The Other China
有貓，真好
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.
The title of this chapter in The Other China — ‘Lao Shu on the Consolation of Cats’ 有貓，真好 — is a reference to On the Consolation of Philosophy, written by Boethius in 523CE. A line in that influential text reads:
Nothing is miserable unless you think it so; and on the other hand, nothing brings happiness unless you are content with it.
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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 online at NetEase 網易.
— Geremie R. Barmé
Editor, China Heritage
28 June 2026
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‘Lao Shu on the Consolation of Cats’ is dedicated to Jeremy Howden, a farmer friend in Masterton, Wairarapa, who is celebrating his seventieth birthday today.
Nunc fluens facit tempus,
nunc stans facit aeternitatum.
The now that passes produces time,
the now that remains produces eternity.
— Boethius
Work’s been as busy as, come dusk my cat and I gaze at the lotus pond.
A fresh breeze caresses our bums; worldly worries can simply go to hell.
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Equanimity in heart and mind — see the flower blossoming on the terrace.
With this zaftig cat, I simply sit thus, gazing in muted mindlessness.
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The rainy season is upon us again, evoking memories of the Yangtze Valley.
My hefty cat keeps me company, dozing contentedly at the foot of the bed.
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Bored, I broach the subject with the cat: what should we be eating of a day?
‘Keep to a light diet’, the cat responds. ‘We’re both already overweight’.
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To try out my new camera I make a portrait of the cat:
he plays it straight and ends up striking this pose.
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There’s so much agita in the world, best just hanging out with a cat.
Our fleeting lives spent together, we’re spared all manner of strife and woe.
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Sharing the latest gossip with the cat is like chatting with the wind about red blossoms.
Assailed by an unexpected dream at night, I set off on chivalrous adventures next morn.
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Got a message from a friend and he invited me to join him in the hills — there,
untroubled by money and woes, just enjoy the clouds, flowers and the wind.
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In an adventurous life you’ll experience highs and lows. At times, the path forward will be untrammeled, at other times everything is a struggle and obstacles block all progress. But you come to accept the bitter along with the sweet and you get used both to uplift and despair.
Best not get too carried away when things are going smoothly, nor be overly despondent when the going gets hard. Treat all states with equanimity. Ultimately, what really matters is food and sleep — three squares a day and untroubled rest at night.
江湖行走，悲喜參半。有坦途順意的時刻，就有坎坷碰壁的關口。好壞滋味摻著來，起落浮沈都是常態。
順境不必張揚，逆境不必沈淪，一顆平常心待之便好。說到底，最要緊的不過是吃飯睡覺。三餐熱飯暖胃，一夜安睡舒心。
— Lao Shu 老樹
trans GR Barmé
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