Hangzhou on Journal of a Sojourner

Sojourner's Diary - 24

Wed, 01 Jan 2025 12:00:00 -0500

My procrastinating nature ultimately made me miss the chance to finish the 24th entry in 2024. Fortunately, the 25th entry will definitely be posted in 2025.

Regarding yesterday’s (hard-earned) rambling account, some people might find it suddenly unfamiliar. To this, I can only say that my mom is the same (scribble) and a year ago, I wouldn’t have understood any of this either. Most of what I wrote are the changes and insights of the year, and the former Tianyao remains unchanged! Thanks for understanding.

Sojourner's Diary - 23

Tue, 31 Dec 2024 12:00:00 -0500

…Alright, so many people actually read my ramblings. Suddenly I feel motivated to keep writing.

Another year has passed in the blink of an eye. The last New Year’s Eve still feels vivid (okay, not really). On this occasion of bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new, I wish everyone… oops, wrong words.

2024 was a special year. Throughout the year, some people around me were busy, others passed silently. And I, seemingly stagnant (and indeed half a year behind schedule), am still striving. Outside of school, I learned more.

Sojourner's Diary - 22

Mon, 30 Dec 2024 12:00:00 -0500

Some rambling before starting: Actually, yesterday’s post was meant to be “private,” to be made public in a few days, but I accidentally posted it and thought, “Oh well, few people will see it anyway” (

After playing soccer, I went to Teacher Figo’s house for dinner. On the way, we talked a lot about the future, about school, work, and time management. So, I finally started to think: How should I spend the possibly relatively free year ahead?

Sojourner's Diary - 21

Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:00:00 -0500

Growth is a process of constantly leaving regrets behind.

Recently, worries have been piling up: I stayed up too late yesterday, failed to wake up early, was late for a gathering and dozed off; I used my phone too much, resulting in overdue data charges, and couldn’t top up when my phone was suspended; the first half of my flight back to Chengde was cancelled, and only after communicating did I realize I hadn’t booked a direct flight and had to pay a cancellation fee; I rushed onto a bus at the stop only to find it was going in the wrong direction, and when I got off, my bus card was again overdrawn; I arrived in Yuhang District only to learn there was a rehearsal today, so I had to temporarily switch roles and fill in; my teammates had already figured out the longitude and latitude, but because Google Maps was inaccurate, we ended up taking a big detour with a large group of people; I just missed the last bus after getting off the subway, and when I rode a shared bike back to my doorstep, I found all the docking stations were full and I had to go further… No one probably wants to hear me complain, but listing it all out, I realize I’m quite unlucky (

Sojourner's Diary-20

Sun, 22 Dec 2024 12:00:00 -0500

I kept some of the “gugugu” (onomatopoeia for cooing/muttering) so you know you’re reading Zhuge Tianyao (because it was filled on the 23rd).

My first impression of Zhejiang University was its size, followed by its “all-encompassing” nature. Compared to other universities I had visited, I cycled instead of walked at Zhejiang University (otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to see everything). When a “local” explained the functions of various buildings to me, I instantly exclaimed, “All this is just one campus?” Indeed, not all universities are created equal.

Sojourner's Diary-19

Fri, 20 Dec 2024 12:00:00 -0500

Over the three years of high school, I actually did think about going back to visit. But I often lingered nearby for a long time and eventually left disappointed (well, not really, as I didn’t go into the city often anyway). Compared to those classmates who frequently visited the school, I seemed a bit ungrateful.

—Just kidding. After many years, when I saw the teachers again, they still called out my name as soon as they saw me. What graduates love to do most is search the entire school for traces they left behind. We naturally didn’t find any, or perhaps they are everywhere?

Sojourner's Diary-18

Thu, 19 Dec 2024 12:00:00 -0500

Sometimes I ask myself: What exactly did I come back to Hangzhou for?

The past few days have been busy. I used up all 50 yuan on my citizen card riding the subway and buses (realized this halfway through writing and quickly switched to another subway card, phew, almost went into debt). It feels like every day I manage to hit my exercise goals, either by meeting classmates or being a teaching assistant, haha.

Sojourner's Diary-17

Sun, 15 Dec 2024 12:00:00 -0500

Today is Sunday. In the afternoon, I took the subway to Hubin in77. Suddenly, the phrase “sea of people” materialized before my eyes—there were really so many people!

(The following content is from 23:59)

I feel an urgency like rushing a manuscript before a deadline.

I went to West Lake! Saw Hubin 88! Spent money and ate very well! Received the gift I wanted earlier!

Wow, that was really perfunctory (

Sojourner's Diary-16

Sat, 14 Dec 2024 12:00:00 -0500

I just arrived in Hangzhou yesterday (actually, it should be the day before yesterday), and I didn't even have time to unpack my luggage. Today, I met many brothers and sisters from the community at the court and was fortunate enough to capture moments of mutual help. The most frequently asked questions were “How tall are you now?” and “Where are your parents?”

It feels really good. Although all the roads along the river have been rebuilt, the connections between people remain so stable.

Sojourner's Diary-4

Sun, 02 Apr 2023 12:00:00 -0500

Some of you might have wondered why I chose such a name. There are actually many reasons. For one, my house has already been rented out, and I’m currently staying at a classmate’s place. On another level, it’s also a reflection of our future plans to study abroad. More importantly, it’s about what is said in the Book of 1 Peter: we are strangers and sojourners on this earth. I hope this series can continue, even though I might not post it on WeChat Moments in the future. I’ll transcribe the previous entries into a notebook and treat them as a diary!

Sojourner's Diary-3

Sat, 01 Apr 2023 12:00:00 -0500

The original post for this day was deleted because it mentioned some content related to security (my WeChat Moments post was removed). Since I have absolutely no backup, I’ll write down some of my reflections here instead!

First of all, I indeed don’t think carefully before speaking, always feeling that “it should be fine to say this.” Actually, that’s not right. I once wrote down a principle that I believe I should adhere to today as well: “think thrice before speaking.”

Sojourner's Diary-2

Fri, 31 Mar 2023 12:00:00 -0500

I had intended to update daily, but I ended up having too much fun at Figo’s place tonight. So, catching the very end of March 31st, here’s a diary entry.

I spent most of today at home packing things to take with me. I took a quick photo of the cat at my tenant’s place.

In the evening, we had a gathering at Figo’s house. It was a lot of fun!

Sojourner's Diary-1

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 12:00:00 -0500

Returned to Hangzhou this morning amidst the roar of a green-skinned train. After a busy day, I suddenly had the impulse to write a diary entry to document it.

Since my house back home has already been rented out, I had to stay overnight at a classmate’s place. I made noodles for lunch myself, and they tasted alright. In the afternoon, I went to play soccer, only to discover sadly that due to a lack of proper training while in Jiangxi, I’m now being outperformed by the younger kids. This evening, I’ve been working on a manuscript about what I’ve been up to over the past year and a half. It will likely be posted on my mother’s WeChat Official Account as a record, so I’ll take this chance to do some promotion: follow “Graceful Time” (now renamed to “The Road of Graceful Time”)! Learn about my embarrassing past (not really…