Writings

What Ru Shi Writes

Whatever comes to mind. Sometimes a story I read, sometimes something that came to me while holding my mala beads.

All Writings

Why I Pour Out the First Cup of Tea: A Friend Thought I Was Wasting Money
Tea Time

Why I Pour Out the First Cup of Tea: A Friend Thought I Was Wasting Money

My friend watched me pour tea and dump the first steep. He looked horrified. Then an old man in a signless tea house in Chaozhou said one sentence that changed everything.

6/29/20267 min
Why Chinese Moms Always Tell You Not to Drink Cold Water
wellness

Why Chinese Moms Always Tell You Not to Drink Cold Water

Thirty-seven degrees. I grabbed an iced cola. My mom called and said don't. I didn't believe her until a Chinese medicine doctor said two words: "stomach cold." After 30 days of warm water, I found out my mom was right all along.

6/28/20269 min
Chinese Dragons Don't Breathe Fire. They Breathe Rain.
mythology

Chinese Dragons Don't Breathe Fire. They Breathe Rain.

A foreign vlogger held up a Chinese dragon lantern and said it breathes fire. I paused the video. That golden dragon with deer antlers and fish scales didn't look like anything that would breathe fire. It looked more like a cloud.

6/27/20268 min
My Mom Put a Slice of Ginger on My Belly Button and Lit It on Fire: My First Moxibustion
wellness

My Mom Put a Slice of Ginger on My Belly Button and Lit It on Fire: My First Moxibustion

When the temperature dropped, I felt cold to my bones. My mom pulled out moxa sticks and ginger, and gave me my first ginger moxibustion. The moment the heat penetrated through the ginger slice into my body, I understood what "penetration" means.

6/26/20268 min
Three Mouth Ulcers and My Mother Saying: You've Got Fire
wellness

Three Mouth Ulcers and My Mother Saying: You've Got Fire

Mouth sores, acne, sore throat, swollen gums — why does Chinese medicine call all of these the same thing? After retracing a rough week, I started understanding what my body was saying.

6/25/20267 min
After being single for too long, I looked into the Peach Blossom Position in feng shui
feng-shui

After being single for too long, I looked into the Peach Blossom Position in feng shui

A while back I had dinner with a friend. She looked at me, started to say something, then stopped. Then she said it anyway: "You're not a bad catch, you know. How come nothing's ever happening?" I sm...

6/24/202610 min
Where Is the Wealth Corner in Your Home: I Cleaned Up the Spot Where I Kept My Delivery Boxes
feng-shui

Where Is the Wealth Corner in Your Home: I Cleaned Up the Spot Where I Kept My Delivery Boxes

A friend told me my living room wealth corner was empty. I had no idea what she meant. After looking into it, I found that feng shui's principles are surprisingly simple — take care of the corners you've been ignoring, and your whole home changes.

6/23/20266 min
I Lit a Stick of Agarwood, and the Whole Room Went Quiet
new-chinese-style

I Lit a Stick of Agarwood, and the Whole Room Went Quiet

A friend gave me agarwood incense. The night I couldnt sleep, I lit one, and everything stopped. Agarwood is the scent of a tree slowly healing its wounds—and that thought stayed with me.

6/22/20267 min
Summer Solstice: My Mom Said Your Fire Is Trapped Inside
wellness

Summer Solstice: My Mom Said Your Fire Is Trapped Inside

Blisters in my mouth, can't sleep at night, irritable all day. My mom said it's "heart fire." An ordinary person tries living by the seasons for a few days and discovers the ancient wisdom isn't mysticism at all.

6/21/20269 min
Can Humans Really Fly? A Conversation with a Real Taoist
xianxia

Can Humans Really Fly? A Conversation with a Real Taoist

After binge-reading a cultivation novel, I wandered into a small Taoist temple. The priest there told me what real practice actually means. No flying swords, no immortality — but something that moved me more than any novel could.

6/20/20267 min
Three Coins, One Question: I Tried I Ching Divination at Home
Insights

Three Coins, One Question: I Tried I Ching Divination at Home

Insomnia at 3 AM. I opened the I Ching my teacher recommended. Three coins, six throws, one hexagram. Not superstition or fortune-telling — but a way to see the answer you already know but won't admit.

6/19/20267 min
The Four Invisible Animals in Your Living Room: Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise
mythology

The Four Invisible Animals in Your Living Room: Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise

After moving my couch from the west wall to the east, something felt off for a week. A friend said I had a tiger behind me. That sent me into the Four Symbols — four creatures the ancients saw in the stars, and what they say about the space around us.

6/18/20268 min
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