Travel, life and technology, with the scenery gathered along the way.https://fbyron.cn/enhttps://fbyron.cn/en/nordic-trip-07/https://fbyron.cn/en/nordic-trip-07/We had a look around the Polar Museum by the sea. Right as we went in, there was a taxidermied dog that seemed to be welcoming us, and farther inside we even saw a polar bear's heart. It was still dark when we came out. Once we got tired of walking around, we headed to the library to rest our feet. We couldn't read the books, but we could still sit down and take a break, hahaha.Fri, 06 Nov 2026 06:05:00 GMThttps://fbyron.cn/en/nordic-trip-06/https://fbyron.cn/en/nordic-trip-06/It was already dark when we landed in Tromso. Only later did we realize it wasn't that it got dark early—it had never gotten light in the first place that day. Outside the window, everything was white. First, off to our rental for a bowl of instant noodles, then out to explore this little city in the polar night.Fri, 30 Oct 2026 04:27:00 GMThttps://fbyron.cn/en/nordic-trip-05/https://fbyron.cn/en/nordic-trip-05/We only had half a day in Oslo, so we dropped off our bags and headed straight out to explore. We joined in the bustle at the market, then walked down to the waterfront, where the streets were quiet again. Everyone was doing their own thing and giving each other plenty of space. Honestly, as an introvert, I rather enjoyed it.Sun, 25 Oct 2026 06:05:00 GMThttps://fbyron.cn/en/nordic-trip-04/https://fbyron.cn/en/nordic-trip-04/Flying from the Mediterranean to Norway, we could already see snowy mountains and forests from the plane. When we landed in Oslo, it wasn't as cold as I'd imagined, and the city felt pretty open and spacious. The sun just clocked off far too early: it was dark by the afternoon. We weren't ready to call it a day yet, so we headed out to explore Oslo by night.Fri, 23 Oct 2026 02:24:00 GMThttps://fbyron.cn/en/nordic-trip-03/https://fbyron.cn/en/nordic-trip-03/Last time I tried to visit Sitges, I took the wrong train and ended up in the next town over. This time I finally made it, wandered down to the waterfront, and happened to catch the sunset. Honestly, the colors were so intense they looked almost unreal. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I really would have thought it was AI-generated.Tue, 20 Oct 2026 16:23:00 GMThttps://fbyron.cn/en/nordic-trip-02/https://fbyron.cn/en/nordic-trip-02/Six months later, we went back to that little restaurant for a plate of fried calamari rings. The owner actually remembered me, which, honestly, made me feel a little flattered. Since we were there anyway, we ordered a few extra dishes, but that plate of calamari rings was still my favorite.Sun, 18 Oct 2026 16:00:00 GMThttps://fbyron.cn/en/nordic-trip-01/https://fbyron.cn/en/nordic-trip-01/Six months later, we were back in Barcelona. This time, we knew our way out of the airport, but once we got into town, we couldn't reach our host. We wandered the streets dragging our luggage, and even ate a bag of lettuce while we waited, hahaha. And just like that, our Northern Europe trip began.Fri, 16 Oct 2026 10:00:00 GMThttps://fbyron.cn/en/spain-epilogue/https://fbyron.cn/en/spain-epilogue/Our trip to Spain has come to a close. After giving it some thought, I decided to write a separate post and ramble freely about how the trip really felt—the moments that blew me away, the pitfalls we ran into, and the unexpected little things on my mind. About applying for a visa: After going through the whole process, the main thing I want to say is: if you can do it yourself, don't use an agency. …Sat, 25 Apr 2026 01:00:00 GMThttps://fbyron.cn/en/barcelona-trip-11-finale/https://fbyron.cn/en/barcelona-trip-11-finale/At last, it was the final day of our vacation. We decided to explore a town just south of Barcelona. We’d meant to go to Sitges, but somehow ended up in Vilanova i la Geltrú instead, hahaha. After getting off the vehicle, we picked a random restaurant on the map. Little did we know it would turn out to be the most satisfying meal of our entire trip. The prices…Fri, 24 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://fbyron.cn/en/barcelona-trip-10-tossa-de-mar/https://fbyron.cn/en/barcelona-trip-10-tossa-de-mar/After about an hour on the road, we finally arrived in Tossa de Mar. Once we got off, we walked along the town’s little lanes for a little over ten minutes, and when the sea came into view again, I was still blown away. Honestly, its beauty was completely different from Blanes—the sight of the old town meeting the sea was simply unbeatable. We climbed up along the old castle, …Sun, 19 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMThttps://fbyron.cn/en/barcelona-trip-9-blanes/https://fbyron.cn/en/barcelona-trip-9-blanes/After a day of rest in central Barcelona, we decided on a change of scenery today, taking the little coastal train to Blanes and Tossa de Mar. Gazing out at the sea along the way was so relaxing, and we were full of anticipation for the surprises these two Mediterranean towns might have in store. On the little train hugging the coast to Blanes, we ran into a group of kids on their way to school…Fri, 17 Apr 2026 03:00:00 GMThttps://fbyron.cn/en/barcelona-trip-8-beach/https://fbyron.cn/en/barcelona-trip-8-beach/That pretty much wrapped up our time in Madrid. Early the next morning, with the darkness still lingering and stars overhead, we set off back to Barcelona. We deliberately chose a different company's high-speed train for the return trip, hoping to see what was different. Honestly, the overall experience wasn't all that different from the journey there. The biggest thing I noticed was probably that the seats and carriages were a different color, …Wed, 15 Apr 2026 02:00:00 GMThttps://fbyron.cn/en/madrid-trip-7-night/https://fbyron.cn/en/madrid-trip-7-night/Near Madrid is a little town called Toledo, about an hour away by coach. It has a rich history and was once the capital of Spain. Walking into Toledo feels like traveling back to the Middle Ages. The town is full of winding cobblestone lanes, sometimes so narrow that even two people walking side by side feel squeezed. And here you can see traces of Christian…Sun, 12 Apr 2026 01:00:00 GMThttps://fbyron.cn/en/madrid-trip-6-royal-palace/https://fbyron.cn/en/madrid-trip-6-royal-palace/After soaking up Madrid’s laid-back atmosphere, we headed to the famous Royal Palace of Madrid. It’s one of Spain’s most iconic buildings, and a quick search online revealed that it’s actually the largest royal palace in Europe by floor area. Even before going inside, just standing outside was enough to feel its sheer opulence. I looked up a little background, and the palace was17…Fri, 10 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMThttps://fbyron.cn/en/madrid-trip-5-first-impressions/https://fbyron.cn/en/madrid-trip-5-first-impressions/After three straight days of wandering around here, we’d pretty much covered Barcelona. Today we’re heading to our next stop, Spain’s capital—Madrid! We’re taking the high-speed train to Madrid. We’d already bought our tickets online in advance. There’s one big difference between buying train tickets here and back in China, which is…Wed, 08 Apr 2026 03:00:00 GMThttps://fbyron.cn/en/barcelona-trip-4-boqueria-market/https://fbyron.cn/en/barcelona-trip-4-boqueria-market/After being blown away by the Sagrada Família yesterday, today we figured we’d stroll over to La Boqueria Market and have a wander. To be fair, it really wasn’t far from where we were staying—probably only a ten-minute walk or so, just right for soaking up the atmosphere of the local streets along the way. But we’d barely gone two blocks when a very strange-looking vehicle suddenly appeared by the roadside…Mon, 06 Apr 2026 02:00:00 GMThttps://fbyron.cn/en/barcelona-trip-3-sagrada-familia/https://fbyron.cn/en/barcelona-trip-3-sagrada-familia/After a night's rest, I was pretty much back to normal. We had a few fried eggs for a simple breakfast and headed out. Honestly, figuring out “what to eat for breakfast” has been a daily struggle these past few days—we ended up eating fried eggs for five or six mornings in a row after that, hahaha. Today we planned to start by climbing a small hill in the city center for a view of all of Barcelona, then head back down to that…Thu, 02 Apr 2026 03:00:00 GMThttps://fbyron.cn/en/barcelona-trip-2-gaudi/https://fbyron.cn/en/barcelona-trip-2-gaudi/After a short rest, we set off to wander around Barcelona. Having learned from our last taxi ride, we went straight for the metro this time. It wasn’t exactly cheap either (a ten-ride ticket cost 12 euros), but compared with taking a taxi, it was a bargain. Once we’d bought our metro card, we headed into the station, only to find a platform with no safety measures whatsoever. To be honest, …Tue, 31 Mar 2026 02:00:00 GMThttps://fbyron.cn/en/barcelona-trip-1-first-impressions/https://fbyron.cn/en/barcelona-trip-1-first-impressions/For my first-ever trip abroad, I chose Spain—a place I initially couldn't even explain to myself why I wanted to visit. Honestly, even after thinking it over, I still couldn't come up with a reason. Maybe I just had some time off, wanted to go abroad, and Spain popped into my head. Before setting off, all I knew about it was ham and bullfighting, but what I actually saw once I arrived…Sun, 29 Mar 2026 13:13:00 GMThttps://fbyron.cn/en/gannan-northwest-manhattan/https://fbyron.cn/en/gannan-northwest-manhattan/The road to Xiahe County was pretty much all grassland, with all sorts of cows and sheep ambling leisurely along the road. After arriving in Xiahe County and resting for the night, we finally made it to Lanzhou, the “Manhattan” of the Northwest. The beef noodles and barbecue here are both incredible, and this time I’d finally get to properly try them. We started with the barbecue, just like…Mon, 01 Sep 2025 02:08:00 GMThttps://fbyron.cn/en/gannan-rock-road/https://fbyron.cn/en/gannan-rock-road/Gannan is somewhere I've always wanted to visit. Last year, I was wondering what to do over the National Day holiday when I suddenly thought, why not go to Gannan? The whole trip took about five days, starting in Xi'an, winding through Gannan, and finishing in Lanzhou before heading home. Here's our full route. After a quick bowl of noodles in Xi'an, we set off on our Gannan adventure. Our first stop was…Sat, 30 Aug 2025 01:08:00 GMThttps://fbyron.cn/en/sayram-lake-revisited/https://fbyron.cn/en/sayram-lake-revisited/Half a year later, I’m finally wrapping up my return trip to Xinjiang. Honestly, I’ve dragged this out a bit too long. Xinjiang Revisited—The Border Crossing Xinjiang Revisited—Tacheng After a day of rest, we set off for Sayram Lake early the next morning. With the distant mountains as a backdrop, the border crossing had a charm all its own in the early morning. After a simple breakfast, we headed toward…Thu, 28 Aug 2025 00:08:00 GMThttps://fbyron.cn/en/xinjiang-border-ports/https://fbyron.cn/en/xinjiang-border-ports/After resting up for a night in Tacheng, we set off for the Bakhtu border crossing the next day. One of the main goals of this trip was to visit some of Xinjiang’s border crossings and broaden our horizons a little. Before heading to Bakhtu, we tried the distinctive local Russian-style ice cream and sour plum drink in Tacheng. The ice cream had a slightly grainy texture and, overall, felt fairly…Sun, 23 Feb 2025 13:36:00 GMThttps://fbyron.cn/en/tacheng-revisited/https://fbyron.cn/en/tacheng-revisited/Ever since experiencing summer in Xinjiang last year, I’d had one thought stuck in my head: I absolutely had to come back and experience winter here too. With the New Year holiday upon us, it was time to make it happen. Here are the places we passed through on this trip. Having finished the whole journey, I personally think it was well worth it. One stretch of road followed the border the entire way—an incredible experience, and…Fri, 21 Feb 2025 05:49:00 GMThttps://fbyron.cn/en/xinjiang-trip-2/https://fbyron.cn/en/xinjiang-trip-2/First: wishing everyone good luck in 2025 in the Year of the Snake. Second: this Xinjiang update is long overdue, so you can revisit the first post, Let's Go to Xinjiang. Finally: let's begin part two of Let's Go to Xinjiang. Picking up where we left off, after taking in Sayram Lake, we started getting ready to head to a road-trip paradise—the Duku Highway. It runs across the Tianshan Mountains from north to south, and if you're lucky, in a single day you can experience…Thu, 30 Jan 2025 04:08:00 GMThttps://fbyron.cn/en/three-years-at-xiaomi/https://fbyron.cn/en/three-years-at-xiaomi/Before I begin: As I was writing this, I realized it was turning into a bit of a running log. I thought about it and figured, no central thread? So be it. I'll just treat it as a record. There are loads of photos throughout, so you can browse it as a little digital side dish. At the beginning of 20, while wandering around Beijing on my own, I made a special trip to Xiaomi Science and Technology Park, changing subway lines to get there. I remember it must have been around noon, …Tue, 31 Dec 2024 15:06:00 GMThttps://fbyron.cn/en/changsha-weekend/https://fbyron.cn/en/changsha-weekend/A Leisurely Wander Around Changsha. Changsha is a city I’m relatively unfamiliar with. I remember only learning about it when a classmate went there for work after we graduated from university. I vaguely remember them bringing some soy-braised pressed duck back to our dorm, and everyone smacking their lips as they ate it. Hahaha, another lovely memory. Orange Isle. Having landed in Changsha, how could we not go straight to see the great man…Fri, 01 Nov 2024 10:45:00 GMThttps://fbyron.cn/en/xinjiang-trip-1/https://fbyron.cn/en/xinjiang-trip-1/After watching countless travel videos about Xinjiang, I’d been itching to go for ages. Now that I had some time free, why not make a trip of it❕ To get the full experience, we drove ourselves. Over the course of a week, Sayram Lake was basically the only scenic area we visited. It’s a must-see—the scenery is beyond words. If you have enough time, I’d recommend spending a night inside the scenic area…Sun, 04 Aug 2024 16:36:00 GMThttps://fbyron.cn/en/beijing-night-drive/https://fbyron.cn/en/beijing-night-drive/After work on Friday, I suddenly got a call from a friend saying, “Let's explore Beijing at night.” I figured it would be a pretty novel experience, so at ten that night, off we went. Our first stop had to be Tiananmen. Before, I'd always walked right up to it, but this time we drove past. Hahaha, a whole different feeling. Compared with the daytime, Tiananmen at night…Sun, 22 Oct 2023 13:44:00 GMThttps://fbyron.cn/en/national-day-break/https://fbyron.cn/en/national-day-break/Looking back, I’ve spent every National Day holiday at home, mostly because traveling during the holiday just isn’t worth it: an endless sea of the backs of people’s heads, plus the mental load of buying tickets, traffic jams, finding somewhere to stay, and all the rest. Just thinking about it feels suffocating, so every year I spend the long break lounging at home and binge-watching shows. Isn’t that the good life? And of course, being back home means indulging in some great food…Tue, 10 Oct 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://fbyron.cn/en/homecoming/https://fbyron.cn/en/homecoming/Without even realizing it, once I started school, I began leaving early and getting home late. In high school, I went home once a week; at university, once every six months. Then I started working, thinking that having money would mean I could go home more often, but it turned into once a year. Sometimes it's a choice you make because you don't have much of a choice. I haven't been feeling great lately and have kept wanting to go home for a visit, so I bought a ticket for Friday…Tue, 05 Sep 2023 14:28:00 GMThttps://fbyron.cn/en/beijing-food-oasis/https://fbyron.cn/en/beijing-food-oasis/For anyone living away from home, surely there’s nothing more comforting than being able to eat hometown food while you’re far away. As someone from Shanxi trying to make a life in Beijing, I can count my trips home each year on one hand, so chances to eat food from home are few and far between too. On a recommendation from someone from back home, I discovered the Beijing liaison office for Yuncheng, Shanxi…Mon, 10 Jul 2023 13:19:00 GMThttps://fbyron.cn/en/xiaomi-tech-park-food-festival/https://fbyron.cn/en/xiaomi-tech-park-food-festival/This July, with temperatures hitting nearly 40 degrees every day, Xiaomi Science and Technology Park celebrated its fourth anniversary, complete with four days of food street treats that brought a little “cool relief” to the scorching weather. As a Xiaomi employee, how could I pass up this perfect chance to treat myself to a few good meals? There were lots of anniversary activities, but as a bit of a foodie, my home turf had to be…Fri, 07 Jul 2023 13:07:00 GMThttps://fbyron.cn/en/ulanqab-trip-3-return-to-beijing/https://fbyron.cn/en/ulanqab-trip-3-return-to-beijing/Our trip was pretty much drawing to a close. Even though the journey had been quite tiring, I’d really enjoyed myself. Little did we know that a small episode was waiting for us that day, one that would even give the whole trip another little peak of excitement. After a night’s rest, we drove first thing in the morning to a shaomai place we’d picked out in advance (finally…Fri, 30 Jun 2023 14:47:00 GMThttps://fbyron.cn/en/ulanqab-trip-2-wild-grassland/https://fbyron.cn/en/ulanqab-trip-2-wild-grassland/It gets pretty cold in a yurt at night, so I’d suggest bringing a jacket or something. Having spent a night in one, let me start with my impressions. First off, I wouldn’t really recommend it. The conditions aren’t that great. Washing up and all that is fine, but the smaller yurts apparently don’t have private bathrooms, so you have to go outside to use the toilet. Seriously inconvenient…Wed, 28 Jun 2023 15:15:00 GMThttps://fbyron.cn/en/ulanqab-trip-1-duanwu/https://fbyron.cn/en/ulanqab-trip-1-duanwu/A Preface Lately, I’ve felt decidedly “unambitious,” like I’ve lost my sense of direction. Every day after work, I come home and either play games or read for fun—anything but study 🙈🙈🙈. Then I took some time to think it over. I guess I haven’t really made any proper plans since starting my first job. I’ve been coasting every day, but I haven’t given up entirely. The work I…Sun, 25 Jun 2023 15:30:00 GMThttps://fbyron.cn/en/imax-film-museum/https://fbyron.cn/en/imax-film-museum/One afternoon during the workweek, I was slacking off when I noticed a colleague had posted a comparison chart of IMAX screens in Beijing. Seeing it completely changed my idea of IMAX—I had no idea IMAX screens could be this huge! So I decided to spend the weekend checking out the biggest one on the chart: the laser IMAX at the China National Film Museum. …Sun, 18 Jun 2023 15:08:00 GMThttps://fbyron.cn/en/beijing-weather/https://fbyron.cn/en/beijing-weather/Summer nights in Beijing this year have none of that lovely coolness they used to have, so you can imagine how hot it must be at noon, in the afternoon, and even in the morning. Seriously, I’m almost at my limit. I vaguely remember that a couple of days ago, after work, around nine at night, I think, it was still in the thirties Celsius. Wave after wave of hot wind—it really was unbearable. I just wanted to crawl into a freezer. Weather this hot makes me…Sat, 17 Jun 2023 14:28:00 GMThttps://fbyron.cn/en/beijing-rental-notes/https://fbyron.cn/en/beijing-rental-notes/As far as I can remember, ever since I started renting after graduation, I’ve always thought finding a landlord directly was really, really hard, so I’ve always gone straight to an agent for help finding a place. Graduation season is here again, which also means the lease on our current place is about to run out, and it’s time to start looking for our next place to land. This time, we’re planning to skip the agents and walk around some nearby residential complexes to see if we can…Sat, 10 Jun 2023 15:55:00 GMThttps://fbyron.cn/en/chengdu-trip-5-finale/https://fbyron.cn/en/chengdu-trip-5-finale/I stayed up late last night watching 2023 Apple WWDC. Maybe I was just too sleepy, but the iOS, iPadOS, and macOS updates at the start didn't feel as hardcore as last year's. To me, they seemed more focused on UI interactions. Plus, I hadn't seen the M3 chip I'd been hoping for, so halfway through I just…Tue, 06 Jun 2023 12:30:00 GMThttps://fbyron.cn/en/chengdu-trip-4-qingcheng-mountain/https://fbyron.cn/en/chengdu-trip-4-qingcheng-mountain/Ah, Monday again. I've been through countless Mondays, but I still can't get used to them 😭. Don't want to go to school, don't want to go to work 😂😂😂. Our Chengdu trip had reached its last day, and we headed to Mount Qingcheng as planned—the one from “Bai Suzhen at the foot of Mount Qingcheng.” But if we actually ran into “Bai Suzhen,” we'd still be a little scar…Mon, 05 Jun 2023 15:33:00 GMThttps://fbyron.cn/en/chengdu-trip-3-food/https://fbyron.cn/en/chengdu-trip-3-food/Beijing in June is just way too hot. The heat hasn't even peaked yet, but I already feel like I can barely take it. Still, sometimes a breeze picks up in the afternoon, which is pretty lovely, and the clouds are beautiful too. Picking up where I left off last time, after a round of spicy food, we started trying some other things. Our first stop today was Wenshu Monastery—yep, the one with “World Peace, Happiness for Humanity” written on it…Sun, 04 Jun 2023 04:07:00 GMThttps://fbyron.cn/en/chengdu-trip-2-first-impressions/https://fbyron.cn/en/chengdu-trip-2-first-impressions/After arriving in Chengdu, for various reasons I ended up wandering around Jinli by myself that afternoon. It felt a bit on the commercial side to me. While walking around, I spotted an ear-cleaning service. From a distance, I could see lots of people lying there while practitioners fiddled around in their ears with some kind of tool. Honestly, it looked pretty relaxing, but I just didn’t have the courage…Fri, 02 Jun 2023 15:13:00 GMThttps://fbyron.cn/en/chengdu-trip-1-first-work-trip/https://fbyron.cn/en/chengdu-trip-1-first-work-trip/As far as I can remember, I don't think I've gone away to unwind since I started working. Honestly, after graduating and moving to Beijing, life has felt really fast-paced. Most days it's just back and forth between home and work. I really miss the sky at school, which looked different every day. Standing by the river, it was just so beautiful! Of course, the school pond (it wasn't very big, but let's call it that for now) had plenty of fish too. Speaking of 🐟, I could still…Wed, 31 May 2023 16:21:00 GMT