East Meets West

By: Dr. Jian Zhang Sometimes, a story written more than two thousand years ago suddenly feels astonishingly modern. Recently, I revisited the famous story of 庖丁解牛 (The Butcher Ding Cutting an Ox) from the writings of 莊子 (Zhuangzi). Reading it again, it is not really a story about butchering anymore. It is a story about work, mastery, energy, and how human beings move through life. And perhaps most importantly, it is a story about how not to lose ourselves in today’s culture o

By Dr. Jian Zhang Over the past few days, I found myself reading Notes from a Quiet Window again, a classic collection of reflections from the late Ming Dynasty by Chen Jiru. When I first read it many years ago, I saw it mainly as elegant literary writing — the quiet sentiments of ancient scholars admiring flowers, moonlight, and solitude. But reading it again now, at a different stage of life, I realize it is about something much deeper. It is about how to remain grounded in