A Question to Ponder: What Are We Living For?

Gu Xiaoyao’s life began with the unconscious cries of a swaddled infant.

As a child, he ran after the sound of cicadas and rejoiced over the sweetness of a single piece of candy, thinking that life was about making each day as sweet as fruit candy. As a teenager, he buried himself in books and exam papers, giving everything he had for an admission letter and believing that life meant pursuing his dreams far away. On the day he came of age, he stood at life’s crossroads and watched the crowds stream past. For the first time, he felt lost. The answers he had once been so certain of no longer seemed enough to sustain him through the long years ahead.

After entering the workforce, he squeezed onto the subway during rush hour and endured late-night overtime under the office lights. He searched for meaning in repetitive work and found warmth in the everyday chores of making a living. He faced difficulties at work, experienced the kindness of friends, weathered the ups and downs of love, and endured the loss of loved ones. Every step of growing up and every choice he made left him asking himself: What is the point of being alive?

Is it to shoulder the responsibilities resting on you, pursue dreams left unfinished, or find those moments that make life shine amid ordinary days? Carrying this question with him, Gu Xiaoyao makes his way slowly through life. As he tries to balance work and his personal life and navigates the clash between himself and the world, he gradually seeks out the true meaning of existence. Everyday-life story with a leisurely pace.