National Library

I went to the National Library first. At the main entry an exhibition of Chinese writing history. Make sure you have a Chinese speaker with you. I was lucky.

Zizhuyuan Park

Located immediately behind the library. Very green and well maintained. Different types of trees seldom or never seen in Europe. Bamboo everywhere. A place to rest and to reflect. I have always treated bamboo with reverence. Today I found that I am not alone.

Bamboo Youth

Just learned about the emergence of the "竹系青年" (Bamboo-style Youth) concept. This is a cultural phenomenon where young people in China identify with bamboo's characteristics to navigate modern pressures.

For this generation, bamboo represents a philosophy of strategic flexibility rather than rigid endurance. In the face of overwhelming stress, it's about knowing when to bend, conserve energy, and wait for the right moment to spring back—a concept that reframes "lying flat" (躺平) as a temporary, tactical retreat for future growth. This "from rigid to flexible" wisdom is seen as a form of psychological resilience, or "bamboo-like resilience," which is even being integrated into modern psychology as a culturally adapted way to build mental toughness.