My Chinese teacher was Wang Yichen (王浥尘). Her given name comes from the Tang dynasty line:
"渭城朝雨浥轻尘。"
Morning rain in Weicheng dampens the light dust.
I've never heard a more beautiful name.
Over the years, I wrote down the things my Chinese teacher said in class. Looking back, I remember her voice more clearly than most of the exams we took.
"Not everyone has a bright future."
"The only thing I was good at in high school was admitting I wasn't."
"When I saw my history teacher cry, I realised I had done something wrong."
"Some people avoid trying because it gives them an excuse: I could have done better if I'd tried. The truth is, they're afraid to discover what happens if they give everything they have and it's still not enough."
"The people who are truly working hard never complain about working hard."
"You spend all your time complaining that Classical Chinese is complicated, pointless, and awful. But when you can't even understand these texts in the first place, you have neither the right nor the privilege to grow tired of them."
"Losing the ability to appreciate beauty is a tragedy.
At the very least, as Chinese people."
"Know yourself. Be kind to yourself."
"Don't prepare your escape before the challenge has even begun."
"When I arrived at Peking University, everyone else went to registration. I went to the Temple of Earth instead. Later, I realised that even the places I had longed for weren't as perfect as I'd imagined."
"My dream was to stay a child forever. I spent years trying not to grow up. Then one day I realised that the moment you notice you don't want to grow up... you've already grown."
"During military training at Peking University, I buried a chair somewhere on campus. If any of you ever get into PKU, call me. I'll tell you where it is."
"I became a teacher because I wanted to find that feeling again. Thank you for letting me be a child again in Classroom 14."
On the last day of class, she left us with one final sentence.
"No matter what happens later, you'll always be the best class I've ever taught."