After I graduated, I started working right away. These past few years I have always been doing jobs here and there. Nothing special. Just work. But I think as long as you are healthy, life can still be happy. That is enough, right?

Life, to me, is just about the basics. You get married, you have children, and before you know it, you get old. That is how it goes. People always talk about old traditions, things passed down for generations. They say when you die, you go up to the sky. That there is another world after this one. But I do not believe it.

I think this is it. This life is the one we get. So just live it well. Be healthy. Be kind. That is already not easy.

I drive a van and deliver packages around the city. Been doing it for almost eight years now. It is tiring, but the city keeps moving, and so do I.

I have delivered everything you can imagine, clothes, electronics, books, sometimes even strange things like plants or big stuffed animals. Most people just take the package, nod, and go back inside. But once in a while, there is something different.

There was this one time last winter. I had a delivery to a nursing home on the edge of the city. I thought it was a mistake, because the name on the package was a kid’s name. An old man came to the door with a caretaker. He looked surprised, almost emotional.

The package was from his granddaughter. A small box with a drawing and a handwritten note. The caretaker told me the old man had been feeling forgotten. He hadn’t seen his family in over a year. He allowed me to read the letter, and I it was just a child’s drawing of their family together, with a message that said, “I miss you, Grandpa. I love you.”

I deliver hundreds of packages a week. Most of them are just boxes. But that one stayed with me. Sometimes we are just part of the logistics, you know.

Those rare deliveries that make you feel like you are doing something that matters.

I am originally from Handan, Hebei, and I work here as a cleaner. Health is the greatest happiness. As long as you are healthy, everything else can be solved. But if your body is not healthy, then nothing can be resolved.

To me, the meaning of life is simply being with family and staying free from illness. Being healthy is the greatest happiness, greater than anything else. I do not have high demands when it comes to money, but it has to be enough to live on. It is something you cannot do without in life.

Why do I value health so deeply? Because my mother passed away from lung cancer. That is why I believe that only when there is health can a family truly be happy.

Happiness is also being with your colleagues. When you are with them, you can forget your troubles. Getting along with those around you, being a bit more understanding and tolerant with each other, that is the greatest kind of joy, the most fulfilling feeling.

Yes, you are right. Only when you get along with the people around you can you truly feel happy, right? As for those who are not close to you, no matter how much you want it, you cannot get that same feeling of connection as when you are with someone by your side.

I came to Beijing when I was nineteen. Slept in a shared room with six others. Ate cheap noodles every night. Sent most of the money home.

Then one day I got injured. Nothing dramatic, just a slip and a sharp pain that never really went away. Could not carry loads anymore. Boss stopped calling. I spent a long time doing nothing.

One morning, I walked past an old woman selling flowers by the road. She had hands like bark, and she was humming. I stood there for a long time. Bought a pot of mint. Took it home. I do not know why, but watching that plant grow gave me something I had not felt in a while.

So I started selling them. Learned how to care for each one, slowly. I talk to them sometimes. You don't believe me, it's okay, I know. But they listen better than most people.

Now I sell flowers full time. Rain or shine. Some days are quiet. Some days I go home with just enough for dinner. But every day, I feel like I am doing something good.

I have just been doing the same work all along. It is a bit hard sometimes, sure, but at least it gives me freedom. With a regular job, you have someone telling you what to do, right? But this, no one controls me. If I feel like working, I do. If I do not, I just sit and take a break. When there is time, I water the flowers, maybe trim them a little. That is freedom, isn’t it? The best part? I do not know. I just sell flowers and make some money from it.

My surname is Zhao. I am seventy-five, and I have spent my life as a farmer. Life was hard when I was young. Things are better now, and the pension I receive makes a difference. At this stage of life, happiness does not have to be complicated. To me, it means enjoying my later years and living peacefully.

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I would like to visit Taiwan and see it for myself. As for the dreams I had when I was young, they were never especially grand. I wanted to have a decent life. Looking at my life now, I feel that, in many ways, that wish has come true.

My surname is Yu. I am seventy-four and retired. If there is one thing I would like young people to understand, it is the importance of keeping an open mind and learning to let things go. Life is not always fair. If you hold on to every injustice and disappointment, it becomes difficult to move forward.

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I have encountered many things, including deception, loss, and matters of life and death. Those experiences taught me that the outcome can be different when you stop carrying everything with you. What has happened has happened. Allow yourself to put it down and look ahead. That is the lesson I return to most often.

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Whatever you do, even if it seems like a small thing, try to do it as well as you can. If you become good at your work, the rewards can be different. Ideally, choose something you enjoy that can also support you. But in any profession, doing the work well matters. Build your ability, give the task your best, and let that become the foundation for what comes next.

I am sixty-two and originally from Sichuan. I have been in Beijing for more than ten years, helping my daughter and looking after the children. My daughter is the reason I stay here. In my heart, I still feel that home is best. I miss Sichuan. 

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At the same time, I have met kind people here. The older people I spend time with are cheerful, and we get along well. After so many years, those everyday friendships mean something to me.

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My days are quite simple. In the morning I go out to dance, then I cook and look after the children. In the evening I may go out again to exercise. Keeping my body healthy matters. I would say I am quite happy. I can miss my hometown and still find good things in the life I have here.

We met through an introduction, and we have lived together harmoniously over the years. Now that we are older and retired, we each have things we enjoy. My husband takes part in dragon dancing, and I enjoy recitation. We also have the pleasure of spending time with the younger generation of our family.

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I have watched this child grow from the time they were born. That is part of the happiness of getting older: seeing a family grow around you and still having interests of your own. We have had a good life together. For us, there is happiness in that ordinary companionship and in the family time we share.

I am retired now. I am originally from Chongqing, and I joined the army in 1978. Military service brought me to Beijing, and I stayed here after transferring to civilian work. Back then, a conscript's allowance was very small. You did not enlist expecting to make money. It was a duty.

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People sometimes talk as though soldiers are not afraid of war. Of course people are afraid. But a soldier has orders and a responsibility to defend the country. If I refuse to go, and you refuse to go, who is left? From the day you join, you understand that your youth, and potentially your life, are being placed in the service of that responsibility.

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When there is a disaster, a rescue, or a war, it is often soldiers who go forward. I think our long history and traditions are part of why that sense of duty matters. I also think of countries with few resources that remain determined to defend themselves. If a country cannot protect itself, ordinary families lose their protection too. Military discipline is real, and in battle you cannot simply decide to walk away.

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The bond between comrades can be difficult to explain to someone who has not experienced military life. For people who have faced battle, those relationships carry a weight beyond ordinary friendship. Some people come back knowing that others did not. For them, simply being alive can matter more than the things other people chase.

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Military life stays with you in smaller ways as well: how you stand, how you walk, the belt you wear, the habits you do not even think about anymore. I still have those habits. I tend to be direct. That is part of who I have become.

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I know not everyone can endure the same hardship. People differ, and some cannot bear military life. But I believe hardship teaches you to appreciate what is good. If no one is willing to bear difficulty or make a sacrifice, what do we have left to rely on? That is how I understand the life I chose.

I am fifty-eight and from Anyang, Henan. I am a farmer, and I came to Beijing for work only two or three months ago. The pay is not really better than at home. Still, once you have made the journey, you cannot turn around immediately without even earning back your travel costs. I will work for a while and then see about going home. Perhaps I can return for the Spring Festival. If I cannot, I will stay.

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For ordinary people like me, much of life is work followed by more work. We have families to support, and at the very least we must be able to look after ourselves. Everyone who comes out to earn a living is making an effort in their own way.

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Different people are suited to different jobs. Even if work is available, it has to be something you can actually do. You find the work that fits you and keep going. There may not be a dramatic story in that, but it is the reality of how we live.

I am a PhD candidate, and I am in Beijing for the World Humanoid Robot Games. We represent Khalifa University in the United Arab Emirates. Our team is called KURA: Khalifa University Robotics Athletes. The name also means ‘ball’ in Arabic, which suits what we do.

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We work with humanoid robots, particularly on positioning them correctly on a football field so they can cooperate and score against an opposing team. That teamwork is an important part of the project.

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I do not think artificial intelligence will completely overtake human beings. There are still gaps, and systems reach points where they make errors. I am not convinced there will ever be a world in which robots do everything and people no longer need to work. Working closely with the technology makes me aware of its limitations as well as its possibilities.

Student
I am an undergraduate studying in the United Kingdom, and I only landed in Beijing yesterday. My immediate impression is that everyone here seems very busy and in a hurry. Life abroad can feel more relaxed; people greet each other and make small talk. Here, it sometimes feels as though people simply pass one another.

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I think feeling like an outsider between cultures is normal. There are many people with similar experiences, particularly in places with large immigrant communities, such as the United States. Spending time with people who share something of your background can help. You are not the only person trying to find where you fit.

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Mother — Auntie Wu
My advice to young people is to go out and see more of the world. Visit different places and meet different people. Give yourself the chance to understand lives beyond the one you already know.

My surname is Cao. I am twenty, and I am about to start university in Zhengzhou. I am from Hebei, so Beijing has always been close by. Of all the places I have visited, it is the one I know best. I loved it when I was little, although it feels very big and crowded.

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I do not have a particular dream to describe right now. I came to look around after finishing my entrance exams. Today I visited the Yonghe Temple. Standing below the Buddha with incense in my hands was a striking experience. When I looked up into its eyes, it felt as though it was looking back at me. I saw people kneeling, even on the ground when there was no space on the cushions.

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I am planning to visit the Temple of Earth next. My strongest practical impression of this trip may be the heat. I could actually feel the sweat running down me as I walked along the street. There is a lot to see here, but exploring Beijing in this weather takes some determination.

My surname is Li. I am thirty-two, and I run a shop selling Beijing-themed cultural products. I am originally from Henan, but I have lived in Beijing for many years. There are a lot of people here, and the traffic can be exhausting.

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I still miss my hometown, but I have become a Beijinger now. My daughter is growing up as a Beijinger too. I hope that will be a good thing for her. It is not as simple as earning some money here and going home afterward. Once your family has put down roots, the life you came from is not something you can simply return to unchanged.

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At this age, talking about happiness can feel like a luxury. Looking backward all the time does not help me much. I have to look ahead and try to make our daily life better. I do believe that has meaning. This is life for an ordinary person: carrying on and trying to take care of the days in front of you.

My name is Hasituya. I am Mongolian, forty-nine years old, and a primary-school teacher from Inner Mongolia. We are using the summer holiday to bring the children out and travel. My daughter will soon begin her third year at university.

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We seem to have a particular attachment to Beijing. As soon as there is a holiday, it is the place we think of visiting. We came during the National Day holiday last year as well. We could not reserve tickets for the major museums, so we visited smaller ones: museums about coins, policing, and the courts. There is still so much to see.

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My understanding of what matters has changed as I have grown older. When my parents were alive, being with them and bringing the whole family together felt most important. After they died, and after things at home had settled, my wishes became simpler. I want to be healthy, to feel happy in my daily life, to work seriously when I am working, and to relax and enjoy life when I am on holiday.

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Losing my parents changed my sense of proportion. After experiencing that kind of separation, many of life's difficulties no longer seem so enormous. There are still setbacks, of course, but I feel that most things can be worked through. I am an ordinary teacher with quite ordinary wishes. These days, I value those wishes very much.

I paint and practise calligraphy here. My work is Chinese painting, and it was not something I had been doing continuously since childhood. It became part of my life later.

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Making money from art can be difficult. Some artists earn well, but they are a relatively small group. For many people, painting is mainly an interest or a pleasure. I cannot give every young person the same answer about whether to make it a career. Some manage to earn a living from it, and some do not.

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For me, it is something I enjoy, and I can earn a little from it too. That combination works for the life I have now.

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I do not have a regular job now, and I did not have a formal salaried job before. I was in business, and I lost money. That period began around 2019. Since then, I have had to think about doing whatever work is within my ability, especially at my age.

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What makes me happiest is harmony in the family. Right now, I feel that I am living for the older people and the children in my life more than for myself. The business losses have affected me deeply. My health is not especially good either, and I am not doing much work at the moment. I smoke to relieve some of the boredom and heaviness, even though I know there are problems with that.

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I hope things may improve over the next two or three years. I cannot pretend everything is easy. For now, my family is what I keep coming back to, and I hope for a better situation ahead.

We are visiting Beijing from Henan. We are brother and sister, and we dressed up because we wanted to enjoy the experience of walking through the palace in these clothes. We saw other people doing it online and thought it would be fun. It is hot, but the experience is worth trying.

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For me, happiness matters. Beijing has a lot of people and a great many historic places to see. The people we have spoken to have been welcoming, and it has been easy to chat with them. That has made the visit feel good.

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Sibling — response on the future
I think people have to look for the meaning of life themselves. I have not found my answer yet. I am still thinking about the future; joining the military is one possibility.

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This is our second day in Beijing, and we leave tomorrow. There is a lot to take in, even on a short trip. For now, I am still exploring, both the city and what I might want for my own life.

My surname is Xie. We have come from Wuhan and plan to spend about four days in Beijing. The Forbidden City is our first stop. We have enjoyed today, and the temperature feels quite comfortable compared with the heat we left behind in Wuhan.

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This is my second visit to Beijing, but the first was a long time ago. We had been planning this trip for quite a while. The experience feels very different from the last time, and what we have seen so far has been good.

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I am a fairly ordinary person. I do not have a dramatic life story or some extraordinary experience to describe. I do not feel a need to pursue a great, abstract meaning in life either. Eat well, live comfortably, and be happy. For me, those ordinary things are enough.

My name is Tongtong. We are eighteen, and we have come to Beijing to travel. I work as a nail artist. We dressed up because we wanted beautiful photographs and a chance to experience this kind of costume and styling in Beijing.

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I think everyday life is interesting. I do not need one extraordinary story to prove that. There is enjoyment in coming somewhere new, trying something different, and sharing it with the people beside you. To me, life does have meaning.

My surname is Zhu. I am seventy-seven. I cannot think of a particular story or a great moment of realization, but I would tell young people to be good to their parents. That is the advice I know how to give.

I find being alive interesting. I am afraid of dying, yes. While I am here, I want to live properly. If there is something I would like to eat, I buy a little of it. The support I receive helps me manage those everyday needs.

I am out for a walk today, and I am going to buy some flour. Life goes on through things like that: a walk, an errand, and something good to eat.

My name is Zhao Huiqing. Me? There’s nothing much to tell. I get up early, have a bowl of porridge, then go and see to the vegetables. There’s always a bit to do. Leave it a few days and the weeds come up again.

When a neighbour passes, we ask, “Eaten yet?” “Yes. You?” Then we talk for a while. Whether it’s going to rain, how the vegetables are doing. Just that sort of thing.

I grow enough for us to eat. When there’s extra, I give some to the neighbours. It’s only a few cucumbers. What are you paying me for? Just take them home.

I am sixty-five. I worked in Beijing for more than ten years, and now that I am retired, I have come back to live here. Home is more convenient and comfortable for me. This is where my family is.

I think people encounter opportunities in life, but what matters is whether they can seize them. Looking back, I feel I made use of the opportunities that came my way. I have two sons, and I have helped each of them have a home in Yanqing. I also built a home for myself here. When I look at where our family is now, I feel the effort was worthwhile.

It was not a smooth journey. Conditions were very different when we were young. During the production-team era, you earned work points; you could not simply go out and make money whenever you wished. We had to find our way through the circumstances we were given.

I am not planning to take on more work now. I want to enjoy retirement. Each of my sons has a son of his own, so I have two grandsons. To me, that is a satisfying place to have reached. I feel I have done my part for this family.

I worked on the land when I was young. I grew vegetables for fifteen or sixteen years, and later I worked with flowers in greenhouses for another seven or eight. I even spent a year in Hainan growing flowers for someone. I kept working for a long time.

Eventually, my children told me it was time to stop travelling for work and take care of myself. They said that earning money would not help if I had to spend it all on my health afterward. I could see their point. I have been taking things more quietly these past couple of years. At this stage of life, looking after my body, eating properly, and avoiding unnecessary burdens on my children matter most. The support I receive is enough for my basic needs, and I am content with that.

When I was younger, I also served as a women's leader. I became a women's team leader at fifteen and held responsibilities for more than ten years. Our village was known for equal pay for equal work between women and men, and I spoke about it in different places around Yanqing.

I could not read, but I could stand up and speak. Sometimes there were very large audiences, even a thousand people. Officials encouraged me to join the Party, but I hesitated because I had no formal education. I could talk, yet I did not feel equipped for an official position. Looking back, those were real experiences, even if I sometimes think younger people will not be interested in hearing them.

I do not feel the same need to chase money anymore. My children worry about my health, and I understand why. I have worked, raised a family, and done what I could. Now I would like to keep myself well and enjoy the days I have.

My surname is Wang, and I am nearly sixty-nine. I have worked the land at home rather than holding a regular outside job. Today I have come out to walk around and enjoy myself. Walking about each day makes me happy.

When I was young, I did not have a great dream beyond earning enough to support the family. Money does not feel as important now. My children are grown, and the responsibilities are lighter. I cannot work as I once did anyway; sometimes the willingness is there, but the strength is not.

At this stage, I think the meaning of life is to spend the day happily. Get out, move around, and make something pleasant of the time you have.

I eat outside a lot because it's convenient. But after a while, you get tired of buying the same few things. So I started cooking a little. Nothing difficult. Noodles, eggs, a couple of vegetables. Enough to feed myself.

The first time I tried making braised pork, I called my mum three times. She kept saying, 'A little soy sauce.' How much is a little? She thought that was funny. I wanted her to tell me properly. It came out too salty, but I ate it. I wasn't going to throw all that meat away.

I’d be happy if you gave me a thousand yuan. Of course I would!

You say people born in the eighties have had it hard. People born in the sixties and seventies had it even harder.

And when you say that older generation has money now, what about the people in the countryside? What have they got?

My surname is Zhang. I am fifty-two. I cannot really explain how I keep an optimistic attitude, and I do not have a prepared answer about dreams. This has simply been my everyday life for a long time.

I feel that my generation has had a particularly difficult adjustment. We grew up with very simple phones and watched the world move from 2G to 3G, 4G, and 5G in a relatively short time. We have had to keep adapting at every step. People born into a more connected world begin somewhere different.

I remember childhood as a happier, simpler time. Food had a taste I still remember, and having one yuan in my pocket could make me delighted. Now I could have a thousand yuan and still feel anxious, because it might not cover even a month's living costs. A meal out with friends can take a substantial amount from that. The number is bigger, but so are the demands on it.

At our age, the pressure comes from both directions. There are parents above us and children below us. A parent's illness can shake the whole family financially. At the same time, we have to raise our children and find ways to communicate with them. Our own upbringing was strict; parenting now feels very different. I know young people have pressure too. I am describing the strain I feel from where I stand.

I also see people from an earlier generation who managed to build more security. My parents are from rural Shanxi. They were willing to endure hardship, worked through the opportunities their era offered, and were reluctant to spend unnecessarily. Over time, they saved. In my view, many people of that generation ended up with a kind of financial and emotional stability that we struggle to reach.

I am forty, and I am not working at the moment. My parents are farmers.

The way I keep cheerful is by not overthinking everything. I do not carry every little matter around in my head. For me, being happy is the important thing. I do not have a dramatic moment of realization to tell you about, or a great ambition for the future.

I am happy now. That may be a very simple answer, but it is my answer.

My surname is Zheng. I am twenty-five, and I deliver food. When I think about a dream for the future, the first thing that comes to mind is having more money. At the moment, earning it means carrying on with the work I am doing.

I am single. I recently went through a breakup because we were not suited to each other, and I do not want to go into the details. I do not have a clear answer right now about a future partner or marriage. The cost of marriage, including the expectation of a bride price, can create real pressure.

I have not worked everything out. For now, I am taking one step at a time.

My surname is Shen. I am in my forties, and I teach adults. I am here today as part of our student-recruitment work. We use different ways of reaching people, including online channels.

In my view, our education system still has areas where it lags behind systems abroad. The internet has become a major part of how people connect and find opportunities, and I think that matters when we talk about change.

I am a teacher, that's it, you know we cannot talk about things on camera

I am seventy. This hat was given to me; I did not buy it myself.

I do not know a secret to a long life, and I do not have some great realization to offer about getting older. There are things I did not understand when I was young that I still cannot neatly explain now. I have some health troubles these days.

I am not especially afraid of death. I may not have an answer for every question, but this is how I feel.

My surname is Yan. I am thirty-eight, and I have been making and selling huoshao flatbreads for about ten years. When I was young, I wanted to join the military, but that did not happen. Life took me in a different direction.

What makes me happiest is being able to live well. When I think about the meaning of life, I think of my wife, my parents, my children, and earning what we need. Those are not small things to me.

My wife and I have been together since middle school. We have stayed together through very different circumstances. My family's situation used to be quite good, but some difficult events changed that. I have experienced what it is like for life to rise and fall.

When trouble came, my wife's first concern was what she could do to help me. She wanted to know how she could get me through it. Having someone respond that way means a great deal. I think we have reached a point where neither of us can imagine life without the other.

That is why I say we should live well. It is not an empty answer. After what has happened, I know the importance of the people who remain beside you.

I am thirty-eight. I used to have a regular job, and I have been raising and selling birds for about three years. I chose this because I like the birds themselves.

The market is difficult now. When more people breed the same kinds of birds, there are more for sale and prices fall. A lower price does not automatically make everyone buy one. People buy a bird because they want one; if they are not interested, making it cheaper does not create that interest.

A regular job has its advantages, especially when it comes to money. Happiness still needs a financial foundation. But if I could choose again, I would probably choose the birds again. I enjoy being around them every day. That enjoyment is the reason I began, and it is still the reason I stay with it.

I am sixty-six. I worked in construction when I was younger. Much of adult life has meant hard work and tiredness.

I can still be happy even when life is tiring. Society has improved, and I can recognize that while also knowing how much effort it takes to make a living. Both things can be true.

If I could live again, I would probably choose a different line of work. Who would not prefer a little less hardship? I cannot name a precise alternative now. What I can say is that, in this life, keeping an optimistic outlook has mattered. You still have to find a way to live the days you are given.

I am seventy-four, and I feel my life is quite good. I am out here passing the time. These sunglasses are simply something I wear; I do not even know what they cost.

I am not afraid of death. I do not believe in ghosts or gods, and I do not think there is something complicated to explain afterward. When life is over, it is over.

My own approach is to enjoy eating, drinking, and having some fun while I am here. I feel that I have managed to do that. If you ask whether I am happy, my answer is yes.

My surname is He. I am fifty-seven, and I make huoshao flatbreads. A good one should be crisp outside and soft inside, seasoned just right, and full of flavour when you bite into it. I want it to look good, use proper ingredients, and taste good as well.

My idea of doing business is to welcome people warmly and treat customers like family. That is not just a technique for selling something. I genuinely enjoy meeting the people who come here from different places. Some return and greet me as an old acquaintance. Someone may have just eaten lunch and still want to buy one to try. Those encounters are part of what I gain from the work.

This is a physically demanding trade. I would not tell a young person it is easy. But it is also a traditional craft in Yanqing, and I think some of that older culture deserves to be carried forward. My son has followed me into the business. He makes the flatbreads well, and his personality suits working with customers.

I am happy even on a day when the earnings are not especially good. I have still met people and made something for them. When you work happily and with care, you pay attention. You try to do the job properly instead of merely getting through it.

That is something I hope we can pass on along with the recipe: care in the work, warmth toward the people who come to us, and the belief that happiness can move from one person to another.

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They say a good spectator keeps quiet. I agree with that rule every time I arrive. Then someone leaves a piece unprotected, and before I can stop myself, I have told him what to do.

The fellow in glasses says I should sit down and play if I know so much. But when I take a seat, suddenly he has plenty of advice of his own. We have been having the same argument for a long time. Nobody gets very far with it.

I often come out saying I am only going for a short walk. Then I see the board, lean my bicycle somewhere, and stay for another game. Someone arrives with news. Someone makes a terrible move.

By the time I leave, I may have forgotten who won. I can usually remember who was there. That is what brings me back.

I am ninety-two. This pipe was passed down through the family. I believe it may go back as far as the Qing dynasty. I still use loose tobacco in it. It has a stronger taste than an ordinary cigarette.

For me, the meaning of being alive is to live happily. One piece of advice I would give is to persist in what you do. If you keep changing trades, you are always a beginner. It is difficult to become accomplished when you continually start again.

I have tried many kinds of work myself, including repairing watches, wholesale trading, and dealing with antiques. That is the experience behind the advice. Choose something, learn it properly, and give yourself time to become good at it.

There were times when the greatest pressure was not having enough money or enough food. When you have lived with that, being able to eat properly feels like a great happiness. These days, I do not worry in the same way about food and clothing. I can sit with people, play cards, and enjoy myself.

To me, living happily and getting along with others are good reasons to be here.

I live on my own and have never married. I have always had a loud voice; that is simply how I speak. This old place is where I live.

We are talking about the houses and the well, about what has changed and what has stayed. Other homes have been classified as unsafe, but ours has not been treated in the same way. The condition of the house is one of the practical matters that concerns us. Life here still involves looking after the place and managing what we have.

This is where I live. The yard and the buildings on this side are ours. There are chickens in a cage, a female dog, and a small patch of vegetables. I grow those vegetables for myself; I do not sell them.

There is an old well here too. We do not rely on that water for drinking now. Rainwater collects there, while the water we drink comes from the mains.

It is an ordinary home, with the animals, the vegetables, and the practical things that need attention. This is the place where I spend my days.

I am around seventy, and I have been retired for fourteen years. My working life lasted almost forty years, beginning in Mao Zedong's era and ending during Hu Jintao's.

I like wearing this kind of military-style shirt. My son brings me the clothes, and I enjoy them. Now that I am retired, I keep a small vegetable garden. I do not go out looking for other work.

I do not think you can compare the early years of the country with today as though the circumstances were the same. In my view, the foundations laid then made later development possible. I still feel a strong attachment to Mao Zedong.

I have a portrait of him at home that I would not sell, however much someone offered. Its value to me is personal. It belongs to the history I lived through and the feelings I still carry.

Older card player — man in grey
I am eighty-five. We have been sitting here playing cards for a couple of hours, and now it is nearly time to eat. Make up whatever more you can read from our faces, son!

I am sixty-six. In a couple of days, I will be going back to road work. I have done this kind of hard work for a long time. When I was young, what I thought about was earning money. Much of life was about making a living.

My great regret is that I did not learn to read properly when I had the chance. Older people told me to study, but I did not listen. Later, I found myself without the kinds of opportunities that education might have offered. Now my health is not as good, and I do not have money put away. That is a difficult position to reach.

I know that even university graduates can struggle and that some end up delivering food. I am not saying education makes life easy. But being able to read is still better than being unable to read. Without it, you are often left with the hardest physical work, and even using everyday technology becomes difficult.

If there is something I would ask a young person to take seriously, it is the chance to learn. Do not dismiss it while it is still in front of you.

My surname is Zhu. I am seventy-eight and have lived in this village since childhood. Conditions are much better now. In the past, we had to carry water. Today, there is a pipe, and watering things is much easier. That kind of change makes a real difference to daily life.

I have memories of life during the production-team years. After supper, there were meetings. The routines were strict, and there was not the same freedom to go out for an evening stroll as people have now. The money was limited, but those years are part of the life I remember. I have good feelings about the period under Mao, even while recognizing how much practical conditions have improved.

If you ask me for a secret to living a long life, I would say: get angry less often. That does not mean I never get angry. I do. But I try not to let it take over more of my life than it needs to.

I took down the old house on this side and rebuilt it. This part is newer, while another part has been left much as it was. The rooms are small, but this is how the place has developed over time.

My surname is Zhu. I am going out for an evening walk.

When I was younger, I served in the military. After returning to civilian life, I was given a job, but I later lost it because we had a second child under the family-planning rules of that time. That is something that happened in my life.

I think things are better for me now. I receive support, and I am no longer farming. My days are quieter. Tonight, there is nothing special I need to do; I am simply going out to walk around.

Partner — relationship story
We are from Chaoshan and have come to Beijing on holiday with our families. We met through one of our local gong-and-drum celebrations. I was the more active one in getting to know my partner, who is quieter.

We have been together for nearly four years. Both sets of parents know about the relationship, and we are all travelling together now. We do think about getting married, but we are still young. There is time to grow a little older before taking that step.

I do not think marriage automatically makes love disappear. It depends on the people. Some change after marriage; others keep choosing the relationship. Understanding, trust, acceptance, and really knowing each other all matter.

Partner — on stability
Money matters too. A stable relationship needs trust and understanding, but it also has a practical side. Being able to support the life you want together is part of that.

I am seventy-five and have worked as a farmer. I have come to Beijing to travel and see its historic places.

Respondent — on the marriage
We were introduced to each other. That was how many relationships began in our generation. An introduction did not mean meeting once and immediately getting married. The people introducing you usually knew something about both sides, and the couple still needed time to understand each other. It might take two or three years before a decision was made.

I do not think being introduced prevents love from lasting. Knowing the other person properly is what matters. We did not regard marriage as something to enter casually.

Respondent — on responsibility
I cannot simply say that young people's choices are wrong, but I do worry when relationships are treated too casually. Parents worry about their children too.

I do not think a partner has to be exceptionally wealthy. I would place more importance on honesty, loyalty, and responsibility. When something difficult happens, you need someone who will face it with you, not someone who runs away. To me, that is an important part of choosing a person to share your life with.

My surname is Li. I am fifty-three and work in the aquarium-fish trade. I have just come back from a delivery. In my experience, betta fish are not especially difficult to keep.

My surname is Guo. I am in my sixties, retired from service work, and I grew up here in Beijing. I am not dressed up; these are just the clothes I wear at home while cooking.

People sometimes envy a home in this area, but the reality is ordinary and not always comfortable. Our rooms can be cold in winter, hot in summer, and very damp. In hot weather, the air conditioner helps remove some of that moisture. Without it, the dampness is quite noticeable.

We were an ordinary working family. My parents worked, and my childhood was mostly school, playing afterward, running around, and growing up. It was not some unusually privileged life. The house belonged to the older generation. We lived with them and cared for them; after they died, we continued living here.

I do not ask a great deal from life. I want to eat properly, have somewhere to live, and stay reasonably healthy. Our retirement income supports an ordinary life. I would like to avoid becoming an unnecessary burden on the children. When the older people were alive, we looked after them. Later, as the children formed their own families, we helped them. That is how family life has moved along.

The public toilets are part of living here. They are much better than they used to be, and I am accustomed to them. Where there is space, some families install a small bathroom for the children, but people of my age may still prefer the facilities we know. It is a practical habit, not something especially mysterious.

There are things about the house I would improve, but I am content with much of my life. Having enough, looking after one another, and keeping healthy are what I value.

My surname is Tang. I am twenty-five, from Sichuan, and I study sociology in Macau. I applied to more than one place during the pandemic and accepted the offer I received from Macau. This is my first visit to Beijing. I have a friend working here, and I am also spending time exploring on my own. I have just had coffee and am planning to visit the Temple of Heaven.

For the future, I want to write and publish good academic work and see whether I can obtain a permanent university position. I know that studying the humanities or social sciences may not lead to a great deal of money. Still, I hope it can offer a reasonably comfortable life doing work that interests me. I would like to secure that foundation first, and then perhaps try other things. I do not think one person must follow only one path forever.

To me, the meaning of life is experience. I want to try different ways of living. There is no single fixed answer to life's choices, but choosing one road usually means leaving others behind. Where I can, I would like to explore the possibilities that remain open to me.

I enjoy travelling alone because I can follow my own rhythm. With friends, you naturally have to consider what everyone wants. On my own, I can leave when I like and decide what to do without negotiating it. There is no obligation to keep a conversation going when I would rather be quiet.

That freedom is valuable to me. Sometimes experiencing a place fully means giving yourself the space to move through it in your own way.

I am retired. I live by myself, just me and my dog. He goes everywhere with me. He does not talk, but he understands everything.

After I retired, I did not want to just sit at home. I have seen many old people who stop moving, stop talking, and then slowly get sick. I do not want to be like that. So I go out every day and collect bottles and cardboard. Not for money, but to feel useful. I like walking around. I like hearing the city sounds, even if my ears do not catch all of them. I like watching people live their lives.

Some say I am just picking up trash. I do not think so. I think I am picking up time. At the end of the day, I can sit down, eat a simple meal and feel at peace.

I am retired now. I used to work as a captain. I was born and raised in Beijing, and I have always enjoyed having fun throughout my life.

When it comes to the meaning of life, I think it is alright. Life is long anyway. These days, I just take walks when I feel like it or stay at home. I try to find small things to keep myself busy, but at my age, nobody really wants to hire you anymore. So I mostly stay at home. I am sixty two now. This is just how things are for me.

The work I do now is just a way to pass the time. I stay occupied, but it is not because I need the money.

I was born in Beijing. Now if you compare life today with how it was before, it is completely different. When I was a child, my family lived in a courtyard house near the Summer Palace in Haidian. Life was simple back then.

But over the past twenty years or so, things have really improved. Living conditions got much better. The income has been decent. We managed to buy an apartment. At home, everything has been steady. No big troubles. Some people might say that kind of life sounds plain, but I think a plain life is a very happy one. A calm and peaceful life is true happiness.

Since you are here, let me say this. Life can be long or short. Some people live to eighty or ninety. Some only make it to sixty or seventy. No matter how long we have, I believe this. If we were given this life, we should treasure it.

While we are here, we should try to do something meaningful. Something that helps others. Something that helps ourselves. Even if we cannot change the world, we can still give back a little. We can still make a small contribution.

When it comes to raising children, I always say just walk a good path. Study well. Be kind. That is enough.

And most important of all, take care of your health. When we were young, we never thought much about it. But now, you start needing medicine. So I tell the younger ones, take care of yourself early. Your body matters. Health is everything.

My life has not gone smooth. You ask why? I joined the army when I was sixteen. Came out in nineteen seventy, twenty one years old. Thought things would turn out good. I was a good soldier. Did what I was told. Worked hard. But my old father, back then during the Cultural Revolution, he stood with the wrong people. So our village secretary, folks called him Uncle Qiu, he stepped in and brought me back home. Said I had to leave the army.

If it were not for that, maybe my life would have taken a different road.

Came back and got a job at the county fertilizer plant. Worked hard there too. Being a soldier teaches you that. Thought maybe I could move up and become workshop head. But the plant was in bad shape. Always short on things. Falling behind. So I left and went back to farming.

My whole life has been one hardship after another. That is how it is for folks like us in the countryside. If you do not suffer a little, you do not survive. We just bear it. Got no choice.

I was a soldier so I know how to endure. Got used to holding things in. Now I help my daughter raise flowers, just lending a hand. Flowers do not make you angry. You water them and watch them grow. That is peace. It is easier and I get to breathe a little.

You ask if I was lucky. Maybe. But this life of mine was too bitter. Too bitter for luck.

I was a left behind child since I was little, stayed at home alone until now after graduating from college. I lived with my aunt and took care of my younger siblings when I was young. Then I went to college and after graduating I came to Beijing with my parents to look for work. I guess I will just follow the usual path of getting married one day and having a baby. What is the meaning of life? Is not the meaning of life just about searching for meaning? I don't need to find the purpose in live, living itself is the purpose. Xu Sanduo once said, the meaning of life is to live well, you know? You should watch that drama, it really gave me a lot of inspiration and motivation. Truly what Xu Sanduo said, the meaning of life is just to live well, was a lesson for me.

My surname is Wang. Time passes so quickly; before you know it, you have grown old. When I was young, during the collective era, having enough to eat and enough warm clothing was already a dream. We did not take those things for granted. Life has improved, and I think we should recognize that. Being able to live safely and in good health is something to value.

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Still, ordinary people have worries. Some retired workers receive comfortable pensions, while people like us would be satisfied with a much smaller amount. Even that modest hope can be difficult to realize. Young people face their own pressures: work, marriage, housing, and the money a family is expected to provide. From what I see, high bride prices can place an enormous burden on rural families. Some young people lose confidence in marriage, and there are disputes that are difficult to make sense of.

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I call myself a new Beijinger. I think this is a very good city, and I would like my family to be able to settle here. But homes are so expensive that we cannot afford one. It is a good place, yet making a home here is another matter. There is only so much a person can control.

My name is Zhu Wei, and I am retired. I came to Beijing because my daughter is here. I come to the park to exercise, and I enjoy the fact that this city has so many parks and places to walk. There is room in the day now to slow down a little.

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My advice to young people is to do one thing well and keep at it. Over time, that steady effort can help you reach a stage when you can live with fewer worries. Contributing to your family is also a way of contributing to the wider world.

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I do not think life needs a grand explanation. Being alive is already a good thing. I cannot give you some great theory about its meaning. I would simply say: live your life well. For me, that is enough.

I am eighty-three, an old Beijinger. There are four generations in our family now, and I am a great-grandmother. I used to live near Hufangqiao, inside the Second Ring Road. I moved to this area in 1985. I have watched a great deal of life go by.

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These days, I try to keep an even temper. I do not look for trouble or interfere too much. I would rather take care of myself as long as I can. My children have their own responsibilities. They are good to me, and they are filial, but that does not mean I need to have an opinion about everything they do. Sometimes saying a little less makes life easier for everyone.

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I do not believe being from Beijing makes a person better than someone from somewhere else. We are all people. Why look down on another person because of where they come from? Getting older does not give you a reason to act superior, either.

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At my age, I think about keeping my body and my mind in balance. There is no use in scheming or competing over every little thing. Each day I wake up is another day gained. I can eat, sleep, and enjoy what is in front of me. That is a reason to be glad.

My name is Liang Li. I am sixty and retired. I used to work at Tiananmen. For the past six years, I have been feeding the stray cats here. I started because they looked so pitiful and no one was taking care of them. In this part of the park alone, there are more than thirty. I built shelters and arranged for cats to be neutered.

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I am the one who brings their food along this stretch. I cannot simply take them all home; my son is severely allergic to cats. So I come here, carrying what they need. They learn to recognize me, and they wait for their meals.

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What worries me about people finding out where I feed them is that someone may decide to abandon another cat here. Please do not abandon cats. A park is a particularly hard place for them. It may look green and open, but there are illnesses, insects, and very few people willing to carry heavy supplies in every day. It is much harsher than people imagine.

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I wear old clothes and cover myself up when I come here. This work is not especially pretty or easy. I keep doing it because I see the animals that need to eat, and I know someone has to care for them.

I am thirty-nine, and I work in the repair and restoration of historic buildings. My background is in construction. I used to work on new buildings, but as that work became less available in Beijing, I moved into historic-building restoration. I have been doing this work for about two or three years.

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One lesson I have learned is to establish yourself before taking on the responsibilities of marriage and family. Develop yourself first. Build your ability and become stronger, then think about the next stage of life. That is my own view, based on experience.

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I find this work interesting. Restoring an old building is a way of leaving something for future generations. I am contributing what I can, and that gives the work a value beyond the task in front of me.

I am in my forties, and I deliver food. I came to Beijing from somewhere else. I do not have much to say about the city, or a clear answer about the meaning of life.

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When you ask whether I am happy, I find that difficult to answer. For people at the bottom, life does not feel very happy. I cannot tell you when that will change. I do not have a particular dream to describe either. That is honestly where I am right now.

My surname is Yang. I am sixty-eight, born in 1958, the Year of the Dog. I was born here and have stayed in this area all my life.

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There are many things about a city that you and I cannot decide. I cannot simply announce that I want a place rebuilt and make it happen. At my age, being alive matters more than getting worked up about everything. Of course I wanted to earn more when I was young. Who does not want to do well? But only so many people become wealthy. You cannot spend your whole life tormenting yourself over what you do not have.

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I feel much the same way about life and death. Wanting to live to a hundred does not guarantee that you will. Being afraid cannot prevent the end from coming. Even talented, capable people die younger than anyone expects. I believe some things are beyond us. What we can do is take reasonable care of ourselves in daily life. That is more useful than worrying about what we cannot control.

My name is Caroline. I am originally from Poland, but I live in Germany and work as a flight attendant. I am here for two days, discovering Beijing. This is my second visit. The first time, I saw the Great Wall and the Forbidden City. Now I want to explore other parts of the city.

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I have also been to Shanghai. Beijing feels less modern to me, but I mean that in a positive way. Its history feels especially interesting, and that makes me want to keep exploring. I have only just started today, so there is still a great deal to discover.

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The people I have encountered seem very nice. What I regret is that I cannot understand them. I would love to talk with people, but the language barrier is quite strong. Even so, my first impressions have been good, and I am glad to be here.

My surname is Wang. I am forty and from Beijing. To me, the city is crowded, lively, prosperous, and full of history.

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I cannot think of a particularly dramatic event to tell you about. I have a fairly easygoing approach to life. So far, there have not been any extraordinary turning points that I would single out. Most days, I am happy and content.

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Perhaps that is my answer about meaning: I do not need every day to be remarkable. Being able to live it happily is already something I appreciate.

I work as a civil servant in Qingdao, and I have come to Beijing to visit the Yonghe Temple. I would not say I have a grand philosophy of life. I think you should keep making an effort.

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I went through quite a few setbacks when I was looking for work. I studied for several years and eventually took the civil-service examination. Before that, I had worked as a lawyer. Becoming a civil servant happened partly through circumstance, but I have found that it suits me, and life is quite good now. Sometimes you try different directions and find yourself on a path you did not expect.

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When choosing a career, I think you should consider your interests. Do something you enjoy and are good at; that gives you a better chance of staying with it. If money is your only reason for choosing a profession, you may still find yourself unhappy. As for me, I would say I am doing all right.

I am a university student visiting Beijing. I have looked forward to coming here since I was little. We have been to Tiananmen and are exploring more of the city today.

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I am also interested in working on the internet. I make content on Douyin and have more than ten thousand followers. I am still learning about that world and what I might do in it. At the moment, I want to develop travel content, especially videos that show scenery. I am looking around, learning, and trying to understand what the possibilities might be.

I am fifty-nine, and I have been driving a taxi for sixteen years. Looking back, I think the best period of my life was around forty. I was more mature and steady by then. I had a family, and I understood things that had been less clear when I was younger.

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Keeping birds is a personal interest of mine. I started with pigeons when I was a teenager. Later, after moving into an apartment, keeping pigeons was no longer convenient, so my interests changed. At first, I was drawn to birdcages themselves. I enjoyed collecting and looking at the cages, and eventually the cages led me to keeping birds. One thing grew into another, little by little.

My name is Soumitra. I am sixty-five, retired, and from India. I used to work for the government. This is our second day here, and we have enjoyed what we have seen. China feels very developed, and the infrastructure is impressive. I can understand why people want to visit.

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I think everyone has a different idea about the purpose of being alive. For me, I would like to pass my life without too much tension. I can be happy with little things. That is a simple answer, but it is an honest one.

People call me Xiao Jiujiu. I am a freelance makeup artist, and I am visiting here as a tourist. I feel a little nervous introducing myself like this, but my work is something I am happy to talk about.

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I chose makeup because I enjoy it. After having a child, freelancing also gave me more flexibility to look after my family. A conventional job would not offer the same freedom.

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The part I love most is helping girls feel beautiful. I really enjoy making that transformation happen for someone. It is a simple thing to say, but it is the part of the work that brings me the most pleasure.

I am self-employed, in my late fifties, and originally from Shanxi. I have lived in Beijing for nearly forty years. When I was young, the capital was a place I aspired to come to. I wanted to see more and broaden my experience.

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Now I think peace and good health are the greatest sources of happiness. However much money you have, it means little if your health or your life is in turmoil. Having enough to eat and drink is enough for me.

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I do not feel especially frightened by life and death at this age. Birth, ageing, illness, and death are part of nature. Even people far more accomplished than I am cannot escape that. I think an ordinary person can learn to face it calmly.

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To me, living has meaning when we help create a better atmosphere around us and contribute something to other people. Everyone on this earth has to make a living. There is no need to rank people as higher or lower because of their profession. Whatever our work, we can try to face tomorrow in a good spirit.

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When I was younger, I did not see everything so clearly. Now I realize how many things are not worth fighting over. I would rather pass on decent values and help leave a good environment for the next generation. That feels more worthwhile than winning every argument.

I am from Xi'an, and I have been in Beijing for more than ten years. I do a bit of general work, whatever needs doing. Beijing struck me as a big city when I came here.

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I find happiness in keeping busy. When you have work to do, you forget about other things for a while. I work, earn what I can, and get on with the day. I would say I am happy.

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I do not have a grand lesson to give anyone. I am not very good at making speeches about life. I just keep active. The work gives me exercise too, and I would like to lose a little weight. That is my life in quite ordinary terms.

I can't hear very clearly. I am already an old woman. I am just sitting here. Just taking walks.

My surname is Wang, and I am seventy-five. I have just been tending the vegetables. For ordinary people like us, life has largely meant working to feed the family. We eat so that we can work, and we work so that we can eat.

I left school when I was young and began working in the fields. In the days of the production team, you earned work points. At first, it was only a few points a day; later you could earn more. That was how life moved forward.

Then, almost before you realized it, a whole lifetime had passed. My story is mostly a story of work and keeping a family going.

My hearing is not very good now. You have to come closer and speak slowly. Sometimes I miss what people say, so I smile. If you sit beside me, we can usually manage a conversation.

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I don’t know much about the things people talk about these days. I know this village. I know which house belongs to which family, and who used to live behind the doors that are closed now.

There used to be children running along this road. Around mealtimes, someone would come outside and call them home. Now the young people have gone away. They need work, and they have their own lives to make. There are mostly just us old ones left.

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Sometimes we sit together and ask about someone we haven’t seen for a few days. Has she gone to stay with her daughter? Is he feeling well? If nobody knows, someone goes over to have a look.

I hope the young people are doing well. I wouldn’t know what to tell them about finding work or living in a city. When they come back, I ask whether they are eating properly. That is something I understand.

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I still like sitting outside. Across the lane, someone raises a hand, and I raise mine. I may not hear what they call out, but I can see them. Tomorrow, if the weather is good, we will come out again.

I am eighty-one. When I was young, my life was farming, and that was what I thought about doing. I have not been away from Yanqing, and I did not really think about leaving.

Being alive is good. I am not especially afraid of death. When the time comes, it comes. Until then, this is the life I know.

I am in my sixties, and I am a farmer. I am not very good at talking about life or giving advice. I am just out here going about my day.

To me, caring for your parents is your own responsibility. You have to decide for yourself how you treat them, whatever other people choose to do. Being a good son or daughter is something each person has to take seriously.

As people get older, they may need someone beside them wherever they go. Even going up and down stairs can mean needing an arm to hold on to. A fall can lead to a fracture and a great deal of trouble. Looking after an older person means staying close and helping with these ordinary things.

Earning money is what makes me happiest, but I am not particularly happy at this exact moment. I have only just joined as a full-time rider, and I have not yet been able to start taking orders properly. I still need to sort out the uniform and get going. Right now, what I want is the chance to work and earn.

My surname is Yao. I am twenty-five and not working at the moment. I used to deliver food, but it became so hot that I did not want to keep doing it. My family is from the countryside.

I would like to have a place of my own to work from. I am not fixed on exactly what kind of place; what matters to me is being self-employed and having some freedom.

For now, I take life as it comes. I spend time relaxing, and when I need money, I look for some work and do it for a while. I have not really thought about pensions or what old age will be like. I do not spend much time worrying about death either. To me, being alive is the point. I live one day at a time.

Just doing a bit of shopping. I've got the bike nearby, so I haven't taken the helmet off. It's easier than driving around looking for somewhere to park.

I was only supposed to get a couple of things. Then you walk past a shop and stop for a look. It takes a bit longer. If I see somebody I know, we have a chat. I'm not in such a hurry today.

Most days are ordinary. Work, eat, go home, see what needs doing. I don't have a big story to tell you. If everyone at home is all right and I've got enough for what we need, I'm happy. Now I'd better get going, or they'll wonder where I've got to.

My surname is Wang. I am forty-six, and I have been working for many years. My dream is not especially grand: I would like life to be a little less exhausting. The thing that makes me happiest is being together with my family. I want to save more money and support my children through their education.

What I have learned is how difficult it can be to make the money stretch. In the current environment, changing everything is not simple. For now, I try to keep things going, work a little harder, and save what I can.

I am forty-eight, and I deliver goods. When I was young, my wish was to study well. There were many children in my family, and I did not get the opportunity to continue as I had hoped. I do regret that. Education can make a difference to the work a person is able to do.

My happiest moment is finishing work. Coming home and eating together is what I look forward to. I do not find much enjoyment in the job itself. Some days, it is so busy that I barely have time to eat lunch, let alone spend time at home.

I do not have a grand piece of wisdom to offer. I work, I get through the day, and I value the time afterward. Sitting down for a meal with the people close to me is a real happiness.

I am from Madagascar, and I am studying in Beijing. I came here because I am interested in Chinese culture. That interest is part of what brought me to this new place and this stage of my life.

I am sixteen and go to school here in Yanqing. I do not feel an enormous amount of academic pressure, partly because I spend plenty of time eating, relaxing, and having fun. I am not pretending that I study hard all the time.

I would like to go to university, perhaps Jiaotong University. I am interested in cars. My dream is to build them, or find a way to create a business of my own in that world. If one route does not work out, I will have to think about another.

I do not know a special secret to success. I think you need to love what you do. At this point in my life, happiness is what meaning comes down to for me. I want to enjoy being alive while I figure out the rest.

My surname is Liu. I am a farmer, and I am waiting to pick up my grandson. I am a little shy about being interviewed; I do not find it easy to talk like this.

I did not grow up with a grand dream. My life was farming. These beads were just something inexpensive I bought to hold and play with.

I enjoy having a drink, in moderation. I do not spend much time being afraid of death. For now, there are ordinary things to do, including being here when my grandson needs collecting.

I make flatbreads for a living. I started in my twenties and have been doing this for more than twenty years. There is no inherited family secret behind them. I developed the method myself, little by little, through practice. I aim for a crisp texture, and I do not add unnecessary ingredients.

The money is not easy to earn. Even so, I have to face the day positively. Over time, you get used to the work and find your own temperament within it.

One thing that helps me stay cheerful is not setting my expectations too high. If I give myself a small goal and achieve it, I can be happy about that. Not every success has to be enormous.

If I had to describe my life in one sentence, I would say that a life is made by getting through one day after another. You keep working at it, and little by little, those days become your life.

I am fifty-seven and a local farmer. The vegetables I sell are ones I grow myself. We have a greenhouse, and I come out to sell some of what we produce.

These days, my wishes are simple: enough to eat, decent clothes, and a healthy body. I have an old burn from many years ago. Living conditions were different then; things are safer and better arranged now than they used to be.

What I think about most is bringing up the next generation well. I do not have some extraordinary ambition beyond that. Keep ourselves healthy, look after the family, and help the children grow into good people. That is what matters to me.

First respondent
I am thirty-two and self-employed. We met by chance, and a conversation became the beginning of a relationship.

I think part of what keeps us together is having an endless supply of ordinary things to say to each other. We talk about nonsense as well as serious things. We argue too; that is normal. But an argument does not have to last. We can make up and return to being ourselves together.

Partner — closing response
We tease each other about our flaws, but underneath the teasing there is acceptance. Neither of us needs the other to be perfect. We can laugh at ourselves and still choose each other.

Respondent — on commitment
I once read an image that stayed with me: you are walking through a field of wheat, and you choose an ear that seems the biggest and best. As you keep walking, you may see another that looks bigger or more beautiful. If you are always comparing, there will always appear to be something better ahead. You have to understand the choice you make in your own heart.

Respondent — on marriage as a choice
The advice I would give young people is that marriage is a choice, not a requirement for a complete life. You can choose to marry or not to marry. You can choose to have children or not to have them. The point is to choose a life that allows you to be happy.

Marriage has more than one side. There are good parts and difficult parts; nothing is entirely one thing. Being married does not mean I believe everyone else must make the same choice.

My surname is Niu. I am fifty-four and originally from the northeast. I used to run a food business, but when business became difficult, I changed what I was doing. What I like about selling on my own is that I can make my own decisions. I am not always working under someone else's restrictions.

To me, health is a blessing, and happiness is a blessing. If I could choose again, I would take my education more seriously. I feel that not studying well limited the things I could do and the dreams I could pursue. I know people say graduates have difficulties finding work too, but I still believe ability and education can open doors.

I settled here because I met my wife here. Over the years, I feel that romantic love has changed into the affection of family. That is what remains at the centre of the marriage for me.

I am sixty-seven, and I have farmed throughout my life. I do not have a particular unfulfilled dream to describe.

I think marriage can be a good thing, and I do believe love can remain after marriage. Happiness can be very ordinary. If you are happy, that makes me happy too; one person's good spirits can reach another person.

I do not have a long story ready to tell. I am simply glad to be living my life.

My surname is Kang. I used to drive a taxi in Beijing, but earning a living that way became harder. App-based services and the growing number of private cars changed the work.

A taxi driver still has fixed costs. The monthly payment to the company was more than five thousand yuan, whether you found enough passengers or not. Then there was fuel. You could work very hard and still have little left for yourself. In the better periods, the take-home income was different; now the effort and the return do not feel worth it to me.

What I do here gives me more freedom. I do not have that same fixed payment hanging over every day. That is why I came back and changed the way I work.

I come here when I have nothing to do at home. Usually there are a few people playing. I know some of them. If there's a place to sit, I sit. Otherwise I stand and watch.

I can play a bit. I'm not that good. When you're standing beside the board, you can see where somebody has gone wrong. When you sit down yourself, it's different. Sometimes I say something and they tell me to keep quiet. All right, I keep quiet for a while.

We talk about whatever comes up. Who hasn't been here lately, what's expensive at the market, things like that. There isn't much of a plan. When it's time for dinner, I go home. I'll probably be back tomorrow.

My surname is Song. I am seventy, and I am here watching the chess game. I do not have a long list of regrets to describe. I would tell young people to have the courage to try things.

Whatever work you choose, give it your full effort. Do not do it half-heartedly or merely go through the motions. When you are young, there are things to attempt and build. At my age, life feels more like living one day and then the next. That is why I think the effort you make earlier matters.

Speak a little louder. I can't hear you very well. I saw you talking, but I didn't catch what you asked. You'll have to say it again. I can hear some things, just not clearly.

I've brought my stool out for a while. It's nice here when the weather is good. I watch people go past, and if somebody I know stops, we talk a little. Sometimes I have to ask them the same thing twice. They know how I am.

At home there's always something small to do. After I've eaten and tidied up, I come and sit. I don't go far. If it gets cold, I take the stool back inside. You can sit for a bit too. You don't have to keep asking questions. It's nice having someone here.

I am sixty-five and retired. I used to work in a pharmacy. Looking back, I cannot identify a major regret. I have experienced a fair amount simply by living this long, but I would not describe my life as full of dramatic setbacks. The work could be tiring, but there was not always a larger story behind it.

Most days, I feel reasonably happy. My children are grown, and there is now a young child in the next generation. I can see that the economy and the demands of working life put pressure on younger people. Their world contains many things that we never encountered.

Technology has moved very quickly. My child bought me a phone, but there are things on it I do not know how to use. I am being honest about that. I think the changes bring both good and difficult things. Younger people tend to adapt faster; older people take more time.

I do not have a perfect answer for the younger generation. I can only describe the life I have lived and acknowledge how different the world has become.

My surname is Xu. I am sixty-one and from Hefei, Anhui. I have long admired Mao Zedong, and an important reason for this visit was to pay my respects at the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall. We have also visited Tiananmen Square, the Great Hall of the People, the Great Wall at Badaling, and the Temple of Heaven. I wanted to see Beijing's historic places and cultural heritage for myself.

I feel a strong respect for the country and its leaders. When I see national meetings in the Great Hall of the People, I feel that sense of respect very deeply. I hope visitors leave a good impression on Beijing, just as Beijing leaves a good impression on us.

I run a small trading company with more than twenty employees. I would not call it a great business empire. We have built it steadily, through hard work, thought, and ordinary, honest business. I believe in earning the money that is properly mine to earn, not reaching for money that has nothing to do with me. The business supports my family and provides work for other people. That is a contribution I can make.

In my understanding of our history, Mao represents the country's liberation, the defeat of the Nationalists, and resistance to foreign domination. I associate the current period under Xi Jinping with national strength, modernization, and security. When I look at wars in other parts of the world, I value the peace I experience here.

These are sincerely held views for me. I believe the country can become stronger still, and I hope the progress continues. Running my business properly and helping the people who work with me are the ways I take part in that larger future.

My surname is Liu. I am twenty-three, from Xuzhou in Jiangsu, and I am visiting the Temple of Heaven with my boyfriend. We have known each other for a very long time. We were classmates, and from primary school through university we have been at the same schools. That shared history is how our relationship began.

If we build a home together in the future, I think both people's wishes should be respected. We can discuss what each of us likes and work toward something that suits us both. A home should not be designed around only one person's voice.

Falling marriage or birth rates do not decide my own choices. Other people have their reasons, and we should not interfere with them. At the same time, each of us needs to think clearly about what we want and remain true to that. I want to make decisions because I understand my own wishes.

I am cautious about the conflict between men and women that appears so often in short videos. The content we receive is shaped by what we watch and what seems to appeal to us. We can end up inside a small circle of information that keeps confirming our own side. Some creators turn that conflict into attention and traffic; they are not necessarily trying to help us understand a real situation.

I think we need to step outside that circle. Look at your actual circumstances, the people in your life, and the information beyond your feed. Think rationally instead of letting a stream of videos decide how you see the world.

I take a similar approach to people's appearance. Some men enjoy a more carefully styled look; celebrities also face the demands of being on camera. Other people prefer a simpler style. I feel neutral about it. I do not have the right to take away another person's preferences or sense of beauty.

My surname is Zhu. I am forty-seven, and I have worked here for four or five years. Before this, I did other kinds of work, including food service. I drink douzhi myself and enjoy it. Its sour taste appeals to me, although I understand that different people like different things.

My greatest happiness is my child. I also enjoy coming to work. The women I work with spend the day doing our tasks and chatting together. There is pleasure in that company.

I would describe myself as someone with very few worries. I do not have a great secret for staying cheerful. There simply is not much around me that weighs heavily on my mind or demands constant concern.

I go to work, come home, and have good food to eat. I have a little money in my pocket, and if I see something I like when I go shopping, I can buy it. I have lived in this area for more than ten years, and I like it here. That ordinary, comfortable life is a very real happiness to me.

My surname is Guo, and I am sixty. I think young people should begin considering their direction while they are still in secondary school. If you wait until university to discover what you want to study, it can feel rather late. Having a goal helps you work toward it.

Guidance from parents and people with experience can make a difference. In my case, much of that understanding came through finding my own way. Listen to people who know the world of work. Meeting someone willing to guide you can save years of stumbling.

That is one reason I would encourage young people to get out of the house, speak with others, and communicate. Sometimes you meet someone whose interests or outlook fit yours, and a helpful relationship develops. You cannot know every useful connection in advance.

I am here visiting my mother. Life in a hutong feels more informal and sociable to me than life in an apartment block. In the lanes, people talk. In a block of flats, you can go out without seeing anyone you know, and the human connection can become thinner.

This home has been in the family for many years. It is part of that older way of living, with all its everyday familiarity.

I am in my fifties and run a noodle shop. The property belongs to the family. My child had grown up and graduated, and I wanted something to do rather than sit around. The shop keeps me active. I do not claim to have a special business secret. Work steadily and do the job properly—that is my approach.

At first, I might tell you that my life has been fairly smooth. But there is one experience from 1989 that still matters to me. I was young and at school then. Some classmates and I borrowed a flatbed tricycle, made mung-bean soup in large aluminium pots, and took it to support the students.

From where I stood, we were helping people. There was support in schools and among others around us; we were not acting with an intention to overthrow anything. We were young, and we joined in with other students. I still object to the idea that this made us rioters.

Years later, that experience affected my child. I say that my child did not pass the political background review for military service because of it. My child was upset for days. I felt deeply wronged that something I had done so long before could reach into the next generation's life that way.

Do I regret taking food to those students? No. I thought it was a meaningful thing to do, and I still do. I can acknowledge that young people at the time had not thought through every political question. But the act I remember was bringing something to people who needed it. I do not see that as a shameful thing.

I have carried on with my life and my work. That does not mean I have forgotten this part of it. It remains one of the experiences through which I understand fairness, consequences, and the choices I made when I was young.

My surname is Tian. I am eighty-two. Around the time of SARS in 2003, I began working on ventilation-related ideas. I have worked on patents, including designs connected with ventilation and masks. One of those ideas led to a television appearance. I still remember how cold the studio felt: other people seemed comfortable in light clothing, while I was cold even in two layers.

What matters more to me is seeing an idea used. I say that the ventilation design has now been installed in more than three thousand places in Beijing. I did not come to this through a university degree. I worked at a practical problem and kept trying to solve it. That is something I would like younger people to understand: effort and curiosity can lead to something useful.

I carry drawings and photographs with me because I want people to see how the designs work. With the science-education activities taking place this month, I would like to share a drawing that people can use themselves. Science should reach ordinary people. If all I do is try to sell something, I feel that the point has been lost. When someone uses what I have made, I feel happy.

I think charitable work should be practical. It is easy to talk about doing good. I would rather leave someone with a design, a solution, or something they can actually put to use. I have allowed people to use my patent without charging a fee. At eighty-two, what would be the point of holding on to everything merely to collect more money? I could earn it today and be gone tomorrow.

I feel the same way about a tree I planted around twenty years ago. It has grown large now and has its own place in the records. One day, my own household registration will be cancelled, but the tree will remain. Someone may sit in its shade and remember that an old man planted it. That is a kind of leaving something behind that I can understand.

Getting older has also made me look hard at the history I lived through. I remember very low wages and years when they did not increase. I remember hunger around 1960. I do not accept an easy explanation that nothing could have been done. I still ask why food was not obtained for people and why other choices were not made. Looking back, I sometimes feel that people were left hungry to keep them subdued. That is my own painful interpretation of those years, and I have not stopped questioning it.

I have a very negative view of the Cultural Revolution. I think of the years of disruption, of people pulled away from productive work, and of the suffering that followed. I have looked for discussion of it in books about governing the country, including passages that quote Deng Xiaoping. I pay attention to who said what and how those judgments are recorded.

I also think about Peng Dehuai: a man called upon to fight, then treated as a political target afterward. To me, that is deeply wrong. I cannot understand asking people to serve and then turning them into enemies. Those questions are not abstract when you have lived through the period and kept the newspapers.

I do not think any leader's whole life can be reduced to a single word. There can be achievements as well as failures. But acknowledging achievements does not make grave later mistakes disappear. The consequences of those mistakes mattered to ordinary people.

When I hear the phrase ‘a springtime for science,’ I think of Deng Xiaoping. I associate him with reform and opening up, and with changes that continued to shape the country afterward. I keep reading and comparing these accounts because I want to understand how we reached the present.

For all those arguments about history, my own wish is practical. I want people to be able to use what I have made. I want the good I do to be something real. A working design, a useful idea, a tree that keeps growing—those are things I would be glad to leave behind.

My surname is Hou. I used to work at a research institute. I have kept small parrots for well over ten years, nearly twenty. Friends gave me birds to begin with, and eventually I had more than twenty. Later, I gave some to other people.

I let them fly around indoors. If they make a mess, I clean it up. They can be noisy in the morning, but I do not mind; I like them. I have kept little lovebirds like these, and I enjoy having them around me.

I put food outside too, and it attracts many sparrows. I do not have a great piece of social wisdom to offer. Caring for birds is simply something I love.

I am not looking for a larger bird that can learn to talk. That would take more energy and teaching than I want to take on. These small birds are enough for me. Looking after them is a pleasure I have chosen for my everyday life.

My surname is Sun. I am fifty-one and originally from the northeast. I have been living and working here for more than twenty years. I have always liked these little birds. There is enjoyment in caring for them and watching what they do.

Prices have fallen because more birds are being bred. When the supply increases, they naturally become cheaper. Even so, I think the work is all right. The pleasure of being around the birds matters to me. It is still work, but it is work I find interesting.

The young parrots that have been hand-fed are used to people. Some are more comfortable being handled than others. Not every bird is expensive; some of the smaller ones cost a little over two hundred yuan.

A bird also needs proper care after it goes home. Here, there are many birds together. With individual attention at home, you can look after one carefully and see it at its best. That everyday care is part of the enjoyment.