is a much abridged version, consisting only of the final two sections of an eight-part story. 7 After the lights went out, he lay down fully clothed. In theContinueContinue reading “The Return (abr.)”

半山

近郊绿线列车驶出栗树山站时,车厢已空了将近一半。你就知道,再过一会,等列车到达半山站时,列车厢里就再没几个乘客了。有些日子,甚至还没到半山,列车就已是人去车空了;那种时候,要是伸头往过道望下去,一直可以看到相邻车厢里一排排空着的座位,随着列车的晃动不断左右摇晃,仿佛冬日里被遗弃的海滩上,无休止的潮汐 ……
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