New Year

Ding-dong.

2021 has quietly drawn to a close.

After experiencing a year of wind, frost, rain, and snow, we have finally reached the end of the year.

And, the New Year we have longed for most.

Throughout this year, we personally witnessed the arrival of the pandemic.

Together, we endured closed-off management.

Together, we watched the city of Lanzhou transition from bustling and prosperous to gradually desolate.

The streets, usually teeming with crowds, seemed to become empty in an instant.

Quiet. It was so very quiet.

Fortunately, through our persistence, the most perilous moments have passed.

Let us press on toward the future.

As we bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, the streets that were once desolate now hold a faint trace of the festive spirit.

It is precisely this faint trace that has brought everything back to life.

At this moment, we will use our own actions and the unique customs of our people to sweep away the gloom of 2021, letting the sunlight fall upon each of our faces.

Let the frustrations and unhappiness gradually fade away.

Let the first breeze of the coming year blow everything else away.

Let our new year begin anew, facing a brand-new year with a brand-new outlook.

Make yourself a better version of yourself. Believe in it.

Keep going next year.

Let us confidently shout to the past: goodbye.

Let us call out lightly to the future:

Come quickly.

Keep going, young ones.

Toward the future that belongs to us, continue to advance, for those who love us, and those we love, keep going!

In such a special moment, let love fill our hearts, and let us say to those we hold dear:

I love you!

Author's Note