I remember Dali by its steps. On that Wednesday, we climbed and climbed. At eleven in the morning, we stood at the bottom of the Cang Shan (苍山), the sacred mountain that’s the backdrop to Dali — a land as surrealist as its name. Our destination? A Buddhist nunnery called Ji Zhao An (寂照庵), sometimes … Continue reading At a Nunnery in Dali
Tag: Religion
Harvard Israel Trek 2022
Hello dear friends, it's been a long while—On March 1, I submitted my History and Literature senior thesis!!! During spring break, a hundred of us embarked on the annual peer-led Israel Trek, which took us from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, into the West Bank and territories under the Palestinian Authority, to a hotel by the … Continue reading Harvard Israel Trek 2022
Oh, Cairo
Returning from Cairo, Egypt is like waking up from some hot, hazy dream. These first few days after spring break I fall asleep each night as though I'm drugged. My skin feels like papyrus, my eyes are always heavy. There is a residual kiss of the city on my forearm — dark brown tendrils, an … Continue reading Oh, Cairo
Selina Xu 