Biography

Assignment 1 for Writing Course: In a biographical essay, tell me where you are from; why you chose to major in English Literature; what you interested in; what extra-curriculum activities you take part in, if any; and what your future plan is.


Mozart, writing and chocolates are the three passions of my life.

Coming from Hangzhou, what is widely regarded as the most beautiful city in China, I am very sensitive to art and beauty: Michelangelo’s Pietá makes me cry, so does Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto in C minor and the last chapter of Remembrance of Things Past. (Yes, I consider good writing art.)

Yet art alone cannot satisfy me, therefore I write, seeking a way to express myself. Unlike most students, I didn’t take the college entrance exam, but was given a chance to choose whichever university I want to attend at the beginning of senior year in high school. English major was an easy choice because words has never been difficult for me; I longed for freedom and since "the limits of your language are the limits of your world," I hope the expansion of my language would assist me to cruise in a wider realm of experiences.

It did.

In the past two years, I chaired the school’s newspaper and went to a number of international debate tournaments arguing about issues ranging from abortion, gun control to climate change and regional conflicts. For a long time, getting up at 5 AM to do research on the Internet was a norm for me. It changed my life. It is in these research I found the remarkable discrepancy between Chinese media coverage over certain issues and that of foreign media, which intrigued me and further inspired me to become a journalist, one who exposes and tells truth, disinterestedly.

End of page, and I may cease, as there is no need of explanation for my third passion: after all, who doesn’t love chocolates?