马未都划定个人成就界限 称超常努力难破70分天赋天花板

马未都划定个人成就界限 称超常努力难破70分天赋天花板 个人经由极端勤勉仅能将能力推至70分及格线，能否突破平庸全凭先天悟性与走心投入，缺乏自知之明的盲目坚持只会沦为无谓消耗。 节目上半段从老山汉墓、梁庄王墓等真实考古与盗墓破获案例切入，深入拆解了流沙墓、自来石以及崖墓巨型塞石等古代防盗工程的实相与技术智慧。随后，话题转向个体天资与潜能的界限辨析，借由器物隐喻与盲人回声定位等极端案例，探讨专注“走心”对激发人体机能的关键作用。后半段则围绕穷游与荒野漫游展开，从湘西求生、秦岭夜饮到中亚天山绝境脱险，反思现代数字游牧精神与主动追寻不便的哲学，鼓励年轻人在高度内卷的世俗规训之外勇敢走向世界的边缘。 古代墓葬防盗机制以流沙塌方与高精度巨石塞等重度物理防御为主，而传闻中的水银江河或机关毒气多属后世夸张，且多数重大考古发掘实源于现代工程施工的意外发现。 (6:53) 马未都提出能力评估的“打分法则”：系统培养与超常努力最高可达70分瓶颈，70分至满分的顶尖表现则纯粹依赖先天生理特质与行业悟性。 (28:24) 人体潜在机能在极端生存逆境与高度专注的“走心”状态下可实现跨感官代偿与认知爆发，例如盲人依靠回声定位自如穿行街道。 (32:32) 从60年代跨国漫游到当代数字游民，主动忍受严苛地理与现实不便被视为打破智性傲慢、剥离社会身份面具并重构生命意义的有效路径。 (56:30)

Across discussions of archaeology, personal aptitude, and existential travel, the speakers argue that rigid societal conventions and mythic narratives crumble under empirical friction—revealing that historical tomb defenses routinely failed, personal achievement requires calibrating inherent gifts rather than forcing blind persistence, and authentic living demands embracing deliberate discomfort over scripted career pathways. Archaeological Reality Dispels Mythic Tomb Defenses (6:53) Historical accounts frequently elevate imperial burial defenses to invincible lore, yet archaeological reality demonstrates that ancient physical barriers were rudimentary and vulnerable. While soil tests across Qin Shi Huang's tumulus confirmed mercury concentrations hundreds of times above baseline, the speaker dismisses poetic accounts of vast liquid oceans as physical impossibility, attributing hazardous subterranean environments to volatile toxic vapors, biological decay, and unventilated stagnation. Mechanical safeguards fared no better against basic ingenuity: the self-locking gate stone (zilaishi) of Ming imperial tombs like Dingling was defeated by archaeologists using an iron wire loop, whereas looters bypassed the Guishan Han tomb's 26 multi-ton limestone plug stones by simply carving around them through the surrounding mountain bedrock. Furthermore, the preservation of ancient royal vaults has historically depended on serendipity rather than engineered defense. In contrast to the adage that 'nine out of ten Han tombs are empty,' the few pristine royal discoveries—the Mancheng Han tomb blasted open during 1968 military tunneling, Mawangdui found during 1971 municipal construction, and the Nanyue King mausoleum struck during 1983 dormitory excavations—were saved by accidental discoveries rather than foiled looting. Even at Prince Liangzhuang's tomb, which suffered dynamite blasting during the 2001 Spring Festival, the preservation of roughly 5,100 relics and 20 kilograms of gold was secured by mud, floodwaters, and sudden village disruption rather than internal mechanical traps. Calibrating Inherent Talent Against Crisis-Activated Potential (23:26) The speakers evaluate human achievement through an aptitude scale where standard education and diligence reliably achieve a 60- or 70-point baseline, but advancing to the 100-point summit depends entirely on innate gifts. When an individual lacks organic intuition (wuxing), mechanical practice produces mere craftsmanship without expressive soul. Consequently, knowing when to retreat (zhinan ertui) is framed as wisdom rather than cowardice—demonstrated by entrepreneur Wang Xuehong abandoning violin study after three months to pursue economics. Clinging to fields where one lacks aptitude wastes irreplaceable time and tortures both the practitioner and their audience. In contrast to specialized talent, latent potential exists universally and remains dormant until triggered by extreme necessity or focused intentionality (yongxin). Congenitally blind tuner Chen Yan mastered spatial echolocation without a white cane after intense auditory conditioning with dropped coins and popsicles, while Ma Weidu memorized intricate biographies of dozens of honorees at the Great Hall of the People by taking the task deeply to heart. This dynamic is symbolized by the hollow early Ming porcelain vessel Wu-Dang Zun: its name serves as a homophone for moving through society completely unobstructed once innate talent and awakened potential are liberated. The Value of Deliberate Discomfort in Travel (56:30) Encountering authentic human culture cannot be achieved through packaged tourism, where outsider observation inevitably turns organic rituals into staged performances. Instead, profound psychological impressions arise from physical hardship, linguistic disorientation, and unfamiliar terrain. Citing Japanese rock guitarist Tomoyasu Hotei—who composed restrictive arrangements barring thumb usage to force novel playing breakthroughs—the dialogue highlights deliberate friction as an aesthetic tool that strips away superficial intellectual abstractions and dissolves cultural complacency. This friction peaks when travelers face absolute existential vulnerability. Recounting an unexpected alpine hailstorm in Kyrgyzstan's Tian Shan mountains, a speaker describes confronting a complete 360-degree panorama devoid of roads, utility poles, or any human footprint, before being rescued by mounted Kyrgyz herders. Such encounters with raw nature dismantle illusions of modern self-sufficiency, instilling geographic humility by demonstrating how climate and physical topography govern human survival. Escaping Social Prescriptions Through Simulated Disappearance (60:26) Solitary, untethered wandering operates as a simulated disappearance, allowing travelers to shed rigid social masks, professional reputations, and domestic obligations in environments where nobody knows them. Linking 1960s counterculture wanderers and Taiwanese author Shu Kuo-chih—who traveled across all fifty American states on a shoestring budget—to contemporary digital nomads, the speakers critique the existential trap of executing every conventional life milestone with hyper-focused purpose only to find the accumulated result hollow in old age. While previous generations were bound to conventional employment by severe survival imperatives, contemporary material baselines afford modern youths the freedom to question uniform rat races. Rather than competing endlessly for corporate status in overcrowded metropolitan centers, departing toward the geographical and social margins is affirmed as a valid, life-affirming choice that trades institutional conformity for genuine personal discovery. The source leaves unresolved whether modern digital nomads can sustain long-term autonomy on society's margins, or whether relentless commercial packaging and economic competition will ultimately absorb unscripted wanderlust back into conventional tourist spectacles.

[0:00] We're robbing a tomb. [15:44] It's incredible, it's full of gold! [15:44] Han mu shi shi jiu kong [23:26] 我孩子弹得跟录音带一模一样，凭什么不给及格？ [26:11] 知难而进 [26:11] 明知山有虎，偏向虎山行 [48:36] 远方的客人，你们的光临蓬荜生辉。我先喝为敬

[0:00] You certainly can't go tomb raiding at [0:01] Babaoshan; those buried there are all [0:03] people from after the Liberation. [0:04] Before the Liberation, Babaoshan was [0:06] already a cemetery. There is another [0:08] hill next to Babaoshan. What is this [0:11] hill called? It's called Laoshan. [0:14] Professional archaeologists had [0:16] actually surveyed this Laoshan hill [0:18] next to Babaoshan and concluded that [0:20] there definitely weren't any Han [0:22] dynasty tombs there. Since the Laoshan [0:25] area is right next to Babaoshan, there [0:27] aren't any residential districts there. [0:30] So, in 1999, two young men went there. [0:33] These two were quite interesting—they [0:35] arrived with no equipment at all, just [0:37] shielding their eyes with their hands [0:39] like Sun Wukong, took one look, and [0:41] said, "This must be a big tomb, let's [0:43] just dig it up." The two of them worked [0:46] under the cover of darkness. How long [0:48] did they dig for? They probably dug for [0:50] about ten to twenty days. The dirt they [0:52] dug up was piled off to the side. We [0:54] always say the devil is in the details, [0:57] and these guys were undone by the [0:59] details. When they piled the dirt up, [1:01] once it reached a certain height, they [1:03] moved to a different spot. Why did they [1:06] switch spots? It was because piling it [1:08] any higher was becoming too much effort [1:09] . Just think, dirt goes to higher [1:11] ground, and you end up standing on [1:12] loose soil; the higher you pile, the [1:13] harder it gets, so they figured, " [1:15] There's plenty of space." So they just [1:17] dumped the dirt elsewhere. After 20 [1:19] days, there were mounds one after [1:22] another, all over the place. Two old [1:26] ladies were out for their morning [1:28] exercise, walking along, and when they [1:31] got there, they saw what looked like a [1:33] bunch of new graves. They thought, " [1:35] Burial isn't allowed now, everyone has [1:37] to be cremated, and you're right next [1:39] to Babaoshan doing this?" The old [1:41] ladies hurried back. What did they go [1:44] back for? To report it to the police. [1:46] The police station had to respond; not [1:48] responding would be dereliction of duty [1:50] , so the officers followed the ladies [1:52] back. Once they arrived, they saw the [1:54] fresh dirt, poked it with a stick, and [1:57] realized it was loose—it didn't look [1:59] like anyone had been buried there. They [2:01] were just feeling puzzled. Suddenly, [2:03] those two brothers crawled out from the [2:05] ground. They climbed right out in front [2:07] of the police. The police looked at [2:09] them and asked, "What are you two doing [2:11] ?" The two of them just came clean, [2:13] saying, "We're robbing a tomb." At that [2:16] point, they were only 60 centimeters [2:18] away from the tomb chamber. They were [2:21] taken to the police station. I actually [2:25] met them there later, and at the time I [2:28] even pleaded for them, saying these two [2:30] hadn't managed to accomplish anything. [2:34] I asked, can we do this in the future? [2:38] Do the survey for the country without a [2:41] salary or equipment, just left to fend [2:44] for ourselves, getting everything done [2:46] —and in the end, who was actually [2:49] happy? First, the Institute of [2:51] Archaeology was happy; second, CCTV was [2:54] happy. The Institute said, "Great." As [2:57] for the preparation, CCTV said, "Let's [2:59] find a way to broadcast it live [3:01] immediately." In 2000, during the final [3:04] excavation of the Laoshan Han Tomb, it [3:07] was broadcast live by China Central [3:10] Television. We spent eight months on [3:12] preparations, built a large canopy, and [3:15] got the site just about ready. Our [3:18] professional archaeologists then went [3:21] down. Once down there, with one tap, [3:24] they were into the burial chamber. You [3:27] have to pay attention here—the former [3:30] was tomb raiding. This tap, however, is [3:34] archaeology. There are many tombs of [3:40] princes in the Ming Dynasty, princes [3:42] who were direct relatives of the [3:44] Emperor. For instance, in 2001, we had [3:47] the tomb of Prince Liangzhuang in [3:50] Zhongxiang, Hubei, which is very famous [3:52] . It’s not famous because the person [3:55] buried there was famous, but because [3:57] the artifacts unearthed were incredibly [3:59] beautiful and worldly. How was this [4:02] tomb discovered? It’s quite [4:04] interesting. It was 2001, during the [4:07] Spring Festival. These tomb raiders [4:09] knew how to pick their time; while [4:10] you’re busy celebrating the holiday, [4:12] you’re off your guard. And what else [4:13] do you do during the holiday? You set [4:16] off firecrackers. You do it for [4:18] celebration, but they do it to blast [4:20] open the tomb. So, they set off a blast [4:22] . Right, that one blast. With that [4:24] blast, everyone came out, asking, "Who [4:25] set off that firecracker? That was a [4:27] huge commotion." Once people came out, [4:29] those tomb raiders ran away. After they [4:31] ran, the locals saw that Prince [4:33] Liangzhuang’s tomb had been blasted [4:34] open, and they got worried. Well, they [4:36] reported it up to the county, the [4:38] province, and all the way to the [4:39] National Cultural Heritage [4:40] Administration. The Administration saw [4:43] that it couldn't be protected any [4:45] longer, so they authorized a rescue [4:48] excavation. Some people saw the state [4:50] of the damage from the explosion and [4:52] felt that it was likely doomed. At that [4:54] point, they opened it up, cleared it [4:56] bit by bit, and opened the tomb passage [4:58] . It turned out there was deep water [5:00] inside, over two meters deep. It was [5:02] foul water, not crystal clear, so you [5:04] couldn't see anything. Then, several [5:06] pumps were brought in to pump it out. [5:08] Then, when it was pumped to a certain [5:10] level, we suddenly saw textiles emerge. [5:12] I saw a piece of textile this big, and [5:14] I thought, "Oh my." The muddy water [5:16] obscured everything, so we used a small [5:18] tray to scoop up a piece of silk, [5:19] thinking, "Oh my, a significant silk [5:21] artifact!" Upon seeing the result, I [5:23] took it. I rinsed it with clear water; [5:25] no matter how I looked at it, it [5:27] resembled a towel. After a thorough [5:28] wash, I realized it was indeed a towel, [5:30] and someone’s heart surely went cold. [5:32] You have to wonder, were the grave [5:33] robbers actually working that hard? [5:35] Maybe they were drenched in sweat and [5:36] used this towel to wipe it off. But [5:38] what was the outcome? Once the water [5:40] was completely pumped out, we found [5:42] nothing had been touched. The large [5:44] gold basins and gold items were still [5:47] in their original places—though they [5:49] had shifted slightly due to the water, [5:51] they remained inside. They were baffled [5:54] , wondering how the towel had gotten in [5:56] there. Later, after on-site analysis, [6:01] it was believed that at the moment the [6:03] grave robbers used explosives, the high [6:06] pressure forced half the towel through [6:09] the gaps in the tomb’s brickwork, [6:11] blasting it into the chamber. As the [6:15] water was pumped out, its gradual [6:17] movement carried the towel from the [6:19] front into the tomb passage. So, that [6:22] is likely how the towel got there. Now, [6:24] how many artifacts were unearthed here? [6:27] You'll be stunned to hear it: it's a [6:30] Ming Dynasty tomb. 5,100 pieces. Of the [6:35] 5,000-plus items unearthed, the most [6:38] important are the gold objects, with a [6:41] total estimated weight of 20 kilograms, [6:44] as many are inlaid with gemstones. [6:48] There are also over 1,400 jade [6:51] artifacts. Before the Spring and Autumn [6:54] period, there was no real awareness of [6:57] anti-theft measures in our burials. [7:01] Grave robbing became rampant largely [7:04] after the chaos of the Warring States [7:06] period, especially by the Han Dynasty, [7:08] when it turned into a profession. [7:12] Before that, people were constrained by [7:14] social norms, and the rites of the Zhou [7:17] Dynasty exerted a great influence on [7:19] people. In the past, we said that the [7:21] worst thing a person could do was to [7:23] dig up someone else's ancestral grave; [7:25] that was considered the ultimate evil. [7:27] Therefore, throughout history, grave [7:29] robbing has been condemned by all. The [7:33] most frenzied periods of grave robbing [7:36] in history have always coincided with [7:38] the times when social order was at its [7:41] most chaotic. When society loses [7:45] control, many people fixate on the [7:48] wealth buried underground. Because of [7:52] the rise in grave robbing, tombs after [7:55] the Han Dynasty began to consider [7:57] anti-theft measures, the simplest of [8:00] which was burying them deeper. The [8:03] deeper you bury it, the harder it [8:04] becomes to dig up. Of course, some [8:06] might say, "You want to bury it deep? [8:08] Fine, I'll take on the challenge. The [8:10] deeper you bury it, the harder I'll dig [8:11] for it." Since the deeper you bury [8:13] someone, the more valuable they were, [8:15] and the more valuable the unearthed [8:17] items are, I must dig toward them. What [8:20] should be done? So, the ancients [8:22] invented a type of tomb, which is [8:24] called a "quicksand tomb." They would [8:26] fill the five directions—front, back, [8:28] left, right, and above—of the tomb [8:30] with quicksand. Generally, this layer [8:32] of quicksand needs to be two or three [8:34] meters deep; if it's too shallow, [8:35] it’s useless. A layer of only 30 [8:37] centimeters is completely ineffective. [8:40] When there is such a thick layer of [8:42] quicksand, once a grave robber digs [8:44] into it, the hole gets filled instantly [8:46] , and you might even pay with your life [8:49] . Some quicksand tombs also contain [8:51] hundreds of pounds of irregular rocks. [8:54] Once you are hit by one of these rocks, [8:56] you will meet an untimely death. So, [8:59] some might say, "Isn't it just a [9:01] quicksand tomb?" The grave robbers have [9:03] their ways. Didn't you say it's covered [9:05] on all sides? They would dig a tunnel [9:08] from a far distance away. Tunneling [9:10] underneath and then coming up from [9:13] below. They avoid destroying your [9:16] quicksand. But regarding quicksand [9:19] tombs, the costs are enormous. Just [9:22] imagine, after burying the owner, they [9:24] have to fill the surrounding areas with [9:27] so much sand. And since this sand has [9:30] to be transported from very far away, [9:32] the cost is high. We haven't found many [9:35] quicksand tombs in history, nor have we [9:37] seen how effective they really are. [9:39] Then, another type of tomb appeared. [9:42] What is this type? It is the "true and [9:44] false tomb." We all know about Cao [9:46] Cao’s 72 tombs. The method for true [9:48] and false tombs is to set up multiple [9:50] graves so you get confused. You want to [9:52] rob them? Go ahead and search for one. [9:55] Perhaps all 72 are fake, and I have a [9:57] real one elsewhere; regardless, you [9:59] won't find it. Another kind of true and [10:02] false tomb isn't that type, but rather [10:05] creating a fake coffin inside the same [10:08] tomb. Usually, they would place the [10:11] fake coffin near the surface, right on [10:13] top. Then, they would dig deeper into [10:18] the tomb, placing the actual remains at [10:21] the very bottom. So when some grave [10:25] robbers enter, they lift the coffin lid [10:28] , only to see it's empty. "Did someone [10:30] come before us and rob it already?" [10:32] They would then leave, disheartened. So [10:35] , they might use this true and false [10:37] method to escape a disaster. But in [10:42] reality, the methods used by the [10:44] ancients in tombs are limited, the most [10:47] famous being the legendary mercury in [10:50] the Qin Emperor’s tomb, forming [10:52] rivers and seas. Is there really [10:56] mercury? When modern archaeologists [10:59] surveyed the area near the Qin [11:01] Emperor's mausoleum, they found mercury [11:04] levels in the soil hundreds of times [11:06] higher than normal. This proves the [11:10] historical records are credible, but [11:12] the idea of a vast sea of mercury [11:15] inside the tomb is unbelievable; they [11:17] couldn't have had such a massive [11:19] quantity, though some might have been [11:22] poured in. Mercury evaporates very [11:25] quickly, and once it turns into mercury [11:28] vapor, that vapor is toxic. So, this [11:30] toxic gas was exaggerated by scholars [11:33] into a powerful, lethal weapon, but in [11:36] reality, much of the gas in tomb [11:38] passages is natural, such as from [11:41] microorganisms in unventilated spaces. [11:44] Therefore, all these so-called [11:46] anti-grave robbing measures, when [11:48] viewed from a modern scientific [11:51] perspective, are just rumors and [11:53] exaggerations—a cultural phenomenon. [11:56] In a sense, these phenomena were all [11:59] meant to scare off grave robbers. In [12:02] our actual archaeological process, we [12:05] rarely see any of these; what is the [12:08] only thing we actually find? It is the [12:11] "gate-blocking stone." When we look at [12:16] the Dingling Tomb, once the emperor was [12:19] laid to rest, the last person left the [12:21] tomb and closed the gate, which was [12:23] propped up from behind by a stone. When [12:28] the door closed, this stone would slide [12:30] into place and get stuck. There is a [12:33] groove on top, so once it's jammed, it [12:35] cannot be moved; it is impossible to [12:37] push the door open. So, what method did [12:39] our archaeologists use to open it? It [12:42] was simple: they hooked it with a wire [12:44] and pulled, popping it right open. [12:47] Large tombs from the later eras are [12:49] quite common; for instance, in Xuzhou, [12:51] you have the famous Guishan and [12:53] Shizishan Han tombs. Anyone with the [12:55] chance to visit Xuzhou must go see the [12:58] Guishan Han Tomb. After seeing it, you [13:00] will feel quite shocked; I know I was [13:03] very shocked when I went. It is carved [13:05] into a mountain, and Xuzhou has many [13:07] mountains where the stone is [13:09] exceptionally hard—it’s all [13:11] limestone, very, very hard. It features [13:14] anti-theft measures not seen before the [13:16] Spring and Autumn period. What are they [13:18] ? It sounds simple, but it is very [13:21] difficult to solve. It is a "plug." In [13:26] the tomb passage, depending on its [13:28] width, there are 13 of these giant [13:30] stones per layer, with two layers [13:33] totaling 26 pieces; each piece is [13:35] larger and thicker than this table. [13:38] Each stone weighs approximately six or [13:41] seven tons. When these stones are [13:43] stacked together, you cannot even [13:45] insert a coin between them. Then, they [13:48] used manual labor to push these stones [13:50] into the tomb passage all at once. [13:53] Since they were basically the same size [13:55] as the passage, there was no way to get [13:58] them out. Once the tomb owner was [14:01] buried and everything was finished, [14:03] they would push all these stones into [14:06] the passage at once. In other words, [14:08] even if you found this passage, you [14:10] couldn't pry out the twenty-six or so [14:13] stones, each weighing six or seven tons [14:15] . How would you get them out? We have a [14:18] way to get them out. It’s quite [14:21] daunting. How do we, people of today, [14:24] get them out? We look at the [14:27] cross-section of the stone facing [14:29] outward. We drill a "nostril" hole. [14:32] What is a "nostril" hole? On this flat [14:35] surface, we drill diagonally from the [14:37] top side, and then diagonally from the [14:39] bottom side, until it punches through. [14:41] After it punches through, we attach a [14:43] steel cable to pull the stone out. [14:45] Today, we can pull them out because we [14:47] have the power of the state and aren't [14:49] concerned with the time cost. As I said [14:52] at the beginning, the excavation took [14:54] about ten years; tomb raiders don't [14:56] have that kind of patience. Tomb [14:59] raiders wouldn't say, "I'll spend this [15:01] much time and effort," because it [15:03] certainly wouldn't be worth it. So, [15:07] generally speaking, they were helpless [15:10] against it. We imagined they were [15:13] helpless, but after opening the passage [15:16] , we discovered the tomb had still been [15:18] robbed. So how did they get in? They [15:22] looked for spots on the sides where [15:24] they could potentially break through. [15:26] Since you built a tomb passage, didn't [15:29] you? They built one too; they simply [15:31] drilled a hole between the stones and [15:34] crawled inside. This goes to show that [15:38] any anti-tomb-raiding measure is, [15:41] before these thieves—or even [15:43] archaeologists—ultimately...Since the [15:50] founding of our country, how many Han [15:52] dynasty tombs have remained unlooted [15:53] and were later discovered by us by [15:55] chance? There are quite a few. The [15:57] first one discovered was the Mancheng [16:00] Han Tomb in Hebei in 1968. It was [16:02] located about 1.5 kilometers southwest [16:05] of Mancheng County, on Lingshan [16:07] Mountain. Notice the name: "Ling"( [16:09] mausoleum) Mountain; mausoleums are for [16:11] emperors. In 1968, when the People's [16:13] Liberation Army was building a facility [16:14] , a single blast revealed it. It’s [16:16] said that after the soldiers went down, [16:18] they shined a flashlight and were so [16:20] scared they ran back up, shouting, " [16:22] It's incredible, it's full of gold!" [16:24] This Han tomb was specially approved by [16:27] Premier Zhou Enlai, and Guo Moruo, then [16:30] President of the Chinese Academy of [16:32] Sciences, personally directed the site. [16:35] This tomb was designed to mirror a [16:38] grand palace. Its accidental discovery [16:43] shocked scholars, as we all know the [16:45] old saying that "nine out of ten Han [16:48] tombs are empty," so finding an [16:50] unlooted tomb of a feudal lord was [16:52] incredible. So, who was the owner of [16:56] this tomb? It was Liu Sheng, Prince [16:58] Jing of Zhongshan. The Book of Han [17:00] records that he loved wine and women. [17:02] What does that mean? It simply means he [17:04] loved to eat, drink, and enjoy life. [17:05] What were the most significant [17:07] artifacts unearthed here? Everyone is [17:09] familiar with the Changxin Palace Lamp, [17:12] with its graceful posture and [17:14] adjustable shade. The smoke travels [17:17] through the large sleeve and directly [17:19] into water at the base—it's [17:21] completely eco-friendly, with zero PM [17:24] 2.5 emissions. But what is even more [17:27] significant than that? It allowed the [17:30] world to see a gold-thread jade burial [17:32] suit for the first time. Previously, [17:35] these suits were only mentioned in [17:37] ancient texts. In other early tombs, we [17:40] might occasionally find a single [17:42] fragment, but here, an entire [17:44] gold-thread suit was recovered. When [17:46] Mr. Guo Moruo arrived at the site, he [17:48] suggested digging in another direction, [17:51] suspecting another tomb was nearby. [17:53] They dug, and indeed, they found the [17:56] tomb of his wife, Dou Wan. Her tomb was [17:59] even more beautiful. Both husband and [18:04] wife lived very extravagant lives, and [18:07] cleaning the artifacts took a vast [18:09] amount of time. Today, the Hebei Museum [18:15] is primarily built around the artifacts [18:18] from the Mancheng Han tombs. If you [18:22] visit the Hebei Museum today, the [18:24] artifacts from the Mancheng Han tombs [18:26] are a must-see. Since the founding of [18:29] the People's Republic, how many other [18:31] unlooted tombs of Han dynasty feudal [18:34] lords have been excavated? There are [18:36] two others, one being the Mawangdui Han [18:39] tomb in Changsha, discovered in 1971, [18:42] where we know over ten thousand [18:44] artifacts were unearthed. Any [18:46] large-scale Han tomb discovery usually [18:49] yields tens of thousands of artifacts, [18:51] not just thousands. Among the many [18:54] things unearthed, what are people most [18:56] familiar with? It’s the silk products [18:59] . It is said there is a gauze garment [19:01] that weighs only 49 grams from top to [19:03] bottom—less than one tael. If you [19:04] went home and weighed your own [19:06] underwear, I bet it would be heavier [19:08] than that. Inside, there are many [19:10] exquisite lacquerware items for food [19:13] and drink. These tell us a lot, but as [19:17] important as these artifacts are, what [19:20] is even more significant? It was the [19:22] old lady's remains, preserved for 2,000 [19:25] years without decaying. When unearthed, [19:28] the body still had elasticity and her [19:30] hair was still black. It is said that [19:32] after being unearthed, the liquid was [19:34] clear, but it quickly turned black, [19:36] like the color of soy sauce. Everyone [19:38] panicked, quickly removed the remains, [19:41] and performed an autopsy immediately. [19:43] After the autopsy, it was soaked in [19:46] formalin. The third one is the Nanyue [19:48] King's Tomb. If you have a chance to [19:50] visit Guangzhou, spare half a day and [19:52] tell any taxi driver to take you to the [19:54] Museum of the Mausoleum of the Nanyue [19:56] King. They will definitely take you [19:57] there; it's right by the roadside. When [19:59] you enter the Nanyue King's Museum, the [20:02] layout is basically preserved in its [20:04] original state. Aside from the [20:06] exhibition hall, the entire tomb [20:07] passage and everything else can be [20:09] explored. The Nanyue King's tomb is [20:12] relatively small. The Nanyue King, Zhao [20:15] Tuo, was a northerner from Hebei. He [20:17] was sent there by the Qin government. [20:19] We know that people in the past often [20:22] suffered from homesickness, and coming [20:24] straight from Hebei to Guangzhou, one [20:26] would be completely unaccustomed. We [20:29] used to say that the south had "miasma, [20:31] " which refers to that dampness, [20:33] especially for northerners. It wasn't [20:35] comfortable, but Zhao Tuo adjusted very [20:38] well to Guangzhou. He found it [20:40] enjoyable, with flowers and plants, and [20:43] winters that weren't cold. So, he was [20:46] happy there and unwilling to return. In [20:49] this region, far from the central [20:51] government, he declared himself Emperor [20:53] while calling himself King to the [20:55] central authorities. How do we know he [20:58] declared himself Emperor? An imperial [21:00] seal was unearthed in this tomb, and on [21:03] the seal, it says "Emperor Wen." Who is [21:06] this Emperor Wen? It was his grandson, [21:09] named Zhao Mo, also known as Zhao Hu. [21:11] Why didn't any of Zhao Tuo's sons [21:14] inherit the throne? It's because Zhao [21:16] Tuo lived for too long and outlived all [21:19] his sons. His sons just watched and [21:21] waited, but their father lived longer [21:23] than they did, and they all passed away [21:26] first. After they passed, the grandson [21:28] directly succeeded his grandfather. We [21:30] have said before that Chinese emperors [21:32] lived very hard lives. Being an emperor [21:34] meant having great power, but life was [21:36] exhausting; whether you worried or not, [21:38] it took years off your life. Therefore, [21:40] throughout Chinese history, no one who [21:42] served as an emperor lived past the age [21:44] of 90. Zhao Tuo lived well, reigning [21:47] for 67 years and living past 100; he [21:51] was king for 67 years. So, the tomb we [21:54] unearthed, as we mentioned, is his [21:57] grandson Zhao Mo's tomb. But where is [22:00] Zhao Tuo's tomb? Some people know, and [22:03] I have a pretty good idea of where it [22:05] is. Some people speculate, you know, [22:09] that this is how the ancients were. The [22:12] grandson’s tomb wouldn’t have been [22:15] buried randomly; it must have been [22:17] oriented relative to his [22:18] grandfather’s, so some believe Zhao [22:20] Tuo’s tomb is within Yuexiu Mountain [22:23] in present-day Guangzhou. If Zhao [22:26] Tuo’s tomb were discovered, and if it [22:29] hadn’t been looted, then I believe [22:31] the unearthed artifacts would be far [22:33] superior to the Nanyue tomb we have [22:36] today. These three tombs I mentioned [22:38] were all discovered by chance since the [22:40] founding of the nation. For instance, [22:42] the Mancheng Han Tombs were found while [22:44] building military barracks, while the [22:46] Mawangdui Han Tomb in Changsha and this [22:47] Nanyue King’s Tomb were both [22:49] discovered during construction projects [22:50] . Especially the Nanyue King’s tomb; [22:52] the workplace was trying to build a [22:54] dormitory, and as they dug, well, it [22:56] turned out to be empty underneath. So [22:58] these were all accidental discoveries. [23:00] We have many unfortunate cases; [23:02] historically, there are many tombs [23:04] where, for example, you open the [23:06] Laoshan Han Tomb and find nothing left, [23:08] which is very unfortunate, and we don't [23:11] know what happened historically, but [23:13] some are lucky in misfortune, like when [23:15] the Liangzhuang King's tomb was looted, [23:17] the thieves got away with it. [23:20] Subsequent salvage excavations were [23:22] basically still able to achieve our [23:24] scientific archaeological goals; [23:26] potential is luck, and talent is fate [23:29] —it’s either there or it isn’t, [23:31] and you can’t force it. This [23:34] potential is luck, and luck is [23:36] something you can manage yourself. So [23:40] most of the time you need to have a [23:43] self-assessment, to evaluate which [23:45] areas you have, and what is the hardest [23:48] part? It’s that you always feel that [23:52] self-evaluation is particularly [23:53] difficult; you might ask, how is it [23:55] difficult? Because you are at a [23:57] critical tipping point. For example, if [24:00] your talent is 100, then you are a [24:01] genius who can't be held back, and as a [24:03] genius, there’s no need to say much [24:05] more. If your talent is zero, then you [24:07] are an idiot, and you don’t need to [24:10] bother learning; but if my talent is at [24:12] fifty or sixty, sixty or seventy points [24:14] , and you are stuck at this boundary, [24:16] it is indeed difficult to judge for [24:18] yourself, so what should you do? You [24:20] hope to seek help from experts to judge [24:22] for you. For example, in my past as a [24:25] professional literary editor, many [24:27] authors writing novels were simply [24:29] under a misunderstanding. Many old [24:31] editors, out of politeness, would [24:33] encourage them, saying "work hard, [24:35] write more, practice more," but that [24:37] simply won't work, so I would tell them [24:39] directly, "take your time." Go do [24:41] something else; please don’t put [24:43] effort into this, because no amount of [24:45] effort will lead to success here. [24:46] Literature is an art; it requires [24:49] talent and sensibility. If you can't [24:51] even speak clearly, you definitely [24:53] won't make it in literature. Right? For [24:56] example, I’ve seen music exams, music [24:58] exams. Parents bring their children, [25:00] but if the level is high and they [25:02] don’t pass—the teacher won't give [25:04] them a passing grade—the parents get [25:06] upset. The parents say, "My child plays [25:08] exactly like the recording, why isn't [25:10] it good enough?" The teacher says the [25:12] problem is precisely that it's "exactly [25:15] the same." If your technique surpasses [25:17] your sensibility, that’s certainly [25:19] not acceptable. Are there only two [25:21] categories in art? One is your [25:22] sensibility—you say a person has a [25:24] good "feel" for it; that's sensibility. [25:26] The other is technique. If your [25:28] technique in playing an instrument [25:30] exceeds your sensibility, you will [25:31] never truly express yourself; nobody [25:33] cares about your technique. If you have [25:35] a great feel for the music, even if [25:37] there are technical errors, it doesn't [25:39] hinder you. But here is the big problem [25:42] : people say, "I love it," but liking [25:44] it isn't enough. For instance, some [25:46] people tell me they really love [25:48] appraising antiques. When I look at [25:50] them, I see no intuition. You shouldn't [25:52] pursue this for the rest of your life [25:54] because appraising antiques requires an [25:56] extremely keen sensitivity to objects. [25:58] It requires a comprehensive analysis. [26:01] If you can't do that, you'll always be [26:04] stuck in a technical routine, and [26:06] you'll forever remain on the surface. [26:11] Then. So, if a person cannot accurately [26:14] evaluate themselves, then they are just [26:16] wasting their life. Our culture can [26:18] sometimes be quite destructive, with [26:21] the idea of "advancing despite the [26:23] difficulties.""Knowing there are tigers [26:25] in the mountains, but heading toward [26:26] the mountain anyway"—this is an [26:28] important part of our traditional [26:29] culture. Now, about knowing there are [26:31] tigers in the mountains and heading [26:32] there anyway—if you are Wu Song, [26:34] that’s fine. If you aren't Wu Song, [26:36] you’re just a piece of meat, and [26:38] you’ll get eaten, period. So, it [26:39] doesn't mean you must head toward the [26:41] mountain just because there are tigers. [26:43] Retreating in the face of difficulty is [26:45] a choice. If it doesn't work, I'll [26:47] retreat. For example, Taiwan’s [26:49] richest man, Wang Yung-ching, passed [26:51] away some years ago. His daughter, Wang [26:53] Yong-hong, used to study music. She [26:55] said herself, "I studied for three [26:57] months and knew I wasn't cut out for it [26:58] , so I switched to economics." Luckily, [27:00] she switched to economics; that’s a [27:03] smart person. We always talk about [27:04] maximizing strengths and avoiding [27:06] weaknesses, but how do you actually [27:07] avoid your weaknesses? She studied [27:09] economics, eventually succeeded her [27:10] father, and managed the massive [27:12] business empire he left behind. If she [27:13] had stuck with music, she would have [27:15] achieved nothing in music, and today [27:16] she wouldn't be able to run this [27:18] business; you wouldn't accomplish [27:19] anything at all. Right? Assessment [27:22] works like this. The onlooker sees most [27:25] clearly. For instance, if you go to a [27:26] music conservatory and find the best [27:28] professor, after you sing a few notes, [27:29] that professor will surely tell you [27:31] whether you have potential or not. If [27:32] you go to an art academy, a master [27:34] painter will know immediately upon [27:36] seeing you whether you will succeed in [27:38] the future; they will tell you how much [27:40] talent you have, so you can have a [27:42] rough estimate yourself. For example, [27:44] when I was sent to the countryside, [27:45] there was someone among us who liked to [27:47] play the violin. He practiced every day [27:49] , oh my, his playing. The people in the [27:52] whole row of houses couldn't rest; it [27:55] was terrible, but he was incredibly [27:57] diligent. Every day he was the first to [27:59] get up; there in the countryside, he [28:01] would play the violin every single day. [28:04] To be honest, there was absolutely no [28:06] aesthetic sense to it at all. In the [28:09] end, I felt he could never succeed; [28:12] while he was torturing himself, he was [28:14] also torturing the art. So giving up is [28:20] sometimes not a mistake, and [28:22] persistence is sometimes...Well, I [28:24] think today is completely different [28:26] from the society of our youth; the [28:29] talents of people today won't be buried [28:31] , whereas in our youth, they could be [28:34] buried at any time. Why? If a child [28:38] wanted to study music or painting, [28:40] parents would say, "What's the point of [28:42] that? You can't eat or drink it; hurry [28:44] up and get a job," so it was neglected. [28:47] Even if you had talent, you still need [28:49] effort, right? That doesn't happen [28:51] today. Today, if a child draws a few [28:53] strokes and does it well, the parents [28:55] think, "They're becoming the next [28:56] Picasso, hurry up and study, send them [28:58] to art school," so nothing is delayed. [29:00] Actually, it's not that it isn't [29:02] delayed; it's just a waste. A vast [29:04] amount of life is wasted in this [29:06] learning process. It's not that [29:08] learning is bad, it's what you should [29:10] learn. To put it simply, for a person [29:12] to succeed in this society, let's talk [29:14] about talent first. I just said that [29:17] the best talent is 100%; that is a [29:19] genius. You don't need to ask—if you [29:22] reach 100%, whatever you do, you will [29:24] succeed. So, how much does talent [29:26] account for in our lives? In your [29:29] learning, it accounts for roughly—I [29:32] used to think 20%, but now I feel it [29:35] might be a bit more. A person, in the [29:38] field you are studying, whether you are [29:41] studying art, singing, musical [29:43] instruments, sports, mathematics, [29:45] physics, chemistry, foreign languages, [29:48] or medicine—it doesn't matter what [29:51] you study. With normal effort and a [29:53] standard education, assuming you aren't [29:56] foolish, achieving a passing grade of [29:58] 60 is not a problem. If you have 30 [30:01] points of talent, that's an automatic [30:03] 90. Some say, "I put in extraordinary [30:05] effort, I work harder than others, I [30:07] rise early and sleep late, I'm the [30:09] early bird," but even with a 10%boost, [30:11] you'd only reach 70. The remaining 30 [30:13] points come from talent. If you say, "I [30:16] don't have much talent, I only have 50 [30:18] points of it," that accounts for 15 [30:20] points, and you can achieve a very [30:23] respectable score of 85. Right, if you [30:25] consider your total talent potential to [30:28] be 100, and you possess half of that, [30:30] it translates to 15%within those 30 [30:33] points. So you need to evaluate how [30:35] much of that 30-point talent you [30:37] actually possess. In a sense, this [30:39] talent is something you received for [30:42] free. This is why you can see that in [30:44] school, the top students in any major [30:46] are not necessarily the ones who study [30:49] the hardest. If the logic of our [30:50] society were that the hardest workers [30:52] are always the best students, then [30:54] everyone would just need to work hard. [30:56] But that's not always the case. For [30:58] example, look at foreign language [31:01] students; talent is crucial there. All [31:04] the simultaneous interpreters our [31:06] country sends to the UN have a [31:08] linguistic gift; otherwise, you simply [31:10] couldn't do the job. There are more [31:13] simultaneous interpreters now; I've [31:14] worked with those in English, French, [31:17] and German. When they have the talent, [31:19] it's amazing—whatever you say, they [31:21] translate, and the feedback you get is [31:23] always perfect. Then there are those [31:25] who just can't do it; after you speak, [31:27] what they translate isn't at all what [31:30] you meant. So, in our studies, once you [31:32] evaluate your own talent, you won't [31:34] waste a massive amount of time. Right? [31:37] So we might ask, "If I have no talent, [31:40] does that mean I'm a failure?" Not at [31:42] all. I want to say that everyone has [31:44] talent; it’s just that you don't know [31:46] where it lies, and you have to find it [31:49] yourself. Once you find your talent and [31:51] you enjoy that field, your efforts will [31:53] lead to success much more easily. If [31:55] our talent is insufficient, what else [31:58] is there? We also have something in [32:00] life that everyone possesses, which is [32:02] called potential. It can be unearthed. [32:06] Not everyone is born with a specific [32:08] talent, but everyone has potential. It [32:11] all depends on how you choose to unlock [32:13] it. You can improve through repeated [32:15] practice. Even if I had no musical [32:17] talent, if I had studied piano since I [32:19] was a child, I would certainly play [32:21] better than the average person. Right? [32:24] So, what about potential? Some ask how [32:27] potential is unearthed. Let me tell you [32:30] what potential is; everyone has it. [32:32] Let's look at an example. Blind people [32:35] read a script called Braille. I've [32:38] talked about it, and I've touched it. [32:41] Once blind people learn Braille, they [32:43] can touch the characters and read them [32:46] aloud at the same time. For sighted [32:48] people like us, this is too difficult; [32:51] it’s unimaginable. For instance, if [32:54] you ask me to feel these raised dots [32:56] with my hands, or even if you let me [32:58] look at the Braille with my eyes, I [33:00] wouldn't be able to distinguish them. [33:02] If you tell a sighted person to learn [33:04] Braille, they would feel it's [33:06] impossible to learn in a lifetime. I [33:08] tell you, once you lose your sight, you [33:10] will definitely learn it. That is your [33:13] potential. I once read a report, a very [33:16] interesting report, about a piano tuner [33:19] . They are called "temperament masters" [33:22] now, focusing on musical temperament. [33:25] This girl is named Chen Yan. She has [33:29] been blind since childhood. The first [33:32] time I saw her story, I was deeply [33:35] moved, moved to the point of tears. Her [33:38] parents abandoned her, so her [33:40] grandmother raised her. Her grandmother [33:44] told her something. She said if you use [33:49] that white cane—as we know, blind [33:51] people use a stick to probe ahead—if [33:54] you do that, you will never live a [33:57] normal life. You must get rid of it. [34:02] How do you live without eyes, just like [34:05] someone who can see, like a normal [34:07] person? Her grandmother trained her. [34:10] Don't all children like to eat [34:11] popsicles? Her grandmother would throw [34:13] a five-cent coin on the ground. Once it [34:15] was thrown on the ground, if you could [34:17] pick it up, you could take it and go [34:19] buy a popsicle. If we were to blindfold [34:21] ourselves today and you threw a coin on [34:23] the ground, I bet I wouldn't find it [34:25] even if I spent all day feeling for it. [34:27] But she, because she had no sight, [34:29] relied on her hearing. She would go [34:31] right to it and pick it up. She learned [34:33] very quickly to listen to sound, to [34:35] listen to the reflection of sound. For [34:37] our eyes, everything is a reflection of [34:40] light. So when you don't have eyes and [34:42] you can't see, you listen to the [34:43] reflection of sound, right? Sound [34:45] reflections are different, it’s just [34:47] that we can't perceive them. As a [34:49] result, she went through this rigorous [34:52] training. She can now wear sunglasses, [34:56] go without that cane, and rely on her [34:58] sensitivity to sound to live life just [35:01] like a bat. We all know about bats. I [35:05] once saw an experiment where they [35:07] filled a large space with obstacles, [35:09] and the bats navigated through them [35:12] with ease. They rely on the reflection [35:14] of sound to adjust their movements, and [35:17] what else? There are people who live [35:20] using their feet, even doing freelance [35:23] work. We’ve seen many videos of boys [35:25] and girls who lost their arms in [35:27] accidents at a young age, yet their [35:29] feet can do everything—eating, [35:31] washing their hair, and more. Right? [35:35] And now, some freelancers even use [35:37] their feet for high-level technical [35:39] work. These are all examples of human [35:42] potential. Human potential is often [35:45] triggered at the very last moment, [35:47] during the most difficult times. Of [35:51] course, this requires effort that goes [35:53] beyond the norm. Today we are talking [35:57] about talent and potential; they are [35:59] two sides of the same coin. We all hope [36:02] to have talent, to be more gifted than [36:04] others and find things easy to do. Do [36:06] such people exist? They do. For example [36:09] , language learners are often like this [36:11] . I’ve met foreigners who, when asked [36:13] what languages they speak, can’t even [36:15] recall them all because they know [36:16] almost everything. They say they know [36:18] most major languages, and even minor [36:20] ones, though they might not speak them [36:22] quite as well. For instance, I know an [36:24] American who told me—when I asked [36:26] which languages he was good at—that [36:28] he could handle major languages like [36:30] English, French, Japanese, and German. [36:33] He spoke Chinese well and said his [36:35] Vietnamese was a bit weaker. You know, [36:38] when we listen to languages like [36:40] Vietnamese, honestly speaking, we can't [36:43] produce those sounds. They come from [36:46] the nasal cavity, not in the standard [36:49] way. We can't speak it, yet they can. [36:52] When I was young, at a labor camp in [36:54] Northeast China, I had a classmate [36:56] named Shen Fan. I hope he sees this [36:59] show. Shen Fan was an English genius. [37:02] He didn’t start learning as a child; [37:03] he learned it later in life, eventually [37:05] moved to the U.S., and taught American [37:07] university students how to write in [37:09] English. Even though you are Americans, [37:10] you don't even know how to write in [37:12] your own language. At first, many [37:14] Americans discriminated against him, [37:15] thinking, "He's Asian, he's [37:16] yellow-skinned, why should he teach me [37:18] how to write in English?" But he simply [37:19] had the ability; his grasp of English [37:22] was better than theirs. Right? So [37:25] I’ve encountered many such people in [37:27] my life. And what are these people like [37:30] ? They are people whose talents have [37:33] been completely unleashed. Qiuqiu has [37:38] come over; Qiuqiu is a very interesting [37:41] cat. Playing with a ball. Our famous [37:45] Chinese cats have this quirk: when they [37:48] get really close to you, they'll give [37:50] you a bite. So I'm a bit wary; come on [37:53] up, but don't bite me, alright? Come on [37:56] up. Are you coming up or not? Don't be [38:00] shy, it's just a mild cold. This one. [38:05] You need to be nice to me, I'm very [38:07] good to you. So, while we're learning, [38:14] we need to know when to advance and [38:16] when to retreat. I'm a bit afraid; this [38:20] cat has bitten me before, just when we [38:22] were getting along, suddenly, for no [38:25] reason, it would bite me. Actors, you [38:27] know, actors can memorize long passages [38:30] of lines, but I just can't do that. If [38:32] you ask me to memorize lines, no way; I [38:34] can only speak at length if it's my own [38:36] words. If you force me to memorize, I [38:38] can't; when I try to memorize, it [38:39] doesn't feel like myself anymore. But [38:41] can I recite things? I can recite; when [38:43] I was young, I had a great memory, I [38:45] could memorize anything very quickly. [38:47] But once you're older, it doesn't work; [38:49] after forty, people used to say it's [38:50] hard to learn, and that’s what it [38:52] means—your memory gets really poor. [38:53] Right? So after I turned forty, maybe [38:57] around 43 or 45, I ran into my son one [38:59] day when I got home. My son was there [39:02] saying, "I'm so unlucky, I'm so unlucky [39:04] ." I asked, "Why are you unlucky?" He [39:06] said he had to recite a poem for his [39:08] teacher tomorrow. I asked what poem it [39:10] was, and when I looked at it, I didn't [39:12] know it either. I said, "Look, your old [39:14] man is here, let's memorize it together [39:17] and see if we can get it down." Uh, [39:19] that was nearly 20 years ago now. 20 [39:23] years. 20 years have passed, and I can [39:26] still recite that poem. I asked my son, [39:28] and he doesn't remember it at all. He [39:30] doesn't remember it; he vaguely recalls [39:32] the incident, but the poem is [39:34] completely gone. What does this prove? [39:36] It proves he didn't take it to heart, [39:38] but I did. So, with memorization, you [39:40] have to be intentional. Being [39:42] intentional, what is that? It's about [39:45] tapping into your potential. Right? [39:48] When I was young, in my twenties, I [39:50] worked hard at the editorial department [39:52] ; that was back in the eighties. 1983 [39:54] or 1984, the International Youth Year [39:57] brought nearly 40 writers from all over [39:59] the country to a guesthouse in a single [40:01] day. Back then, we didn't stay in [40:03] hotels, we stayed in guesthouses. Once [40:06] everyone arrived, we’d meet, and [40:08] I’d know who they were and what they [40:10] had written. The next day was the award [40:12] ceremony at the Great Hall of the [40:14] People, and my boss told me, "You will [40:16] be responsible for introducing each [40:19] person to the national leaders tomorrow [40:21] ." I arrived at 8:30, and at 9 o'clock [40:23] sharp, the national leaders were seated [40:25] , so I went up to start the [40:26] introductions. As each person entered, [40:28] I would state their name, the work they [40:30] wrote, and which part of the country [40:32] they were from. Oh, what happened? [40:34] Their work won the award. I finished [40:37] with over 30 people, one after another. [40:41] I remember when we got back, my boss [40:43] was incredibly impressed and asked, " [40:45] How could you remember all that? How [40:47] did you memorize it?" I replied that I [40:50] remembered it by heart, not by just [40:53] using my brain. You know there is a [40:56] saying, "playing the lute to a cow," [40:59] isn't that a common idiom we use? [41:02] People explain this saying by stating [41:04] that the cow is not deaf, just [41:06] unmindful; it's not that the cow didn't [41:08] hear, but that it didn't want to listen [41:11] . So, if you want to unleash your own [41:13] potential, putting your heart into it [41:15] comes first. The topic we are [41:17] discussing today is actually a bit [41:19] abstract and not easy to explain; we [41:21] are talking about the relationship [41:23] between talent and potential. It is [41:25] actually a problem we often encounter [41:27] in our daily lives. In different areas [41:32] of your life and studies, your talents [41:35] vary, and your task is to clearly [41:37] identify what you are best at. This is [41:42] a mistake everyone makes in this regard [41:45] . Most people don't wish—well, [41:49] everyone hopes to perform well, but [41:52] most people don't want to work too hard [41:54] to stimulate their potential, so we all [41:57] crave comfort. We must clarify the [42:02] relationship between talent and [42:04] potential so that you know what you [42:06] should do in the future. When we spoke [42:08] of talent earlier, we said that a [42:10] person's talent ranges from zero to 100 [42:13] , which is very clear: if you have 100 [42:15] in talent, you are a genius. Take Bolt [42:18] for example, his talent for running is [42:21] 100, and once stimulated, he becomes [42:23] the world's best. I always say that [42:26] evaluating yourself correctly is more [42:29] important than evaluating society. If [42:32] you overestimate society and [42:34] underestimate yourself, you are often [42:37] more likely to succeed. Most of us tend [42:40] to imagine ourselves as exceptionally [42:43] good. So, if you want to imagine [42:45] yourself as exceptionally good, or if [42:47] you hope to do exceptionally well in [42:50] the future, find your talent and [42:52] unleash your potential. Only then can [42:55] you succeed. Having said so much, we [42:59] first need to take a look at what the [43:01] artifact is today. Think about it: for [43:04] an abstract topic like potential and [43:07] talent, what kind of artifact could we [43:10] use to represent it? Let’s look at [43:13] this particular artifact. This artifact [43:18] is quite bizarre; let me let the camera [43:21] take a look—what on earth is it for? [43:27] This is also a question I’ve pondered [43:30] for decades. This object has a strange [43:35] name called a "Wu-Dang-Zun.""Wu" means [43:42] nothing, and as for the name...When I [43:44] saw it in my youth, it was written as " [43:47] Dang" Nowadays, it’s sometimes [43:53] written with the "Dang" from "pawnshop. [43:55] " Regardless of how it's written, [43:57] It’s called a Wu-Zun. Who named it [44:00] that? The person who gave it this name [44:03] was the Emperor Qianlong, the [44:05] longest-living emperor in China. [44:07] Qianlong saw this Xuande-era blue and [44:09] white "Wu-Zun" and found it very [44:12] peculiar, so he named it "Wu-Zun." Who [44:14] knows what he was thinking? This. The [44:19] original form of this object was [44:21] metallic, introduced from West Asia or [44:24] the Arab regions. What they were [44:26] actually used for, I’m not entirely [44:29] sure. Qianlong even once ordered a [44:31] copper liner to be made for this [44:33] porcelain vessel so he could use it for [44:35] flower arranging. You see, it works for [44:38] flowers. We see these blue and white [44:41] ones from the Yongle and Xuande periods [44:44] of the early Ming Dynasty. During the [44:48] Qianlong era, because the Emperor loved [44:51] them, there were some replicas made, [44:53] but these replicas were also quite [44:56] confusing. You're about to sneeze, [45:00] aren't you? Hmm. Actually, in fact, our [45:10] Wang Qingsheng has had a bad nose since [45:13] he was a child, so strictly speaking, [45:15] this thing was historically just a [45:18] decorative piece. It’s an ornament to [45:23] look at. If you pick it up and ask what [45:27] it’s for, nobody knows. Your hand can [45:30] go right through it; you can reach [45:33] through a Wu-Zun. Why did we bring it [45:36] here? I chose this as the artifact for [45:41] this episode because I couldn't find a [45:44] better match for the abstract topic of [45:46] talent and potential. We chose this [45:51] artifact because its name, "Wu-Dang," [45:54] means nothing can stand in its way. If [45:59] all your talent and potential are fully [46:02] unleashed, then as you survive in this [46:05] world and society, nothing can stop you [46:08] . The memory that sticks with me most [46:12] —which I repeat again and again—is [46:14] actually from a winter break when I was [46:16] in college. A year of winter break. [46:18] >> You got your heart broken, didn't you? [46:21] >> Look, you’re running away again. [46:23] Whether it’s a heartbreak or not, [46:25] it’s always like this. I traveled [46:27] alone from the Enshi Tujia and Miao [46:29] Autonomous Prefecture to Xiangxi, it [46:32] wasn't necessarily that uncomfortable. [46:35] But sometimes, it just feels a bit off, [46:38] for example, that small night bus. [46:40] Living out in the open, meeting people, [46:43] like you—for instance, when you were [46:45] in Kyrgyzstan. Maybe there's a homestay [46:48] , you stay there; if not, you just find [46:50] a village and stay in that village. I [46:53] did the same, stayed with a Tujia [46:55] family, and ate meals with them. Now, [46:58] you might ask if the journey is lonely, [47:00] but that kind of loneliness has a very [47:03] special feeling. For example, I have a [47:06] vivid memory of when I hitched a ride. [47:13] Since I had no money, I only had 80 [47:15] yuan on me, and I hopped onto a [47:17] long-distance bus—a Hong Kong tour [47:20] group bus. I had only bought three [47:27] sesame flatbreads, one for each meal, [47:29] and that was the very last one for the [47:32] day. Just as I was about to eat it, the [47:37] bus jolted on the winding mountain road [47:39] , and the bread fell. [47:41] >> It rolled all the way to the front. It [47:44] rolled to the front, and I thought, "Oh [47:47] no," you know? So I tapped the person [47:50] in front of me. That was when I knew, [47:52] you know? My Nike sneaker just stepped [47:55] on it. The person in front was stepping [47:57] right on it. Oh, I was just sitting [48:00] there on that bus, hesitating. I said, [48:02] this... [48:03] >> After a while... [48:04] >> I thought about it for a long time, and [48:07] finally, I crawled from the back row— [48:09] I was hitching, after all—crawled [48:12] over two rows of seats just to get that [48:14] bread. [48:15] >> I got it out of his hand, brushed it [48:17] off, brushed it all off, and still ate [48:19] it. Wasn't that bitter? If you asked me [48:22] to do that today, you couldn't pay me [48:23] to do it. But what I’m saying is, why [48:26] am I over 50 now? I’ve told this [48:28] story, the thing about the flatbread, [48:30] at least a hundred times. I keep [48:32] talking about it because you see, your [48:34] life... [48:34] >> The flatbread was delicious. [48:36] >> Hey, Teacher Xu, how do you define [48:38] living a full life? [48:39] >> So, it needs a slight change. Uh, [48:42] travel while you're young. [48:44] >> Hmm, if you can't travel, then maybe [48:46] change it up. [48:47] >> Right, look, travel when you are young [48:50] and carefree. This guest celebrity. I [48:53] am...I think there’s so much you [48:57] wouldn't expect. For example, I’ve [48:59] been to the Qinling Mountains; they [49:01] took me deep into a large mountain area [49:03] there. [49:03] >> There’s this one county. [49:05] >> In Southern Shaanxi. [49:06] >> Uh, yes, Southern Shaanxi, yes, yes, [49:08] Southern Shaanxi, Qinling. [49:09] >> Man, once you go, you wouldn't believe [49:12] it. You have to travel a long way on [49:14] mountain roads, but once you arrive, [49:15] you really see how China’s economy [49:17] has taken off; sometimes you just have [49:19] to see it for yourself. You wouldn't [49:21] expect to find such a developed, [49:23] suddenly, a very developed county, but [49:25] you have to drive through a long [49:27] mountain road to get there, and when [49:29] you arrive, you see it’s a Qiang [49:31] ethnic autonomous county or something. [49:33] >> Right. [49:34] >> So, I saw it right away—at the [49:36] entrance, fire pits were set up along [49:38] the main street, and everyone was doing [49:41] the "Guozhuang" dance. Then I heard [49:43] that local civil servants, the [49:45] government officials themselves, take [49:47] the lead; after getting off work at [49:50] 6:00, they go out and dance to create [49:52] this Qiang ethnic atmosphere, pulling [49:55] tourists in to dance along with them. I [49:58] really felt there was a kind of human [50:00] warmth there; you don’t see this in [50:03] big cities. For instance, the boss who [50:06] hosted us said, "We must have a drink," [50:09] but I replied, "I'm sorry, I have a [50:11] fever of 39 degrees, I'm really not [50:14] feeling well." I said, "That's okay, [50:16] let's head back to the hotel early to [50:18] rest." He said, "No need, how could [50:20] that be?" Alright then. He then called [50:23] his secretary and said, "Call the [50:25] doctor over, get the doctor here."*Bam* [50:27] , a doctor in a white coat arrived. He [50:29] told us, "Why don't you all sit for a [50:31] moment? I'm going to the restroom," and [50:33] later the doctor followed him into the [50:35] restroom. When I saw him come out, he [50:37] was carrying an IV drip; the doctor was [50:39] giving him an infusion of Bupleurum. [50:40] >> Then he said, "Hey, come over here." [50:43] >> So, there he was with the IV drip, [50:44] saying, "Guests from afar, your arrival [50:46] brings honor to our humble home. I’ll [50:47] start by downing a toast," and*clink, [50:49] clink, clink*, he threw back three [50:51] glasses of hard liquor. [50:52] >> With bosses like that, I reckon they [50:54] must be replaced every six months. [50:56] >> And you wouldn't believe it, that [50:57] county sets off fireworks every single [50:59] night. [51:00] >> Hmm. [51:01] >> It’s like a festival every night, but [51:02] they say the tourists coming from the [51:04] surrounding areas...They just want to [51:05] see this. [51:06] >> They just want the hustle and bustle. [51:08] They said, "This is a tourist [51:09] destination; people from surrounding [51:11] cities come here to travel," so it’s [51:13] a city that never sleeps every night. [51:15] Don't think Shanghai is the only city [51:17] that never sleeps. This place is [51:20] vibrant every night, with people [51:22] dancing to folk music and fireworks [51:24] going off, even deep in the mountains. [51:26] How could you possibly see such a [51:28] spectacle in a small European town? [51:31] Personally, I don't find it interesting [51:33] . [51:33] >> I think it's quite interesting. [51:35] >> I think... [51:36] >> He just wants, look, he is still trying [51:38] to find that sense of the primitive. [51:40] >> Exactly. That’s why, when I went [51:43] traveling, the hardest part was that I [51:45] had an image in my mind of what I [51:47] wanted to see, just like when I was in [51:49] the Qingling Mountains, thinking back [51:51] to the cave dwellings I saw as a child. [51:56] You know, those people living on the [51:58] Loess Plateau, a place without much [52:01] greenery, eating millet, chili peppers, [52:03] and Shaanxi’s "eight wonders," right? [52:06] Right, lots of spicy food, and using [52:09] those stone mills turned by donkeys. [52:12] That’s what I wanted to see. Does [52:15] anyone still live like that now? I [52:17] insisted on going to see those old men [52:20] with their white headwraps. I really [52:22] wanted to find that because I grew up [52:24] seeing it. But the problem is, does it [52:27] still exist? How would you even find it [52:30] ? If you can find it online, it’s [52:32] definitely already commercialized. [52:34] >> Yeah. [52:35] >> If you can’t find it, you don’t [52:37] know if it exists or how to get there, [52:39] so you just have to take it one step at [52:42] a time. You just go to a place and ask, [52:44] "What’s unique around here?" It’s [52:47] not the advertised stuff like Lanzhou [52:49] beef noodles; it’s the local side [52:52] dishes that every family makes— [52:54] pickled vegetables, fresh greens, or [52:56] kimchi. You look at what’s on the [52:59] plate and trace the origin of those [53:01] ingredients. Then you ask about that [53:04] dish, and if it comes from a few [53:06] hundred kilometers away, you head off [53:08] to that place. And like you said about [53:11] the dancing, I remember in Qinghai, I [53:13] went somewhere without any real purpose [53:15] . I didn't even know the place existed. [53:18] I just pushed my bike in, and in a tiny [53:21] square, in a small alleyway...Just as [53:23] the sun was setting, everyone in that [53:26] square joined hands and started dancing [53:29] . There was no reason, no tour groups [53:31] —to me, that’s what a truly [53:32] authentic experience tastes like. [53:34] >> Yes, those are two types; look, they [53:37] are both dancing. It’s a different [53:39] behavior, but the same movements. [53:41] Different projects, different purposes, [53:43] different philosophies—I think [53:45] that’s what I’m interested in. But [53:47] we got to that place around 6:30, set [53:50] off some firecrackers, and then at [53:52] seven, they started doing that. Right, [53:54] I think this feels staged. It’s like [53:58] the idea in anthropology that you can't [54:00] observe a culture without influencing [54:02] it or the people in it; the moment you [54:04] look at them, you’ve already changed [54:07] them. [54:08] >> Mm. [54:09] >> If you don't participate, it remains in [54:11] its original state, but once you enter, [54:13] you’ve already altered it. That [54:15] brings this element in, and it already [54:17] happens. [54:18] >> So let me ask you, isn’t that a bit [54:20] like an American amusement park? [54:21] >> Mm. [54:22] >> Like Disney, with their themed areas [54:24] inside. [54:25] >> Exactly. [54:26] >> Right? [54:28] >> Yes, I don't really have an answer for [54:30] that either. For example, back in the [54:38] 60s, there was this global youth [54:40] movement; you had people like John [54:42] Lennon or the Beatles, and Jack [54:44] Kerouac’s "On the Road," where people [54:47] would run off to India to find [54:49] spiritual gurus, or head to the [54:51] Himalayas, all while being broke. Today [54:57] , people would ask those young people, [54:59] "Aren't you going to look for a job? [55:01] Aren't you going to earn money?" But [55:03] back then, many of those young people [55:05] would grow their hair long, wear torn [55:07] jeans, and drive some beat-up car that [55:10] could break down anywhere, just groups [55:12] of men and women crossing from the East [55:14] Coast of America to the West. You know, [55:17] we also have a friend, a writer from [55:19] Taiwan named Shu Kuo-chih, you know him [55:22] ? [55:23] >> He didn't settle down until he was [55:25] quite old. His perspective his whole [55:29] life was that he didn't want to buy a [55:31] house or make a lot of money, and he [55:34] actually traveled through every single [55:36] state in America. But in reality, he [55:39] didn't have many pennies in his pocket. [55:42] For him, though, it was an experience. [55:45] I think I have a purpose too, but mine [55:48] might be more related to writing. [55:50] >> It's not that kind of purely material [55:53] purpose. I feel like society is [55:56] returning to that trend now; for [55:58] instance, the most popular lifestyle [56:00] for young people in the West today is [56:02] called "digital nomad." [56:05] >> I mean, now that the internet is so [56:07] advanced, you don't have to go to an [56:09] office or do a typical nine-to-five job [56:12] . You can take on freelance gigs and [56:14] work from anywhere in the world with [56:16] just your computer. And many of them [56:20] have become digital nomads; they take a [56:22] laptop, travel the world, and every [56:24] night when they get back, they do their [56:27] work and send it off. [56:30] >> You know, do you think everyone has a [56:32] nomad's soul deep down? [56:33] >> My first one. [56:35] >> I think in human genes, [56:36] >> Hmm. My email—the one I still use to [56:39] this day—actually has "Nomad" in the [56:41] address. I registered it a long time [56:43] ago. Between the uncomfortable travel [56:46] you mentioned earlier and the later, [56:48] more comfortable experiences, which one [56:50] left a deeper impression on your memory [56:52] ? It’s probably the uncomfortable [56:54] ones. Why is that? I've been thinking [56:57] about this too. When I was younger, I [56:59] really loved going out and exploring. [57:01] Reflecting on it over the past few [57:03] years, I think the reason I liked those [57:05] things was precisely because of that [57:07] discomfort. It’s like when you throw [57:10] yourself into a place where the [57:12] language and culture are a bit [57:14] challenging, it’s not exactly your [57:16] most comfortable state. I remember the [57:19] first time I went to the U.S., I [57:21] thought, "Wow, it's the first time I've [57:23] seen text that looks so easy." Because, [57:25] you know, going to the Middle East or [57:27] Iran—those places are much harder. [57:29] You might ask, why would people enjoy [57:31] this kind of discomfort? Later, I was [57:33] listening to someone talk about music, [57:36] specifically a legendary Japanese [57:38] guitarist named Hotei. Regarding the [57:40] music he wrote, it was said that in [57:42] Japanese culture, there is this concept [57:44] of "inconvenience"—a deliberate, [57:46] conscious choice of discomfort. For [57:48] example, he would intentionally write a [57:50] piece that was incredibly difficult. [57:52] For instance, when playing guitar, he [57:53] wouldn't let you use your thumb, so you [57:54] couldn't reach the notes. He made it so [57:56] hard that it forced the player to find [57:58] a unique way, like, "How can I possibly [58:00] get my thumb up there?" And later on, [58:02] people found it very difficult to [58:04] change his arrangements. In the end, [58:05] after they’ve tried every way to make [58:07] it happen, they look back and think, " [58:09] Oh, the path they laid out was the best [58:11] one." It’s precisely because they set [58:13] up this deliberate hurdle—not just [58:14] some abstract idea on a map, but a [58:16] reality where you walk through and [58:18] realize, "Are we on a plateau or a [58:20] plain? What is their way of life?" Once [58:22] you establish a sense of their [58:24] geography, you are essentially on equal [58:26] footing with them. You won't look at [58:28] them with biased, inaccurate judgments [58:31] of superiority or inferiority, because [58:33] you realize that all of their [58:35] lifestyles and values are shaped by [58:37] their geography and culture. [58:38] >> During travels, there are moments of [58:41] danger or fear, because you are [58:43] completely on your own. The only time I [58:46] felt genuinely afraid was in the Tian [58:49] Shan mountains in Kyrgyzstan, because I [58:52] had ventured deep into the wilderness [58:54] and got caught in a hailstorm. At that [58:57] moment, I realized for the first time [59:00] in my life that the surrounding [59:02] environment was completely devoid of [59:05] human traces, with no signs of [59:07] civilization at all. Because in our [59:09] daily lives, no matter how remote a [59:11] place we go, if you look around 360 [59:14] degrees, you can always spot a utility [59:16] pole in the distance, or a road, or [59:18] even if there’s no road, tracks left [59:21] by vehicles. [59:22] >> Hmm. [59:23] >> You know that this place has been [59:25] touched and shaped by civilization. But [59:27] in the Kyrgyzstan Tian Shan, it was the [59:30] first time I saw a 360-degree view with [59:32] absolutely no signs of civilization. At [59:35] that instant, with the hailstorm [59:38] hitting, it felt quite terrifying and [59:40] fearful. So I started heading back, and [59:46] as I walked, I saw two Kyrgyz nomads on [59:48] horseback, herding their horses to move [59:51] to a new pasture. I shouted out to them [59:55] as loud as I could, but my voice was [59:58] instantly swept away by the wind and [60:00] rain. But luckily, as nomads, they have [60:02] very keen eyes; they saw me waving, so [60:05] they rode their horses over toward me, [60:07] and they also had two sheepdogs with [60:10] them. The sheepdogs were running all [60:12] around the horses’ hooves. The horses [60:14] were huffing and spraying saliva [60:16] because they had been galloping over. [60:18] Hmm. [60:19] >> They brought me over to their horses [60:21] and took me back to their camp; [60:23] otherwise, that experience could have [60:25] been quite dangerous. [60:26] >> Hmm. I feel that travel, perhaps this [60:29] shift in time and space, gives people a [60:32] very intense feeling; every single [60:35] minute and second feels clearer than [60:38] the fixed state of daily life, I think. [60:41] And another point about travel that I [60:43] think makes it interesting is that you [60:45] can actually change your identity; just [60:48] like you said, you don’t need to have [60:50] a car accident to make yourself [60:52] disappear. Yeah. [60:53] >> Actually, travel is a simulation of [60:55] that state, because you are in a [60:57] foreign land where no one knows who you [61:00] are. Maybe you are a celebrity back [61:02] home, but in a foreign land, many [61:04] people don't know you, and you don't [61:06] have to be a celebrity. You can change [61:08] your identity; when people ask what you [61:11] do, you can freely change who you are, [61:13] and you can pretend to be wealthier or [61:15] poorer than you are in your daily life. [61:18] I feel this is an exploration of [61:21] various life states; in this state of [61:23] travel, you can become anyone. Yes, [61:27] this sense of freedom is actually quite [61:29] scarce in daily life; we are all [61:32] constrained by various social aspects [61:34] —you have to be yourself, or you have [61:37] to be the person in your public image. [61:40] But in a foreign land, you can [61:42] completely change your state and [61:45] identity. How exactly should one live [61:49] this life? There are many feelings; [61:51] there are those moments that make you [61:54] feel life wasn't lived in vain—just [61:56] having that one moment. We can only [61:59] leave temporarily, detaching from all [62:01] social relations; when you strip away [62:04] all your identities and face the [62:06] completely unknown alone, it’s like [62:09] an astronaut lost in the universe. I [62:11] think people should have this feeling, [62:13] everyone should have it once in their [62:15] life. I think they will. Why? I think, [62:18] for example, what you said to Teacher [62:20] Xu, although you both had that longing, [62:22] you didn't choose that kind of life. I [62:25] think a big reason is that Chinese [62:27] society was constantly developing at [62:29] that time, and there were so many [62:31] opportunities—regardless of the [62:32] various chances offered to you, I feel [62:35] it’s very natural to be swept away by [62:37] those opportunities. But now, although [62:40] there are still many various kinds of [62:43] opportunities, they have become more, [62:46] how should I say? Hmm, diverse. [62:49] >> Yes. [62:50] >> And your choices can also be more [62:52] diverse; you don't necessarily have to [62:55] follow the same path, the same road [62:57] that everyone chooses. Perhaps [62:59] development today has become more [63:01] diverse as well. There are at least two [63:04] types of diversity. One is what Wentao [63:07] just described: most of your steps are [63:10] purposeful, but sometimes you drift, [63:13] lingering in a seemingly aimless, [63:15] purposeless state. Another is when [63:18] every single step you take is highly [63:20] purposeful, but when you look back, [63:23] your whole life feels devoid of purpose [63:26] . An article by a doctor, " [63:28] >> Life is a person on a journey." Right. [63:32] >> This title itself represents a [63:34] worldview: one person on a journey. [63:37] >> Especially at a certain age. I heard [63:39] some friends chatting the other day; [63:42] when you reach a certain age, all they [63:44] talk about is how some are becoming [63:46] monks, some are running away, some are [63:48] having affairs—it’s all about " [63:51] exiting." [63:51] >> At that age, you feel the need to [63:54] depart. It makes sense. In the past, we [63:57] thought this kind of departure was [63:59] quite negative. I think what Zichao [64:02] said makes a lot of sense. Back then, [64:05] survival was the absolute priority, and [64:08] if you had an opportunity, how could [64:10] you not hold onto it tightly? Actually, [64:13] it’s still the same today. On one [64:17] hand, competition is intense; if you [64:19] want a job at a big company, with so [64:22] many college graduates, finding the [64:24] kind of "successful" job that society [64:27] expects is inherently difficult. But in [64:34] this context, a question of choice [64:36] arises: when basic needs are met and [64:39] nobody is going hungry, is it still [64:42] necessary to pursue fame and immense [64:45] wealth? Perhaps at this moment, one can [64:51] choose to walk toward the edges of the [64:53] world. [64:54] >> Choosing something different, more [64:57] diverse options. [64:58] >> You are part of this too, and I love to [65:01] see you keep traveling, keep writing.