Now, building the Meta-Create Initiative, I often find my thoughts drifting back to those days on the road. Nights spent sleeping in the Sahara Desert. Sunrises and sunsets watched from Everest Base Camp. The smiles of children in Syrian refugee camps. The starlight in the eyes of Afghan girls. Late-night conversations about life and death in the homes of strangers in Iran and Iraq...

此刻，当我坐在北大教室里，筹备「青年元创计划」时，我时常会想起那些在路上的日子。那些睡在撒哈拉沙漠的夜晚，于珠峰大本营遥望的日出日落，叙利亚难民营里孩子们的笑脸，阿富汗姑娘们眼中的星光，在伊朗、伊拉克陌生人家中关于生命与死亡的深夜长谈……

These experiences are like shards of countless mirrors, each reflecting a different version of me. When they come together, they form who I am today—someone who believes that creation can ignite life, someone who wants to accompany youth in finding their inner drive.

这些经历像是无数个镜子的碎片，每一片都映照着不同的我，而当它们拼接在一起时，就成了今天的我——一个相信创造可以点燃生命的人，一个想要陪伴中国青年找到内在驱动力的创新者。

People ask me: Why did you abandon the elite path at Columbia University and take two years off to wander? Why did you turn away from Silicon Valley and Wall Street to take gap years to work in education? This story begins from a place far away.

有人问我，为什么放弃哥伦比亚大学的精英道路，选择休学两年去流浪？为什么从华尔街和硅谷的机会中转身，回到中国做教育？这个故事，要从很远的地方说起。

A Child Who Yearned for the Stars

向往星空的孩子

My curiosity about the world began with a childhood fascination with the universe. As a child, I would climb onto the roof on summer nights to count stars, imagining that behind each one lay a world of its own. I devoured encyclopedias and books about cosmic mysteries, my mind brimming with fantasies of extraterrestrial life. I didn't know then that this longing for the unknown would become the engine driving my entire life.

我对世界的好奇，始于童年对宇宙的迷恋。小时候，我会在夏夜爬到屋顶上数星星，想象着每一颗星星背后都有一个世界。我读《十万个为什么》，看《宇宙的奥秘》和各种百科全书，脑海里装满了关于外星生命的幻想。那时的我不知道，这份对未知的渴望，会成为推动我一生的引擎。

At twelve, sensing the flame of adventure flickering in my heart, I persuaded my parents to let me study in America. At fifteen, I learned by chance of a public talk by a scientist from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Curious, I went.

12岁，懵懂中我感应到心底渴望未知和探险的火焰，说服父母并前往美国求学。15岁那年，我偶然间得知一位NASA喷气推进实验室的科学家的公益分享会，我带着好奇前往。

The First Reply from NASA

NASA的第一封回信

At the time, I was obsessed with researching "aliens." After attending the scientist's talk, I sat at my computer and wrote him an email.

当时，我很喜欢研究"外星人"。于是，在参与科学家分享会后，我坐在电脑前，给他写了一封邮件。

I remember my heart pounding as I clicked "Send." A Chinese high school student with no credentials, wanting to participate in a NASA research project? It sounded like a fairy tale. But the universe answered.

我记得点击"发送"时心跳得很快。一个毫无背景的中国高中生，想要参与NASA喷气实验室的研究项目？这听起来像是天方夜谭。但宇宙回应了我。

Two days later, I received a reply. The scientist not only responded—he gave me a test to complete. Within a month, I taught myself all the data analysis tools and disciplinary background required, and I passed. For the next two years, I threw myself into the research project on intelligent extraterrestrial life. Eventually, I successfully simulated two billion light-years of galactic evolution and predicted the distribution of intelligent life, publishing a paper as first author in the international journal Galaxy.

两天后，我收到了回信。那位科学家不仅回复了我，还给了我一个测试的机会。我在一个月内自学了所有数据分析相关的知识和工具，以及学科相关背景，并通过测试。后两年，我全情投入外星智慧生命的研究项目。最终，我成功模拟银河系20亿万光年的发展，并预测智慧生命的分布，以第一作者的身份在国际期刊《Galaxy》上发表论文。

Columbia on Full Scholarship

哥大全奖：另一个开始

With this research experience and my love of learning, I was admitted to Columbia University on a full scholarship. In the fall of 2021, I boarded a plane to New York, my heart full of visions of the future.

凭借这份研究经历和对知识的热爱，我被哥伦比亚大学全额奖学金录取。2021年秋天，我踏上了前往纽约的飞机，心中充满了对未来的憧憬。

My first year in New York, I was drawn to every possible activity, insatiably filling every moment. Amid this seemingly infinite possibility, I caught FOMO—Fear of Missing Out—driven by an invisible anxiety, terrified of missing anything. I thought this was the life I wanted—enriching myself at a world-class university, marching down the broad avenue toward "success."

纽约的第一年，我被各种各样的活动吸引，总不知足地把自己所有的时间填满。在这种"看似无限"的可能性当中，我染上了FOMO（Fear of Missing Out) ，被一种无形的焦虑驱动着，生怕自己错过什么。我以为这就是我想要的生活 —— 在世界顶尖学府丰富自己的经历，走在通往"成功"的康庄大道上。

But gradually, an inexplicable sense of loss and emptiness began to spread.

但渐渐地，一种说不清的迷失和空虚在蔓延。

The Inner Calling

内在的呼唤

The summer after my sophomore year, I fell into an unprecedented confusion. My classmates were scrambling for Wall Street internships, fighting for Silicon Valley offers. And me? I sat in the Columbia library, watching the shifting skyline through the window, feeling as though I were living out someone else's script.

大二结束的那个夏天，我陷入了前所未有的迷茫。身边的同学都在为华尔街的实习拼搏，为硅谷的offer奋斗。而我呢？我坐在哥大图书馆里，看着窗外渐变的天际线，却感觉自己像是活在别人的剧本里。

That winter, I read Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha. One passage struck me:

那个冬天，我读到了黑塞的《悉达多》。书中有一段话击中了我：

Suddenly I understood: I had been chasing external validation and standard answers, but I had never truly asked myself: Who am I? What do I really want?

我突然明白，我一直在追求外在的认可和标准答案，却从未真正问过自己：我是谁？我真正想要什么？

The Himalayas: Meeting Myself at 5,600 Meters

喜马拉雅：在5600米遇见自己

For New Year 2023, I chose to spend the holiday at Everest Base Camp. It was the hardest twelve days of my life. Altitude sickness made my head pound; every step sent my heart racing out of my chest. On nights that dropped to minus twenty degrees, I lay shivering in my sleeping bag. More than once, I wanted to give up.

2023年新年，我选择在珠峰大本营度过。那是我经历过的最艰难的12天。高反让我头痛欲裂，每走一步心跳都要跳出胸口。零下20度的夜晚，我缩在睡袋里瑟瑟发抖。有好几次，我真的想要放弃。

But there, at 5,600 meters, when the first rays of sunlight spilled onto the summit of Everest and dyed the entire mountain gold—I wept. Not from conquest. From surrender.

但就在海拔5600米的地方，当第一缕阳光洒在珠峰顶上，把整座雪山染成金色时，我哭了。不是因为征服，而是因为臣服。

Leave of Absence: The Courage to Say No

休学：勇敢说不

In the spring of 2023, while everyone else prepared for the new semester, I made a decision that shocked them all: I took a leave of absence.

2023年春天，当所有人都在为新学期做准备时，我做出了一个让所有人震惊的决定：休学。

"Are you serious?" my friends said. "What about a year from now?" "What about your future?" I only smiled. Because I knew: if I didn't stop and set out, I would walk further and further down a road that was not mine, until I was completely lost.

"你认真的吗？"朋友们说。 "那一年后怎么变？""你的前途怎么办？"面对这些问题，我只是微笑。因为我知道，如果不暂停出发，我会在这条不属于自己的路上走得越来越远，直到完全迷失。

I needed to see heaven and earth. To see all beings. And finally, to see myself.

我需要见天地，见众生，最终见自己。

128 Days of Wandering

128天的流浪

In the summer of 2023, I shouldered a forty-liter Osprey pack and set out on a 128-day journey. On Google Maps, I drew a line through the most geopolitically unstable regions—crossing the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa, through places called "the most dangerous in the world."

2023年夏天，我背着一个40L的小鹰登山包，开始了长达128天的旅程。我在谷歌地图地缘政治最不稳定的地方画了一条线 —— 穿越中东、南亚、非洲那些被称为"世界上最危险"的地方。

Not for adventure. But to understand: In this world sliced apart by news labels and torn by prejudice, what does real life look like?

不是为了冒险，而是想要理解：在这个被新闻标签化、被偏见撕裂的世界里，真实的生活是什么样子？

Africa: Flowers Blooming in Poverty

非洲：贫穷匮乏中开出花

In the Maasai villages of Tanzania, I met Cosmas. He was devoted to supporting children's education, eliminating violence, and protecting the environment.

在坦桑尼亚的马赛部落，我遇到了Cosmas。他立志于支持孩子们的教育、消除暴力和环境保护。

Different backgrounds and experiences don't matter. Different languages don't matter. Tears are universal. Smiles are universal. The longing for love, for freedom, for a good life—that is universal.

背景和经历不同没关系，语言不通也没关系，眼泪是相通的，笑容是相通的，那份对爱、自由、美好生活和的渴望是共通的。

Afghanistan: Passing Along the Fragrance of Roses

阿富汗：传递玫瑰花香

In Kandahar, because I was a foreigner with nowhere to stay, I ended up in the home of a local stranger. The first night, my heart was full of fear and unease. But the next morning, I was awakened by the laughter of children—and welcomed with warmth.

在坎大哈，我因外国人身份无处可住，随机住进了一个陌生的当地人家中。第一天晚上，心中充满了恐惧和不安。但第二天早上，我被孩子们的笑声唤醒，也被盛情款待。

I met so many people in Afghanistan: boys playing football on barren ground, girls secretly studying at home, families who had lost everything yet still warmly welcomed strangers... They showed me that even in the darkest places, the light of humanity does not go out.

我在阿富汗遇见很多人，包括那些在废土上踢足球的男孩，那些偷偷在家里学习的女孩，那些失去了一切却依然热情招待陌生人的家庭……他们让我看到，即使在最黑暗的地方，人性的光芒也不会熄灭。

Syria: Ruins and Hope

叙利亚：废墟与希望

Walking through Aleppo, I met a little girl with the sweetest smile, running up to the ruins to greet me. She made a heart with her hands, then hugged me and said, "I love you." My heart melted. Though the entire city lay in devastation, people lived vibrantly. Children played football and rode bicycles among the ruins.

当时我走在阿勒颇的街头能遇到笑的特别甜的小女孩跑到废墟前和我打招呼，她会认真的和我比心，又抱住我说我爱你，我的心都要化开了。尽管整所城市满目疮痍，但是人们热热闹闹地活着，小孩们在废墟下踢着足球踩单车。

For the first time, I was this close to war and ruins. This close to despair and brokenness. And at the same time, this close to pure emotion, hope, and love.

第一次，我离战争和废墟这么近，离绝望和破碎这么近，同时又离纯粹的感动、希望和爱这么近。

Iraq and Lebanon: Living Toward Death

伊拉克与黎巴嫩：向死而生

I came to the largest cemetery in the world, a city of the dead, holding six million souls. I gazed at the densely packed gravestones, as if traveling through 1,400 years and countless lives. Suddenly I realized our freedom: we can give death meaning. Death transforms us from finite flesh into infinite possibility.

我来到世界上最大的墓地，埋葬了六百万亡魂。我凝望密密麻麻的墓碑，好似穿越1400年的时光和无数墓碑的过往。我忽然意识到我们的自由，可以赋予死亡意义：死亡让我们从有限的肉体变成无限的可能。

In Lebanon, a bomb exploded just five kilometers from where I stood. My heart was calm. I no longer feared death. Because I have no regrets, I no longer fear death. Because I live in the present, driven by love, I no longer fear tomorrow's accidents.

在黎巴嫩，炸弹引爆的地方离我也就五公里。我当时心情平静，不再惧怕死亡。我因为没有遗憾所以将不再恐惧死亡。我因为活在当下，被爱驱动着。所以不再恐惧明天的意外。

Iran: Love Without Borders

伊朗：大爱无疆

I have often said: "In every city in Iran, I have a home." Iran, after visiting thirty-eight countries, remains my favorite. In every city, I met kind people who offered a corner of their home for free. I was warmly hosted, generously helped. We came from completely different backgrounds, yet we trusted each other, connected with each other—that purity is the light of life.

我曾说过："在伊朗的每个城市，我都有个家。" 伊朗，是我去了三十八个国家后最爱的那一个。我在每个城市总会遇见善良的人们无偿提供家里的一角。我被热情款待，倾囊相助。我们也许来自完全不同的背景，但相互信任，彼此连接 —— 那份纯粹，是生命的光。

Two years ago, on my twentieth birthday in Iran, a complete stranger drove me 800 kilometers to Tehran. He had no fixed home, nothing to his name, yet he was willing to help a stranger he'd only just met. "I live for the love between people," he said. Those words took root in my heart like a seed.

两年前我20岁生日的时候在伊朗，一位素昧平生的陌生人载我800公里把我送到了德黑兰。他居无定所、一无所有，却愿意无私帮助萍水相逢的我。"我为人们的爱活着。" 他说道 —— 这句话像种子，深埋我心。

Connection between people is the soul of travel. I came to understand love more deeply and to believe that love knows no borders.

人和人的连接就是旅行的灵魂。我更加理解爱并相信大爱无疆。

Seeing What Is Real

看见真实

By the end of 128 days, I had changed. Not into someone more excellent or more successful, but into someone more real, more transparent.

128天的旅程结束时，我变了。不是变得更优秀或更成功，而是变得更真实、透彻。

I saw the complexity of the world—it is not black and white, cannot be summarized by headlines. I saw the resilience of human nature—even in the harshest conditions, people go on loving, creating, believing in tomorrow. Most importantly, I saw myself—not the person others expected, not the person society defined, but the real me: embracing love and fear, the fire in my heart burning still.

我看见了这个世界的复杂 —— 它不是非黑即白的，不是新闻标题能概括的。我看见了人性的韧性 —— 即使在最恶劣的环境里，人们依然在爱、在创造、在相信明天。最重要的是，我看见了自己 —— 不是别人期待的我，不是社会定义的我，而是真实的、拥抱爱和恐惧的、心底那团火在燃烧不息的我。

Vipassana: The Final Piece of the Puzzle

内观：最后一块拼图

After backpacking and conducting fieldwork in conflict zones, I began to settle into a slower life. I studied traditional Chinese medicine and tai chi, and fell in love with copying the Tao Te Ching. In Ubud, I read The Surrender Experiment, and following the guidance of fate, I attended a ten-day Vipassana meditation retreat.

背包旅行兼战地野生人类学调研后，我开始旅居。开始修习中医、太极，喜欢上了抄写《道德经》。我在乌布读到《臣服实验》，并跟随命运指引参加了一次10天的内观禅修。

On the seventh day, in meditation, I saw an image: a little girl standing under the stars, light shining in her eyes—just like the fifteen-year-old me who wrote to the NASA scientist. She asked me: "Do you remember? The you who believed anything was possible?" I wept.

第七天的时候，我在冥想中看到了一个画面：一个小女孩站在星空下，眼睛里闪着光，就像15岁的我给NASA科学家写信时一样。她问我："你还记得吗？那个相信一切皆有可能的你？"我泪流满面。

Yes, I remembered. That power of belief—the power of "believing in belief" itself—had always been there. Only, on the road of growing up, I had covered it with too many "shoulds."

是的，我记得。那个相信的力量，那个"相信相信"本身的力量，一直都在。只是在成长的路上，我曾用太多"应该"把它遮住了。

Returning to Columbia

回到哥大：带着答案上路

In the fall of 2024, I returned to Columbia. But this time was different. I was no longer the girl anxiously chasing external validation. I knew who I was and where I was going. I turned my attention to education. I began to think: How can I help more young people find themselves without having to walk as far as I did—or risk their lives?

2024年秋天，我回到了哥大。但这一次不同了。我不再是那个焦虑地追逐外在认可的女孩，而是清楚知道自己是谁、要去哪里的人。我开始关注教育，开始思考：如何让更多年轻人不必像我一样，要走那么多路、甚至有生命危险，才能找到自己？

Peking University: Meeting Fellow Travelers

北大：遇见同路人

In the spring of 2025, I came to Peking University on exchange. Here, I met a special group of people. They shared my confusion—standing at the apex of the pyramid yet still anxious; blessed with infinite possibility yet not knowing where to go.

2025年春天，我来到北京大学交流。在这里，我遇到了一群特别的人。他们有着和我相似的困惑 —— 明明已经站在金字塔尖，却依然感到焦虑；明明有无限的可能，却不知道要通往何方。

Seeing the Predicament of a Generation

看见时代的困境

During my time at PKU, I saw ever more clearly the predicament of this generation. I conducted a survey and found: 79% felt that "existing education has not taught them how to explore life direction and inner drive." 60% said they "yearn for deep connection but can't find like-minded people." 93% felt they "want to create but lack courage and method."

在北大的日子里，我越来越清晰地看到这一代年轻人的困境。我拟出一份问卷调研，发现：79%的人认为"现有教育没有教会他们如何探索人生方向和内驱力"；60%表示"渴望深度连接但找不到同频的人"；93%感到"想做事但缺乏勇气和方法"。

Everyone is asking: In this age, where does human meaning lie?

大家都在问：在这个时代，人的意义在哪里？

The Birth of Meta-Create

元创的诞生

It was in that moment that the seed of the Youth Meta-Create Initiative was planted. I saw too many exceptional young people, standing at the apex of the pyramid, yet trapped as if in a transparent cage. They knew how to take tests, how to analyze, how to plan—everything except how to ask themselves: "Is this what I want?"

就是在那个时刻，「青年元创计划」的种子种下了。我看到太多优秀的年轻人，明明站在金字塔尖，却像困在透明的笼子里。他们会做题，会分析，会规划，唯独不会问自己："这是我想要的吗？"

Some say this is too idealistic. Yes—so what if it is? If our generation doesn't dare to be idealistic, who will change the world?

有人说这太理想主义。是的，就是理想主义又怎样？如果我们这代人都不敢理想主义，那谁来改变这个世界？

"Meta" (元) means returning to the origin of life. "Creation" (创) means creating infinite possibility. I want to create a space where young people can: become aware of themselves and find the fire within; connect deeply and build authentic relationships; begin creating, responding to the voice inside with action.

"元"是回归生命元点，"创"是创造无限可能。我想创造一个空间，让年轻人可以：觉察自我，找到内在那团火；深度连接，建立真实的关系；开始创造，用行动回应内心的声音。

The Bigger Picture

更大的图景

The Youth Meta-Create Initiative is an experiment in "how humans can express their humanity in the age of AI." We believe creation should not be the privilege of a few, but a way of thinking and acting that anyone can learn—woven into life itself.

「青年元创计划」是一场关于"人如何在AI时代下发挥人性"的实验。我们相信，创造不应是少数人的特权，而是一种人人可习得的、与生活融为一体的思维与行动方式。

On Creation

关于创造

Criticism always looks clever. Creating something new often looks clumsy. But it is precisely these seemingly clumsy first steps that are most precious. At Meta-Create, we don't train critics. We cultivate creators.

批评时总显得聪明，而创造新东西往往显得笨拙。但正是这些看似笨拙的第一步，才是最珍贵的。在元创，我们不培养批评家，我们培养创造者。

My mission is simple: to accompany Chinese youth in becoming creators—making good new things, and watching those creations light up the world.

我的使命很简单：陪伴中国青年成为创造者 —— 创造美好的新东西，然后看着这些创造照亮世界。

This is the heart of Meta-Create: we are not training machines that pass exams, nor critics who only watch from the sidelines. We are cultivating creators.

这也正是元创的核心：我们不是在培养会考试的机器，也不是在培养只会批评的旁观者，而是在培养创造者。

I remember my last day in Zambia. As I was leaving the school where I had volunteered, a group of children ran up and hugged me, saying in Chinese: "Ni hao." "I love you." A little girl held my hand and asked: "Will you come back?" I said: "I don't know if we'll meet again. But love is always with us."

我想起在赞比亚的最后一天，我要离开做志愿者的学校时，一群孩子跑过来抱住我，用中文说"你好""爱你"。一个小女孩拉着我的手问："你还会回来吗？"我说："我不知道我们会不会再见，但爱一直在我们身边。"

This is what I want to say to everyone who has read this far. In this era of uncertainty, we are all people groping through great waves. But please believe: the fire inside you, however faint, is enough to set your sails.

这也是我想对每一个读到这里的你说的话。在这个充满不确定的时代，我们都是在巨浪中摸索的人。但请相信，你内心的那团火，哪怕微弱，也足以扬帆。

Just as at fifteen I believed the NASA scientist would reply. At sixteen I believed I could earn a full scholarship. At eighteen I believed I could reach Everest Base Camp in winter. At nineteen I believed taking leave was the right choice. At twenty I believed I could cross conflict zones alone with a backpack. At twenty-one I believed young people can create new models of education.

就像我15岁时相信NASA科学家会回信，16岁时相信自己可以被全奖录取，18岁时相信冬天可以去登珠峰大本营，19岁时相信休学是对的选择，20岁时相信一个人背包可以穿越战区，21岁时相信年轻人可以创造教育新模式。

These acts of belief have strung together my life, making me who I am today. And the Youth Meta-Create Initiative is just the beginning of believing and creating together.

这些"相信"串起了我的生命，让我成为今天的自己。而「青年元创计划」，就是我们一起相信、一起创造的开始。

I once saw heaven and earth in mountains, forests, and deserts. I saw all beings in conflict zones and refugee camps. Now, I want to accompany you in seeing yourself— the you with infinite possibility, waiting to create good new things.

我曾在雪山、森林和沙漠中见天地，在战区和难民营里见众生。现在，我想陪你见自己——那个有无限可能、等待创造美好新东西的自己。