Blog Posts

I always feel that I became a mathematician accidentally. But in retrospect, since I was a kid, I did read serial books about mathematics and mathematicians and has always been drawn to a career and life in mathematics. Below are the books which ignore my interest. Nature’s Numbers: The Unreal Reality Of Mathematics Nature’s Numbers This book by Ian Stewart has some interesting facts about the nature of mathematics. It has been decades since I read it, but I still remember that I was awe-filled when I learned form the book that Fibonacci sequences appear the arrangement of a pine cone....

I’ve been a vegan for over three years, and I’ve lived in Kunshan, Jiangsu, China, for the past two years. Adopting a vegan lifestyle is no trivial feat anywhere in the world, but it feels even more challenging here compared to Sweden, where I used to reside. Here’s what I’ve learned about being a vegan in China. Finding Vegan Food in Restaurants Recommended Restaurants Restaurants that I recommend (see details below) include —...

Having recently read through Robert Wright’s book ‘Why Buddhism is True,’ I was impressed by Buddhism’s intricate comprehension of human psychology. While the book doesn’t directly set Buddhism against Stoicism, my previous exposure to Stoic made me see how the two philosophies could complement each other. Stoicism, particularly its modern interpretations, claims that achieving eudaimonia - the good life - implies “living according to one’s nature.” Stoics define our nature as being “social and rational....

While living in Sweden, a friend asked me, “Do you know if this recipe is authentic? I found it on the Internet, and I’m not sure if it’s reliable.” She likely assumed a Chinese person would know more about Chinese cooking than random food bloggers on the Internet. But I playfully replied with feigned seriousness, “Where do you think I learned to cook?” “From the Internet? 😲” “Of course!” It was a joke, but it was also the truth....

在瑞典生活时，一个朋友问我：“你知道这道菜是正宗的吗？我在网上找到的，但我不确定这个来源是否可靠。” 她可能认为一个中国人对中国烹饪的了解要比网上随便一个美食博主更多。 但我玩笑似地带着一丝假装的严肃回答：“你觉得我是在哪里学会做饭的？” “在网上？😲” “当然了！” 这是个玩笑，但也是事实。 在中国时，我几乎从不不下厨。 直到我去加拿大留学，才开始为自己做饭。 所以，我学到的大部分菜谱，无论是中式还是其他口味，都是从互联网上学来的。 麻婆豆腐，是我家乡四川省的一道辣味浓郁的菜肴。 这道菜的名字来源于制作这道菜的老妇人（婆婆 pópo）脸上有麻子（麻子 mázi）的形象。 麻婆豆腐的特点是由四川花椒、辣椒和豆瓣酱的独特组合带来的辛辣、麻辣和美味的口感。 虽然我对这道菜很熟悉，但我的瑞典朋友提洛（Tilo），一个四川菜的爱好者，教会了我如何完美地烹制它。 他对四川花椒特别喜爱，因为它们能让你的舌头产生一种独特的麻痹感。 因此，麻婆豆腐，这种花椒丰富的菜肴，很快成了他的最爱之一。 提洛分享了几个提高这道菜口感的小技巧，于是它成为我们周末聚会的必备菜，总是受到朋友们的欢迎。 离开瑞典几年后，我开始怀念在那里度过的时光。 在我妈妈的帮助下，我尝试用提洛的食谱重新制作这道菜，并给他发了一张照片。 他立刻认出来了——“麻婆豆腐？”“是的，用你的食谱做的！”“成功了吗？”“成功了，😃。” 这道简单美味的菜肴可以轻松制作成纯素食。下面是提洛的食谱。 两人份的食材 — 350克嫩豆腐 1厘米生姜 2瓣大蒜 一把四川花椒 1根葱 2汤匙郫县豆瓣酱（一种用发酵的蚕豆制成的辣酱。也是四川产的。） 一撮胡椒 5到10个干香菇 1茶匙淀粉 5汤匙食用油 第一步 - 香菇 传统的麻婆豆腐是用猪肉末来增加口感的。 作为纯素者，我通常用干香菇作为替代。 它们有一种肉质的香气和口感，是很好的肉类替代品。 用冷水泡30分钟，或者直到它们变软，可以切碎。 如果你赶时间，可以用开水泡香菇，这样只需等待15分钟。 （我妈妈坚信，对这些事情遵循严格的时间限制是愚蠢的。 所以我们就要等多以时间进行了激烈的辩论。 所以，请不要太认真对待这些数字。😉） 第二步 - 切碎和切割 将大蒜、生姜、 葱和香菇切得很细。这个部分很简单。 切嫩豆腐的部分较为具有挑战性。打开一盒嫩豆腐时，沿着四个侧面切一下，沿着盒子的边缘切。将盒子倒扣在切菜板上。轻轻敲击盒子底部，直到豆腐和盒子分离。 ⚠️ 这一步需要耐心。急于求成可能会导致豆腐破碎，如下图所示。（豆腐的外观并不影响其口感，所以除非你是个完美主义者，否则这并不是一个重要的问题。） 将豆腐切成1.5厘米的方块。 第三步 - 准备豆腐 这是提洛的第一个窍门。嫩豆腐通常很容易碎，容易变得一团糟。将豆腐在水中煮沸一分钟，会使其稍微变得更加结实，同时去掉一些苦味，尽可能保持豆腐内部的细腻口感。 第四步 - 炒食材 在一个大炒锅中加热5汤匙的食用油（如果担心腰围，可以适当减少用油量）。将四川花椒、大蒜和生姜放入锅中， 翻炒至香味散发出来。加入香菇翻炒至变色。 将锅中的所有东西推到一边，露出锅底。加入两汤匙郫县豆瓣酱，翻炒片刻，直到闻到香味。 第五步 - 加入豆腐 轻轻将豆腐加入锅中。加入足够的水，让豆腐半浸没其中。加入大部分的葱，撒上一小撮胡椒。盖上锅盖，煮沸五分钟。然后，溶解一茶匙淀粉，用来勾芡。 将菜盖好，放入一个大碗中，静置15分钟，让豆腐吸收更多的味道。 第六步 - 四川花椒的魔力 这是提洛的第二个窍门。在上菜前，将几颗四川花椒放入不加油的煎锅中，炒至脆口。然后，用食品加工机或研钵和研杵将其磨成粉末。（如果没有这两样工具，可以用纸巾盖住花椒，放在切菜板上，用刀柄碾碎。）将新鲜制成的四川花椒粉撒在菜上，使其散发出特别诱人的香气。...

I recently give two seminars for DKU’s Discrete Math Seminar on Stein’s method. Here are my slides for the 1st talk and the 2nd talk.

The Sixth Tone is an English news website covering stories in China. A DKU (Duke Kunshan University) student just won a writing contest organized by them with an essay titled Moxa, Receipt, Money, and Generations. It is a candid and touching account on how her father’s obsession with moxa damaged their family. This makes me think that perhaps many of our students also similar family issues. If you are in such a situation, reading the memoir The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls might be helpful....

A student recently told me, when they first read my post on climate change, they found the issue very far away from them. But when the recent heatwave (summer 2022) hits, they realized that climate change might be the defining issue of their generation. Here I share a few articles which may hopeful wake-up more young people. Heatwave in China is the most severe ever recorded in the world China heatwave: scorching temperatures and severe drought – in pictures China’s Heat Wave Is Hitting Its Agricultural Sector Hard A Shocking Visualization of the Heatwave

DKU bulletin: Embark on an Exciting Journey! Download the DKU (Duke Kunshan University) bulletin and explore your path ahead. Delve into Part 3: The Curriculum and Part 6: Academic Procedures and Information. Don’t miss Part 10: Majors and Courses as it may spark inspiration for your future passions. Course Selections: Your Path to Success Your first term is filled with opportunities: In the first 7-week session, you can embrace up to 8 credits including an engaging four-credit course, an exciting language course, and a PE course to keep you energized!...

My uncle Mike (Michael J O’Connor) passed away this week. I have only met Mike once in person when I visited Atlanta a couple years ago. It was a brief visit, but Mike’s hospitality made me feel very welcomed. He took me for lunch at Whole Food and had a walk with me in a beautiful park. The morning when I was having breakfast with him at his home, he showed me deer in his backyard with the excitement of a child....