31 December 2025 — Lao Shu at Year’s End

The Other China

年終總結

In this chapter of The Other China, we join the artist Lao Shu as he bids adieu to the year 2025. For our farewell to 2024 and welcome to 2025, also in the company of Lao Shu, see:

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Lao Shu 老樹 is the nom de plume of Liu Shuyong (劉樹勇, 1962-), a Beijing-based artist, writer, critic and professor in communications. His artistic voice is unique and personal, its tenor, whimsy and profundity evoke what for decades we have called The Other China — a cultural noosphere that is as undeniably local as it is universal.

For more work by Lao Shu in China Heritage, see The Other China and Intersecting with Eternity. For his latest art work (and merch), see Lao Shu Paintings 老樹畫畫 at NetEase 網易, a site from which the following works are taken.

The Chinese rubric of this chapter in The Other China — 年終總結 niánzhōng zǒngjié — ‘end-of-year evaluation’, officialese for an annual stocktaking, or ‘performance review’. It is the theme of the second painting in this selection.

Regardless of what you’ve seen,
ultimately it’s all yours to own.

Next year is another matter,
now just enjoy the blossoms.

無論見到什麼，都是自己相遇。
來年事情再說，先摟梅花睡去。

Lao Shu 老樹

translated by Geremie R. Barmé

無論見到什麼，
都是自己相遇。
來年事情再說，
先摟梅花睡去。

Regardless of what you’ve seen,
ultimately it’s all yours to own.
As for the new year, just wait and
sleep with an armful of blossoms.

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日子過得忒快，
嗖地又是一年。
不知忙些什麼，
一刻不得清閒。

The days passed by in a welter,
a whole year now gone in a flash.
How’ve I managed to fill in my time,
leaving not a moment’s respite? —

單位教書幹活，
江湖裝逼發言。
畫展辦了一個，
文章造得幾篇。

A teaching job and all that stuff,
and giving speeches like a ponce.
Did have that one exhibition,
even wrote a handful of essays.

沒闖什麼大禍，
也掙部分小錢。
心情基本平穩，
偶爾顧影自憐。

Didn’t get into any real strife
actually made a few bucks, too.
I’m pretty much at peace with things,
though at times I still feel sorry for myself.

身體還算可以，
嚴重缺少睡眠。
來年痛下決心，
過得盡量簡單。

My health is holding up okay,
though I badly need more sleep.
So, next year, I’m really determined
to keep things as simple as possible.

少攬那些破事，
多活一段時間。
——完了。

If I just steer clear of entanglements
I feel there’ll really be more life to live.
— guess that’s about all I’ve got to report.

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Okay, things aren’t looking too good,
but don’t give in to despair just yet.
The plum always finds a way through,
finally delivering joy to your heart.

After a snowfall one winter’s day in 2023 that it felt as though the cold reflected people’s fairly dispirited state of mind; the future seemed really fraught.

At a gathering of friends everyone shared stories of their personal trials and tribulations, but all we could do was offer each other some encouragement and express a hope that we’d manage to get through the hard times together. I made this painting late one night as a gale was howling outside.

癸卯冬日雪後深寒一如當下時局民心沮喪面前路渺茫
朋友相聚個述自己之坎坷惟有相互勉勵共度時艱
老樹造此畫以為記時在夜半有大風呼號於窗外

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