Misc

When I'm not working, I like to explore random things in life. I travel, take pictures, learn languages, go to concerts, play the piano, and read.

Before moving to the States, I've toured most of the parts in my home country. Some of my favorite places are Sayram Lake, Kanas Lake, Mount Chomolungma, Yuanyang, Bamei, and Ujimqin Banners. As for my favorite city, I would like to go beyond China and choose Edinburgh.

As much as I agree that digital photography produces superior pictures nowadays, I do have an unparalleled amount of fun shooting B&W films with my 60+ year old Leica M2. My favorite film is Ilford HP5+.

I speak Mandarin, English and am working to reach B1 level in German. I enjoy learning foreign languages just as traveling to new countries.

I like the pieces of Beethoven and Schubert. I also have a preference for the works of Russian musicians (especially Rachmaninoff and Scriabin) as well. When I was a PhD student, I go to the concerts of Baltimore Symphony Orchestra regularly, thanks to their generous student subscription program. Now that I moved to New York City, MET Opera and Carnegie Hall are my go-to places for concerts.

In another life, I was the piano accompaniment and bass choral singer of Student Philharmonic Chorus, BUPT, where I also served as the president through 2011 and 2012. Mainly due to this experience, I'm a fan of National Taiwan University Chorus and Shanghai Rainbow Chamber Singers.

I started playing tennis and biking during the COVID pandemic. I'm a left-handed tennis player and play with a two-handed backhand. My old Giant TCR is still fast enough to give me a bit of adrenaline rush every now and then.

My favorite author is Yang Jiang (楊绛). I also admire Ch'ien Mu's (錢穆) discussion on Chinese philosophy and history.