I am not Ximen Qing.

Americans oppose socialism and Marxism, yet they actually use Chinese Confucianism most frequently and Marxist doctrines more often. This is related to the fact that Americans are mostly descendants of Puritans, and in the early years of their nation-building, they were more open and pragmatic, lacking the airs and rigidity of the British aristocracy. How interesting this world is! If Zhuangzi lived in America, he would surely have a large following. The US Secretary of State is somewhat like two of Guiguzi's great disciples, Su Qin and Zhang Yi.

China is becoming more like the United States, isn't that a historical irony? Americans are no longer confident, and some women are even petty and narrow-minded, while China has achieved the East Asian revival of China, Japan, and South Korea at the Bird's Nest. The cycle of history is quite interesting. The Chinese are indeed a nation that doesn't hold grudges, which is consistent with the historical development trend of China. I don't know if you've seen the Hollywood movie "The Kite Runner," but Aamir Khan lacks the magnanimity of the Indian Aamir Khan.

Afghanistan is the only remaining ancient civilization in the world, a slave society living in prehistoric times. The reason it exists with such barbarity is simply because it's a remnant of the legacy of Britain, the Soviet Union, and the United States. The United States isn't as good as Amir claims either; that's an extremist, narrow-minded judgment based on historical context. Isn't the tolerance of civilizational development a valid one? Just like in the Chinese novel *The Three-Body Problem*, a civilization so superior it crushes a backward civilization like an ant is not even in the same league. To force a giant into a dwarf's duel is unfair.

"How terrifying, my dear," Song Yu remarked after traveling through Osaka, Tokyo, and Kyoto in Japan. The people were so orderly, so humble, so perfectionistic—but the more they acted, the more it seemed like an act. What were they pretending to conceal? "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword" truly reflects the Japanese people. Japan is indeed adept at disguise. They skillfully disguise their base ugliness and evil as the ultimate goodness and beauty.

"I still prefer Japan,"

"It always feels like it's filled with the smell of death,"

"Don't overthink it,"

"We're all waiting for death, the tranquility before death." My girlfriend still likes the theme song from Tokyo Love Story. I wonder if there's still pure love in this era of materialism?

"How beautiful is the song 'Sudden Love,' but Chinese people can't write it."

"I still prefer the old boys,"

"The Chinese group that became famous is the one that sang 'Old Boys'."

"Only after going to Japan can one understand that the Bailu Plain of the Tang Dynasty is not the same as the Bailu Plain of today."

"Tang poetry..."

"Only Japan still retains the myths and artistic conception of the Tang Dynasty, so it makes sense that it produces so many talented writers. Writing about life with one's own life makes a difference."

Would you treat love like the character in "The Song of Everlasting Regret" did?

"That was written by Bai Juyi, your first love, but I didn't have a first love,"

Song Yu then thought of that queen, the wicked girl who had deceived him with her love.

"what is the relationship?"

"It doesn't matter,"

Song Yu recalled that night of love with the Queen, and how ironic it was. Love is beautiful, but often a simple "it doesn't matter" can shatter one's faith in love.

"Love is pure."

Upon hearing his girlfriend's words, Song Yu was at a loss for words; no matter how he answered, it would be wrong.

"Tell me, what exactly is love? This is so important to me."

Flowers bloom and fade, stirring up a melancholy mood; clear springs and streams flow through the forest.

Spring comes and goes, willow branches sway gently, green shade casts dappled shadows in the slanting sunlight.

The ancient temple bell tolls from afar, and the Heart Sutra's serene melody flows quietly.

Xuanzang traveled from the West to the East, carrying Jianzhen on his journey. The prosperous Kaiyuan era was marked by enduring sorrow and love songs. A pipa melody and a flute's mournful tune evoke deep emotions, a poignant expression of unrequited love.

Beneath the Buddha statue in the West Chamber, deep affection flows; willow-leaf eyebrows and rosy cheeks, spring's passion surges. Xi Shi and Su Xiao, their graceful figures reflected in the clear water, even the koi are ashamed; on a boat on the river, lost in thought, a lone boat, a silk robe concealing sorrow, the sea of ​​love a poignant tale echoing with the sound of waves.

The best place for romance is amidst flowing streams, gentle breezes, ancient temples, and the sounds of birds and the fragrance of flowers. Kyoto owes a debt of gratitude to Lin Huiyin and Liang Sicheng for their heartfelt words, which allowed it to escape the ravages of war and survive to this day. There is something that, once destroyed, can never be reborn: culture, the spirit of Xu Xiake, and the spiritual pursuits of ancient scholars.

Because of the origins of Japanese culture, the arts, cuisine, culture, tea ceremony, and flower arrangement—beauties that disappeared in China—have been flourished in Japan. It might be a little sad, but when Chinese people want to study Tang culture, Japan is completely imbued with the Tang dynasty's legacy, from its very core. Yueyang Tower is still Yueyang Tower, and the inscription on the Yueyang Tower on the Yangtze River remains, but Fan Zhongyan will never reappear. It seems Chinese literati have exhausted all their inspiration. Japan is no longer the ukiyo-e of the Edo period. The ancient charm of Tang culture in Kyoto, which the Chinese didn't care about, seems to have been enshrined in Buddhist temples in Japan. It's like two people walking together along the path to the Guanyin statue, praying for a child; Song Yu and his girlfriend probably visited countless temples, monasteries, and nunneries.

The Buddha is solemn and majestic. Paying homage to the Buddha, chanting scriptures, and worshipping all Buddhas of the ten directions and three times with monks—this is ironically the true essence of love. The purity and innocence of love can only truly shine brightly in ancient temples. Sometimes, one understands that even visiting monks can chant scriptures. Countless lovesick men and women from hell are entangled in the flesh of this world. The tragic love stories of the past cities lead back to hell from which there is no escape. The gate to all beings is the gate of the ancient temple. Lovers go to worship Ksitigarbha and chant his name. His mantra gives birth to all things from hell. The power of love is miraculous, awakening the hearts of all beings.

"If you still dare to cheat and have an affair..."

The young girlfriend and Song Yu were soaking in hot springs, sightseeing, and enjoying all the delicious Japanese cuisine. They were relaxing in the hot springs like monkeys in winter, soothing their tired bodies and minds.

"I'm too tired to think about those things anymore. I don't have the energy to think about them anymore, and I'm not interested in them anymore."

"Then you must go there."

"I'm tired, baby, I'm really tired. Isn't this what I wanted? Cause and effect... I now believe it's all a dream, that cause and effect ultimately decide everything, that karmic retribution decides everything."

"What do you mean? When you were with me, you didn't talk to any other girls?"

“I swear, I swear to God, I was once part of hell, and I just escaped,”

"So this is the beginning of hell, the cycle of reincarnation?"

"The old dreams have ended, the new dreams have begun."

"Oh dear, why are you using so much force? What are you doing?"

"To prove you weren't dreaming,"

"You know perfectly well that I am complicated."

"There's no way around it, it seems like I can't find anything easy."

"Simple things are for idiots, and you don't like them anyway."

"Love is selfish; it rejects everything."

"So this is all for this, severing all kinship, friendship, and all the messy troubles of the world, just you and me in our own little world. Back home, there are always people interfering, but here it's just you and me in our own little world, like a legend, what a beautiful and wonderful time. Life should have a period of such wonderful time where only love remains, abandoning everything else, leaving only love."

"really?"

"Of course, it's ironic that what was impossible in the past is now a piece of cake,"

"If that's the case, then there won't be any tragedy,"

"Yes, so there are no romance novels anymore,"

"No, you and I are like a romance novel,"

"Then we'll have to look for that eccentric Taoist priest Zhang Sheng."

"Didn't you say it was about our love story?"

"I still have to go to Mexico, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand,"

"Our love song?"

"My darling, that was after our love symphony."

"No, no, absolutely not. You have to stay by my side for the rest of your life."

"That would be a clattering of pots and pans, not what you want, darling. I know you crave a luxurious life, don't you? I can't stand that either. It's not even a tragedy, just a foolish life. The beauty of tragedy lies in the pure spirit of freedom. Because I must protect our tragic love, my soul cannot rest, it must wander forever, like the wandering Dutchman. You have already saved the cursed soul. For the sake of our love, you cannot tell anyone my secret, or our love will end, and I will return to the sea."

Why did you return to the sea?

"Go to the sea and become its king, its god, a sea god without a soul,"

"You actually want to become a soulless person? That's terrifying!"

"Yes, only by being detached from worldly concerns can one experience love."

"It seems to be the philosophical thought of a homosexual."

"It has nothing to do with any philosopher; only those who are inhuman deserve love."

"Stop spouting your nonsense and ramblings to me,"

What does "speaking for oneself" mean? It means "what one says."

"It's just talking nonsense."

"No, I'm merging my secluded soul into your spirit and body; I still have to embark on a difficult journey like a hero,"

"You're a hero, not a goddess,"

"You are, Goddess of Love, the final resting place for souls, forever awaiting the return of lost souls,"

"What's that?"

"Perhaps it's heroic, but a luxury of hope. The soul shouldn't come from the father."

"What are they?"

"I mean, men are destined for tragedy, and no one can escape it."

“I can’t stand that,”

"That's better than being a coward and being looked down upon by women."

Men and women seem to live in the vortex of Zeus and Hera's shadowy winds. Jupiter and the goddesses among goddesses particularly enjoy influencing the fate of men and women, because both men and women are created by the gods. Therefore, the Heart Sutra is still a divine incantation to break free from the shackles of hell. When dust has consciousness and life, life should understand its true nature. When men and women enter the divine song of the hellish journey of love, they are sometimes both indulgent and filled with divine desires, lost in the world of sensual pleasures. That is part of the path to enlightenment. The girlfriend is completely immersed in the vortex of love. She may not understand what Song Yu's strange words are all about. It's definitely not the lofty, otherworldly path that mothers envision for their daughters' future lives. In their eyes, it's a difficult journey, but the moral and ethical demands placed on men are lofty and unattainable. Men are part of Zeus and Hera's flesh; the bones and flesh of gods are sacred, inviolable. An unhappy marriage is often a man's tragic life. But that's only one aspect. Men are emotional creatures, while women are truly sensual. The difference between emotion and sensibility is vast. Hugo's world of sea laborers, Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities, Rousseau's unparalleled moral love story of Heloise—yet it was Zhuangzi who truly understood love. The detached and extraordinary Zhuangzi, drinking Japanese sake, eating tuna sashimi, and sipping miso soup, then leisurely lying on the tatami mat, finally seems to have let go of everything with a natural expression. His girlfriend, on the other hand, finds his older man strange.

“That scares me; I’m afraid I won’t feel safe at all,”

"Yes, what I fear most is hearing that I lack a sense of security. Why do I lack a sense of security? So many people say I lack a sense of security, but is a sense of security really that important?"

"Why be so sentimental? Isn't everything fine as it is now?"

"It feels like a certain period of time in the past will soon pass."

"My mother says you have to win a man's heart, but where is your heart?"

"But you can't live with your mother forever, so that's the real problem."

"Weren't you born of Mom and Dad?"