While cleaning up disk space, I stumbled upon recordings of myself playing guitar from years ago. Listening to one of them transported me back to an evening in 2013. Dusk was falling. I had set up the ironing board in my room, finished pressing a shirt, and was in high spirits. I picked up the electric guitar leaning against the wall, opened Voice Memo on my phone, and rested it on the ironing board in front of me. I played alone, lost in the night.

A year later, I moved to Beijing with a friend to start a business. The relentless pace of work filled every gap in life – nothing but overtime and studying. That sapphire-blue electric guitar lay quietly in its black case the whole time. Then came marriage, a new apartment. The guitar case was stashed high on a shelf, forgotten. Years later, during the long stretches of working from home during the pandemic, I remembered this old friend. I dug through closets until I found it. The same sapphire blue as before – but the young man who once played it was gone.

BEYOND - Glorious Years (Intro)

BEYOND - Glorious Years (Outro)

BEYOND - No More Hesitation

BEYOND - Who Will Journey with Me

Chen Chusheng - Has Anyone Ever Told You