‘Reviving from my drunken state, the spring has left me in its wake.’ — paintings and poems by Lao Shu

The Other China

 

Lao Shu 老樹, the nom de plume of Liu Shuyong (劉樹勇, 1962-) is a Beijing-based artist, writer and critic whose works are featured in The Other China. 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 work is selected.

— Geremie R. Barmé
Editor, China Heritage
13 May 2026

Recovering from my drunken state,
the spring has left me in its wake.

可憐待我酒醒，春天已經歸去

Paintings and poems by Lao Shu
trans. and annotated by GR Barmé

 

世事這個那個，
看透件件無聊。
江湖千里萬里，
我只飲取一瓢。

This and that — such worldly nonsense
— I long ago saw through it all.
As for the watery vastness of the wilds,
a ladleful to drink will do me just fine.

Note: 飲取一瓢 is a reference to 弱水三千，只取一瓢飲, an old Buddhist expression often interpreted as: ‘of all the choices before me, I have made up my mind.’

老樹日曆，5月9日，宜不多操心，《網易》

***

Recalling our encounter in the fields
we passed each other with nary a word.
Reviving from my drunken state,
the spring has left me in its wake.

老樹畫畫，記得陌上相遇，匆匆沒說幾句，《易網》，2026年5月10日

***

Giving up worldly ambition
I take a skiff into the wilds.
Anything and nothing is possible,
out here all ways lead everywhere.

老樹畫畫，記得陌上相遇，匆匆沒說幾句，《易網》，2026年5月10日

***

The mountains in Hexi snake on for ever.
Rising in Lop Nor they look like scaled fish.
From grasses as big as trees mists rise high.
Wind-buffeted, they wend a way beyond our ken.

— painted after seeing murals in Wei-Jin era tombs during a visit to Gaotai County in Zhangye followed by the orchards of Xincheng at Jiayu Pass [at the western end of the Great Wall] in the summer of 2019. Lao Shu

老樹日曆， 5月11日，滄海|流雲|河西|峰巒，《網易》

***

做一名人重要嗎？
人的名字寫水上。
風乍起，波心蕩，
江河不廢浪打浪，
你還以為能怎樣？

Is fame really so important?
Our names are writ in water,
scattered by a mere gust of wind.
Ripples and waves swell the surface,
yet you think you matter after all?

老樹，踏實做事，本分做人，《網易》，2026年5月8日

***

以後事情怎麼做，
未來日子怎麼過。
需要認真想一想，
爭取盡量少犯錯。

How to proceed from here on in,
what to do with the days that remain?
Put some serious thought into it
and do your best to err but rarely.

老樹，踏實做事，本分做人，《網易》，2026年5月8日

***

不必滿口道禪，
不必裝神弄玄。
認認真真吃飯，
憑著良心掙錢。

No need for religious mummery,
nor any appeal to get all mystical.
Sit yourself down and focus on eating,
make a living with a clear conscience.

老樹，踏實做事，本分做人，《網易》，2026年5月8日

***

一世有限生涯，
不可張揚自誇。
默默做些事情，
時常夢見桃花。

In the world for a limited span,
best avoid big-noting yourself.
Go about your business quietly,
enjoy the blossoms when you can.

(detail of a painting)

***

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