Monthly Journal:#
The Origin of Tea Drinking and a Visit to the Tea Expo
In mid-September, I visited the tea expo at the Agricultural Exhibition Center, which left a deep impression on me. Recently, I have just started to take an interest in tea. The reason is that one weekend, I went to Yonghe Temple with Teacher K to seek blessings. After that, we casually strolled through the Guozijian Hutong nearby and were attracted by the tea-scented perfume in a shop. I thought to myself, rather than smelling tea-scented perfume, why not drink tea directly? So, I got interested and browsed Taobao on my way home, picking out a set of tea utensils. Coincidentally, there was a convenient opportunity in Beijing that weekend, and with the aim of learning more about the flavors of tea, I decided to experience it. Below are some of my impressions.
The expo gathered tea merchants from various regions, most of whom brewed tea to attract visitors to taste or purchase. I tried white tea, oolong tea, pu-erh, berry tea, green tea, black tea, Nepalese tea, and some teas whose names I couldn't remember. My impression after tasting was that the flavors of tea vary greatly by region and variety, and even the brewing methods, number of infusions, and craftsmanship are quite meticulous, allowing me to truly appreciate the charm of tea culture for the first time.
After browsing, I felt that the temperament of Taiwanese tea merchants is quite different from that of many merchants from the mainland. Some mainland tea merchants lean more towards commercialization, while the Taiwanese tea people give me a sense of elegance. Two individuals left a particularly deep impression on me: one was an elderly gentleman from Taiwan who sat alone at a tea table amidst the bustling booths, brewing tea and chatting with visitors. His movements were slow yet decisive and skilled, as if in his realm, the world was quiet (I later learned he is called Master Ah Xing, who seems to be quite controversial). The other was a Taiwanese couple: the elderly gentleman had a calm demeanor, slowly explaining the varieties and brewing methods of tea while serving visitors; his wife had a gentle appearance, slightly nervous while speaking, yet gave a very warm feeling. I later found out that this gentleman also teaches Tai Chi in Taiwan, and his business card read: "Tea has a way, Zen has a way, tea and Zen are one, entering the way through tea." I found it very interesting. In the end, I bought a can of his high mountain green tea. I heard it was a gift for my girlfriend's father, and he even generously gave me a large bag of sample tea, saying, "When giving gifts, one must be generous," which touched me greatly.
Additionally, I bought a bag of 13-year-old black tea with a glutinous aroma, which is quite special. After drinking quite a bit of tea, my favorites are Liu'an Guapian, the high mountain green tea from Taiwan, and West Lake Longjing. Teas with strong or unique flavors, like berry tea, may feel fresh at first taste, but for long-term drinking, I might still prefer fragrant and drinkable teas.
This is roughly my impression of the expo. Finally, here is a video of the elderly gentleman demonstrating Tai Chi: https://youtu.be/6A2eDpS8EmE?si=9csT6QwR3h02K9Qz
Postscript:
After this, I also bought the Banshan Ripe Pu-erh and Zhu Ni Purple Clay Teapot recommended by Boss Feng this month. Banshan was a tribute tea during the Qing Dynasty, while the Zhu Ni purple clay teapot is made from pure Yixing Huanglongshan original ore, costing nearly three thousand in total. It’s quite a high-end start for a beginner.
Monthly Record#
1. Efficiency Tools#
Reading: News Minimalism
🔗: https://www.newsminimalist.com/
Analyzes over 30,000 news articles globally every day using AI and scores them based on "impact on the world." Most tabloid news scores between 0-3, while significant news above 5 only amounts to about a hundred articles daily, with none above 7. I hope it can be simplified into an app later, as the website is a bit cumbersome.
Effects: Paper
🔗: https://app.paper.design/playground/heatmap
Import a logo to simulate dynamic effects for the 2025 Apple launch event.
Discovery: ➘Dig Archive
🔗: https://leetusman.com/archive/
Lee Tusman's personal collection archive, revisiting old software, tools, and texts that may have been forgotten amid tech trends.
Ranking: The 100 Most Influential People in AI 2025 | TIME
🔗: https://time.com/collections/time100-ai-2025/
TIME magazine's top 100 influential figures in the AI industry for 2025, with quite a few faces from the Chinese community.
2. Textual Gains#
I Found Repeatedly Useful Mental Models (in English)
“Mental models are just concepts that you can use to help explain things (for example, Hanlon's Razor — 'Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity'). There are thousands of mental models, each discipline has its own set, and you can learn them through coursework, guidance, or firsthand experience.”
The Most Important Thing in Life is Having Certain Moments
“Human life is too short; from the cosmic perspective, it really is just a moment. Everything now will become the past, and all joy and pain will fade with time. If our lives lack certain moments, it feels as if we have merely gone through the motions; but as long as we have certain moments, I feel that my life has not been in vain.”
How to Know What You Really Want?
“The theory of 'mimetic desire' by French social theorist René Girard precisely reveals this: desire is essentially a socialized process with mimetic characteristics. This means that human desire does not arise from nowhere but is profoundly influenced by the social environment, gradually formed through continuous observation and intentional or unintentional imitation of others.”
How to Poop Outdoors Without Harming the Environment and Other Hikers
“Human fecal pollution is a public health issue in the natural environment. Pathogens in human feces can remain viable for extended periods—outdoors, for over a year.”
What Does 'Sensitive' Really Mean?
“When feeling emotional fluctuations, one can consciously remind oneself: I am currently capturing a lot of information, and my brain is conducting rapid associative analysis, but this is just an internal 'data processing' process, not equivalent to objective facts.”
3. Design Related#
Interactions by Nitish Khagwal
A collection of exquisite micro-interactions that subtly impress users.
Making Software: What is a color space?
An extremely systematic and detailed design research article about color spaces, well worth a read.
Eagle 5.0 Preview: AI Redefines Material Management | Eagle Blog
Eagle 5.0 is coming! As a must-have software for my design work, I am looking forward to the AI image search feature.
52 Weeks of Obsessions
The evolution of graphic design styles in the 20th-21st centuries.
Spotted in Prod
Swipe up and down like watching short videos to view selected app motion recordings.
4. Other Interesting Things#
- Dream Image 4.0 Model Prompt Manual - Feishu Cloud Document The official prompt manual for Dream Image, as the tutorial is more comprehensive from the official source.
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