Before 2022

I was born in Changzhou, Jiangsu, China, on February 27, 2000. My kindergarten teacher gave me the English name Robin. I guess that was fair, since I did look and behave like a little girl… My childhood was free from social media, and I grew up in a small water town, so the first 12 years of my life were very peaceful. I spent most of my childhood with my grandparents. They are typical working-class Chinese people—hardworking and able to fix almost anything. My grandpa was a lead engineer at an excavator factory, and my grandma was a textile worker. Both of them genuinely loved their underpaid jobs. Growing up in this environment, I became interested in figuring out how things worked and fixing them when they were not functioning properly. After I finished elementary school, my parents took me to Shanghai for better educational resources. My middle school teacher gave me the English name James. I never asked her why. I guess it was simply because James is a popular name.

A memory from Shanghai 1
Happy Birthday, Robin!
A memory from Shanghai 2
I still dream about these guys occationally
A memory from Shanghai 3
The Desk I have been sitting at for six years. I can still feel pressure just by looking it
A memory from Shanghai 4
The sky is always breathtaking when I look up
A memory from Shanghai 5
I used to ride to cycle along the Huangpu River in high school
A memory from Shanghai 6
Me at top right 8
A memory from Shanghai 7
Learned about Friendship
A memory from Shanghai 8
Learned about Love
A memory from Shanghai 9
Bizarre graduation ceremony in pandemic (Me at top right 1)