Robotaxi observers worldwide believe one thing about the industry in China: It’s moving aggressively. NYT dubbed Wuhan “the world’s largest experiment in driverless cars,” thanks to significant government support both in terms of regulations for testing and data collection.

The hottest Chinese startups are going public in the US, too. Most notably, Pony.ai 小马智行 made its Nasdaq debut the day before Thanksgiving. The company recently said it would expand its robotaxi fleet from 250 to 1,000 in 2025, significantly growing its commercialization prospects.

Pony.ai’s IPO was valued at $5.25 billion. Not peanuts, but less than its $8.5 billion Series D. Compared to its heyday, Pony is being tested by a harsh market reality and may face stringent international regulatory barriers as it tries to bring its technology abroad. To understand the future of Chinese AVs, ChinaTalk dove deep into the industry’s history and interviewed both cofounders of Pony.ai. We get into:

• Pony.ai’s rise to China’s leading robotaxi company

• How broader changes in the robotaxi industry and Chinese companies’ fundraising environment affect Pony.ai’s IPO

• The challenges of commercialization for Pony.ai

• Pony.ai’s plans for overseas expansion amidst international hesitance to accept Chinese AV

Past: The Top Horse in the Chinese AV Race

In late 2016, James Peng 彭军 and Tiancheng Lou 楼天城 left their jobs at Baidu’s autonomous driving department to found Pony.ai, a company that develops Level 4 autonomous driving technology. L4 refers to the stage of automation where a vehicle can drive without a human driver.

The self-driving industry boomed during those years. Hundreds of startups were founded across a complex web of transportation systems, and autonomous driving was largely believed to be the first momentous application of artificial intelligence in the pre-GPT era. Uber started its self-driving unit in 2015 and acquired Otto, a self-driving truck startup, in 2016. The same year, Google’s self-driving unit, where Lou used to work, became Waymo and publicly demonstrated its technology. Almost every major automaker announced partnerships to develop these technologies or invested in a startup.

In China, Baidu started investing in autonomous vehicle research in 2013 and began the Apollo project to develop its own driverless vehicles in 2017. Many of the big names in China’s robotaxi industry came from Baidu, including the founders of Pony.ai and WeRide.

Thanks to the strong technical backgrounds of Pony’s founders, China’s biggest investors were immediately interested. HongShan ​​红杉中国 (formerly Sequoia China) led Pony’s seed round in 2017. Then in 2020, Toyota participated in Pony’s Series B, and later became a key partner in Pony’s attempts to commercialize its robotaxi tech: Pony develops self-driving software and hardware, and Toyota provides the vehicles.1

Pony also expanded quickly in its first five years. In 2018, Pony became the first company in China to launch a public-facing robotaxi service (ie, fully autonomous vehicles with safety drivers) regularly operating in Guangzhou, while obtaining a permit to test in Beijing. Around the same time, the company started to explore robotrucks and established a trucking division in 2020. In 2021, Pony began to remove safety drivers in some of its robotaxis in Guangzhou.

At the end of 2020, Pony was valued at $5.3 billion and raised $2.5 billion in Series-C funding thanks to investments from sovereign wealth funds such as Ontario Teacher’s Pension Plan and Brunei Investment Agency. By June 2021, the company was on the verge of initiating an IPO, but launch plans came to a grinding halt when SEC asked for a “pause” on US IPOs of Chinese companies.

That marked the beginning of a downturn for many USD venture funds in China and left Pony in an awkward situation: Autonomous vehicles are capital-intensive and R&D-driven, and the commercialization process had only just started. Given the company’s high valuation, there were doubts about whether Pony could drum up more interest from private funds without an IPO.

But Pony wasn’t horsing around — it closed a $1.1 billion Series D at a valuation of $8.5 billion. In October 2023, amid a bonanza of Middle Eastern investments in Chinese EV and AV companies, Pony secured another $100 million from the financial wing of NEOM, Saudi Arabia’s urban desert megaproject.

Present: Pitched Promises Meet Commercialization Challenges

In its IPO filing, Pony disclosed the current scale of its operations. And these numbers are modest, to say the least.

Pony has a fleet of around 250 robotaxis operating across four tier-one cities in China: Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Shanghai. It’s charging fares for fully driverless rides in the first three. During the first half of 2024, each fully driverless robotaxi received an average of 15 orders per day.

By comparison, Waymo currently operates a fleet of over 700 vehicles which complete more than 150,000 rides every week in metro Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Baidu has a fleet of 500 vehicles in Wuhan alone.

In an interview, Tiancheng Lou told me that only three companies have achieved L4 self-driving: Waymo, Baidu, and Pony.

AV companies are facing a tough reality in 2024. General Motors just axed funding for Cruise, the AV startup it acquired a decade ago. Cruise had been burning through money, and after a major accident involving a fully autonomous vehicle, it was only testing robotaxis very slowly, one city at a time, without offering public-facing services. Other automakers have been similarly unable to pony up the necessary cash for AV development.

For Pony.ai, there is an additional level of complexity, because unlike Apollo, Waymo, and even Amazon-owned Zoox, Pony is not backed by a major tech giant. It needs funding more urgently, perhaps, than any other AV company.

“It is my disadvantage,” Lou told me. “I have to wait until the cost structure is stable to add a car. But that also means that I have to do well.”

By “cost structure,” Lou was referring to per-vehicle operating margin. Usually, that’s the difference between passenger fare and per-vehicle cost which includes maintenance, research, and manufacturing. Lou and Peng were optimistic that the margin would turn positive in 2025. In other words, when adding a new vehicle to the robotaxi fleet, the company does not lose money.

But right now, Pony.ai is still a money-losing business: While revenue rose from $68 million in 2022 to $71 million in 2023, net loss attributable to the company was $148 million and $124 million in these two years respectively. R&D still accounts for the highest percentage of Pony’s operating expenses, adding up to over $123 million in 2023.

The good news is that losses have begun to narrow over time. But Pony’s IPO filing promise — that robotaxis would be the company’s main source of revenue — is still far from becoming a reality.

Pony has about 190 robotrucks, which generated 73% of its revenue over the first six months of 2024. Much of this new revenue came from transportation fees collected by Cyantrain, a joint venture founded by Pony and Sinotrans, for freight orders fulfilled by robotrucks.

Lou told me that it’s harder to scale robotrucks than robotaxis. The hardest part about robotaxi is the technology, he said. As long as the technology is mature enough to allow the vehicles to drive fully autonomously, it’s not hard to build tens of thousands of vehicles with that capacity. However, when it comes to trucks, which are larger and faster, there is a higher safety standard to meet.

Another way to diversify revenue is by selling so-called L2++ technology, which Pony started doing in 2022. L2++ refers to technology that assists human drivers instead of replacing them, which is sold to OEMs.

Other Chinese self-driving startups are choosing this road as well. WeRide went public in October but only sold 3 robotaxis and 19 robobuses in 2023. Revenue from these products declined by almost half between 2021 and 2023, from 101 million yuan to 54 million yuan. And even these numbers are padded by government contracts (“local transportation service providers”) as opposed to public-facing, fared robotaxi services. Meanwhile, WeRide’s service revenue (eg, L2 to L4 technical support and R&D services) increased from 36 million yuan to 347 million yuan during the same period.

Regardless, Pony clearly benefits from a Nasdaq IPO: US investors are likely more lenient about the intensive time and capital requirements of self-driving vehicle development. Several investors told me that they didn’t expect a newly minted tech IPO to be profitable.

But investors won’t wait forever — eventually, AV shareholders will push for a path to profitability as proof that they bet on the right horse.

Future: Overseas Expansion vs International Regulation

Pony is already the leading robotaxi company in China, with operations in four tier-one cities, but questions remain about the company’s post-IPO international expansion plan. Pony now has research centers in Silicon Valley and Luxembourg, and potential operations in Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Luxembourg.

“We have set up a layout of operations in these places,” James Peng said in an interview. “The ‘layout’ doesn’t necessarily mean that the cars are already there. It’s more about technological partnerships or selling parts. In some of these places, the cars are still on the way, but eventually, we will have them.”

The market is still very new, so Pony is still adjusting their overseas investment, Peng added.

Pony is also partnering with Uber to offer driverless car services in overseas markets, although Uber has also inked cooperation agreements with Waymo, Cruise, and Wayve. Before Pony’s IPO, Bloomberg reported that Uber was in talks to invest in the startup’s offering.

Pony doesn’t have any immediate plan to expand operations to the US. California suspended Pony’s California driverless testing permit in the fall of 2021 after a reported collision in Fremont, a one-party incident where the vehicle hit a street sign. (The state’s Department of Motor Vehicles also temporarily revoked Pony’s permit to test vehicles with a driver in 2022, alleging the company’s failures to monitor the driving records of safety drivers, before the permit was reinstated at the end of 2022.)

“We are mostly focusing on China, because there is a large enough market, sufficient demand, and policymakers are supportive,” Peng told me.

It is not easy to compare self-driving regulations between the US and China. I’ve heard US transportation officials saying that the Chinese government is more proactive in regulating self-driving tech. To me, the main difference is that the Chinese government has adopted a more top-down approach to regulating autonomous vehicles. The first set of major guidelines for testing robotaxis on public roads was released in 2018.

Then in November 2023, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and three other departments jointly issued the “Notice on Carrying Out Pilot Work for the Access and Road Usage of Intelligent Connected Vehicles.” This notice focuses on conducting access pilot programs and road usage pilot programs for intelligent connected vehicles with L3 (where the driver should still remain in the vehicle) and L4 autonomous driving systems within designated areas.

Subscribe now

More than 30 Chinese cities and provinces have released their own sets of guidelines and permitting schemes for the testing and operation of robotaxis. Some are more supportive than others. Yet, in all cities, robotaxis still can only operate on designated public roads, which could negatively impact attempts to scale.

Wuhan, sometimes called the “robotaxi city of China,” is arguably also the largest testing ground for robotaxis in the world, as the opening testing area for the technology has reached about 3,000 square kilometers (over 1,160 square miles.) Even then, Baidu has yet to reach its goal of deploying 1,000 robotaxis in the city within 2024. (The consensus thus far is that at least 1,000 fully autonomous robotaxis are needed in a city to achieve scalable commercialization.) An expert from Baidu told Huxiu that the peak of robotaxi commercialization will arrive between 2028-2030.

In both US and China, “The policies are more advanced than technological development,” said Lou.

Read more

亲爱的读者新年好！

欢迎来到《不如读书》的新栏目：新书讯。每月更新一次，介绍五本新书～

新书定义：最近一两年出版的中文或英文书籍，并非指当月即将出版的预告书讯。比如这期介绍的五本书全部是 2024 年已出版图书，而非 2025 年即将出版的图书。

选书范围：历史学和政治学相关书籍，完全基于我的三个兴趣领域——现代欧洲、冷战、当代中国。

栏目特性：新书讯只对图书做几句话极简介绍。如果一本书读完之后特别喜欢，我会单独再写更详细的书评。

个人力量有限，欢迎大家留言推荐自己所关注的新书，如果兴趣重叠，我会放进下一期。

本期五本新书都涉及中国从文革到改开的旅程。

The Great Transformation

Westad, Odd Arne, and Chen Jian. The Great Transformation: China's Road from Revolution to Reform. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2024.

“改革开放”何时开始，于何时结束？

1978 - 2018 ？

从 2008 到 2018 的十年里，改开不是突然死亡，而是逐渐失去生机。

另外，有足够理由认为改开还没死透，它仍在挣扎。中国依然受惠于雅尔塔体系提供的和平和 WTO 体系提供的市场。

打击私营企业的愿望在经济萧条的前景面前戛然而止，依赖出口获得美元的政权也无法彻底关上国门，因此五代并未退回五十年代。亮马河畔褪色的标语牌还在寒风中颤抖：“开放的大门不会关闭”。

但要相信“改革开放”仍在进行，你需要无视以下令人不安的信号：中国政治的日渐封闭、中西交流的不断枯萎和渐强的战争鼓点。

如同改革开放在新时代的逐渐落幕，它的启动同样长于整个 70 年代：

从中苏交恶到中美接近，从林彪坠机到怀仁堂；从周恩来的“四个现代化”到邓小平的“四项基本原则”；其间经历突变、意外和斗争。没有谁是它的总设计师，它也不是突然开始于 1978。

至上而下的政治外交史之外，改革开放的启动也是自下而上的人民史：

百万市民走上街头以悼念周恩来的名义反对毛式文革；天南地北的知青读着手抄本听着美国之音走上觉醒之路；小岗村之前已有无数小岗村；南部边境成群结队的百姓用脚投票大逃港……

“长 70 年代”——中国从文革走向改开的漫长道路，是新书 The Great Transformation 的主题，由两位杰出的冷战史学家联手完成。

挪威人文安立曾于改开早年赴华留学，陈兼是被改开改变命运的中国知青一代，他们写这个题材再适合不过。

“白头知青在，

闲坐说改开。”

《制度基因》

許成鋼，制度基因：中國制度與極權主義制度的起源，臺北: 國立臺灣大學出版中心, 2024。

Xu, Chenggang. Institutional Genes: Origins of China's Institutions and Totalitarianism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2025.

1968 年，18 岁的许成钢在北大荒上山下乡做知青。

1986 年，36 岁的许成钢在哈佛大学听科尔奈讲道。

从北大荒到哈佛，离不开个人奋斗，也要考虑到改革开放这个历史进程。许成钢师从科尔奈研究共产主义国家的政治经济学：为什么会有经济改革，为什么改革是有限的？制度如何变迁？

74 岁的许成钢经历改开每一步，晚年却认定政权本质从未更改，还是那个“极权主义”。

因此这本书注定面临争议，它强调中国的“极权主义”属性，大幅偏离了当前政治学将中国视为“威权”/个人化的一党制 (personalized one-party system, Geddes 分类) 之分析框架。

但许的研究扎根于政治经济学的苏联与东欧经验，受益于比较共产主义研究范式(Comparative Communism)。中国改开僵死，越看越像晚期苏联，所以科尔奈一系的思想今天又能重焕青春。

“身阅兴亡浩劫空，两朝文献一衰翁。

国家不幸诗家幸，赋到沧桑句便工。”

《彭真》

鍾延麟，彭真：毛澤東的「親密戰友」（1941-1966），臺北: 聯經出版公司，2024。

高华身后最杰出的中共党史研究专家在台湾。

2006 年，國立政治大學的鍾延麟师从陳永發开始做博士论文，题目是邓小平 1956-1966，2013 年专书在香港出版《文革前的鄧小平：毛澤東的「副帥」(1956-1966)》，这本书清晰地阐明了邓小平在大跃进开始后的“副帅”和储备接班人身份，帮助我们进一步认清了文革起源中的接班人斗争问题的关窍。

此后十年，鍾延麟将功夫花在了另一位中共党史关键人物彭真身上，多篇阶段性论文发表在《中國大陸研究》期刊上。等不及拿到新书的朋友可以先读一下论文。

彭真政治生涯很漫长，文革后主管人大和政法，1987 年才退休（三老半退，四老全退）；元老排序中地位仅次于邓小平、陈云、李先念。鍾延麟亦有论文涉及彭真在改开初年的角色，写得极好。

（点击链接：人文及社會科學期刊開放取用平台 可免费阅读很多台版期刊）

《中國大陸研究》是个很有趣的刊物，它前身是创刊于 1958 年的《匪情月报》。1985 年更名为 《中國大陸研究》，1996 年改隶于政治大學，自此转型为纯学术期刊。

中央研究院近代史研究所和國立政治大學有着漫长的中共党史研究传统，而鍾延麟是这一学脉的新一代传人。

Zhou Enlai

Chen Jian. Zhou Enlai: A Life. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2024.

视频：第 46 分钟 陈兼论断周是“好人”，语境是把周和毛做对比。

《晚年周恩来》之后一本最新的《周恩来传》。

你可以不必认同陈兼对周恩来是 “好人” 这样的论断，也可以读这本书。

一位专业的历史学家会尽力搞清一些事实（基于档案和采访，基于交叉对比证据，这是极耗时间和心力的苦功夫），并把它们有条理的呈现出来。他可能因为自己的身份、价值观和人生经历做出自己的价值判断。

基于相同的史料，读者可以、也有权利去拥有和作者不同的价值判断。而不同的价值判断并不妨碍我们阅读他所提供的史料综述。

浅浅读下来，我觉得这本书是“好书”。

The Conscience of the Party

Suettinger, Robert L. The Conscience of the Party: Hu Yaobang, China's Communist Reformer. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2024.

苏葆立新著《胡耀邦传》，从标题“党的良心”你就能知道他对胡耀邦的评价。

他不只是学者，曾任美国国安会亚太事务主任的苏葆立亲历 80/90 年代的美国对华外交，写作带有政治内部人视角。

“当我更深入研究（胡耀邦）在位期间的作为，我越发意识到胡耀邦比邓小平还像是真正的改革者。”

感谢阅读

关于中国当代史，为什么我们应该读中国书，也应该读外国书？请参考旧文章：

如果喜欢这个专栏，请推荐给家人朋友订阅，感谢您的阅读。

祝大家新年快乐，阖家安康，自由幸福～下期见！

Read more

这个世界迎来了2025年1月1日，每到新年总有人会问一问：新的一年会好吗？

前几个月我就被问了这个问题，我们专门做了一期长达四个半小时的播客，来回答这个问题。这期播客《活在历史的垃圾时间，如何度过时代的乱纪元》，也是我们run and rebel系列的第四期，可能是有史以来关于这个问题最直面现实的同时还能激情澎湃，高潮迭起的播客内容。它的答案不仅针对刚刚到来的2025年，还可能对未来的好几年甚至几十年都持续有效。

因为最大程度地直面了真实，这一期比以往run and rebel的每一期都更疯更勇，所以设置了比以往更高的付费门槛，想最大程度地拦截可能会给我们带来不安的人群。本来录的时候我自己觉得还好，只是畅所欲言之后的酣畅，结果剪辑出来后我在做饭的时候一听，简直心惊肉跳，觉得我自己属实有一种为了说点真话不要命的生猛。最后一个投稿的朋友更是比我还疯，我没敢说的话她比我说得更直接。

所以在此也有一个提议（甚至恳求）：倘若你过去在收听播客，阅读文章的时候发现和我们在【自由主义】层面的观点不一致，请你【务必不要花钱解锁和收听】这一期，对你不好，你听了不仅会崩溃，接下来一年乃至一生可能都会痛苦加剧。请千万不要为你不赞同的内容付费和付出时间，于人于己都是灾难。同时也恳请所有解锁的朋友，不要在简中互联网提及，传播，分享这一期播客相关的任何内容，在此致谢。

你可以在爱发电进行单期付费解锁（适合国内用户）：https://afdian.com/item/90682ea4c68611ef8e645254001e7c00

也可以通过解锁放学以后Spotify月度订阅会员，收听以往所有付费播客：https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/afterschool2021/episodes/ep-e2sscug

或者通过解锁放学以后Newsletter的月度订阅会员，解锁以往所有付费文章和付费播客：https://open.substack.com/pub/afterschool2021/p/ed2?r=pilpv&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

PS：收听和阅读完毕后如无续订需求也可及时关闭付费，以防产生意料之外的成本。

讲完了答案来讲讲祝福：因为时代不论如何完蛋，个体总有可能在时代的裂缝中为自己构建出一个稳固的自我空间。我前些天阅读自己在两三年前写的文章，发现自己每次面对时代崩塌做出的决定和选择，如今都成为了我生命中最好的决定，发酵成为了我现实生活最葱茏蓊郁，顶天立地的支柱。所以无论任何时刻，我都坚持把如下的祝福送出。

（两年前一篇文章的配图，发布在了Newsletter，游荡者，爱发电中，图源来自网络，我当时保存的时候觉得它恰如我彼时看到群体性痛苦的心态：身在旷野，心如燎原。如今再看已经心境已经完全改变：我身无长物，却满怀自由）

原本今年的祝福形式我想别开生面，耳目一新一下。

因为我在《穷查理宝典》中看到巴菲特的合伙人查理芒格曾经在哈佛毕业演讲给毕业生寄语主题是“确保生活痛苦的处方”，列举了几件大家只要坚持做，人生就能确保无疑深陷痛苦的事情，比如：

为了转变心情使用化学物质（包含毒品和酒精）；嫉妒；反复无常，不要虔诚地做你正在做的事；不要借鉴它人灾难的教训等等

我本来读完这个演讲也想在新的一年以此逆向思维，写出我们这一代华人的痛苦处方：哪些事情能把自己推入万劫不复的痛苦。结果做饭的时候在脑子里想了一想，每一条都太狠且太有普遍性了，很多人读到可能会觉得万箭穿心，因为很容易就发现自己每天所做的事情都是在严格执行痛苦的处方。

这个时代绝大部分被困在那里的人已经痛苦到无以复加了，而且绝大部分痛苦也不是个体有能力改变的，所以为了大家的新年的心情和我自己安全角度的考量（保护我自己还是优先且重要的事情），我决定还是按照正向思维来写，不写痛苦的处方，写一写诚挚的祝福。这祝福是痛苦处方的倒反天罡版本，希望收到祝福的朋友都能用它逆转痛苦，加重幸福。

当然首先是祝福我自己，祝福我自己的话我肯定最真心。我把最真心的话拿出来祝福每一位同路人，来确保同样的诚挚和真心。歧路人就不管了，也不想花时间精力诅咒了，虽然我的诅咒总是屡屡应验。当然应验的原因还是源于每个人的命运都是一场自食恶果的盛宴，选择和加害者站在一起，或者对普遍的加害视而不见，那就终将被害。不过这一两年看到歧路人尝到的恶果多得有点可怕，比我想象的还要更苦一些，按照目前的加速趋势，加下来可能会苦不堪言，所以我决定省点力气，把所有的力气和精气神用来祝福自己和同路人。

这也代表了我接下来生命精力和重心的转变：不再花很多时间和精力去揭露和批判某种错误，而是把全部的激情和活力投注给那些让人时不时就想Aha赞叹的事物。

这个转变是我正在进行的行动，也是我对自己更恒久地祝福，祝福自己的行动成功。也把这个祝福送给每一位同路人，因为它本质上是在祝福：人有管理自己注意力的能力，并真的能把注意力投射给 empower自己的东西。

我注意到包括我自己在内，很多人都把一部分注意力投射给了自己憎恨的东西。我在过去三年逐年越来越少把注意力这样浪费，是因为我实现了对我憎恨事物的逃离。逃离是能减少自己的注意力被浪费，自我被自己憎恨的东西磨损最有效的办法。当然反抗也是方法之一，但是随着对手能力的指数级增强，而人活着这样对手的统治下的心力无限耗损，这场反抗战役能赢的可能性日渐渺茫。这一方法的有效性也逐渐在个体身上坍塌。

所以第一条祝福是：愿我们都能行使并管理自己的注意力，愿我们不允许自己被自己憎恨的东西磨损。注意力就是爱意，给我们喜欢的好东西，别把它分给我们憎恶的大大小小的垃圾。

对于我们身处其中的系统，在有效逃离之前，任何人都无法做到不注意它。这样注意力的投射无可避免，无论你是爱它还是恨它。因为它统御着你，决定你付诸努力的所有成果，和你所有的权利获得。人无法不呼吸自己所在地域的空气，所以注意空气的质量理所当然。

但是也有无数让我费解的行为是，对于一些事和人，很多人明明有选择，那个事物和人对自己的个人权利没有任何本质影响，甚至并不出现自己可见的日常生活中，人却痴迷地把可怕的注意力投射其中。一个很典型的案例是“黑粉”，专职做某个人或者某个作品的黑粉，每天都为此投注时间和精力，甚至为此吵架诅咒。我想不明白的是怎么会有人这么主动地耗费自己，这简直是人加诸给自己最可怕的酷刑。即使我对我最痛恨的普通活人，我都觉得这个惩罚有点过于可怕。但是很多人却主动给自己施加这样的惩罚。我祝福我自己和所有看到这篇文章的朋友都警惕并远离这样的陷阱。

其次想祝福一下我们都能分辨并屏蔽噪音，稳住道心。最近刚学会了“道心”这个词，发现这就是passion and mission，激情和使命，在修仙界的别名。这个世界纷繁复杂的噪音太多了，人找到自己道心已经难如登天，想要在这样的噪音如北京春天的电钻声一样钻心入脑的世界里，稳住自己的道心，更是难上加难。甚至连分辨哪些是噪音都很艰难，人在垃圾世界活久了，甚至有时候会觉得噪音才是正确和正常的，还会内化这些噪音用来评判和攻击自己。女性在这个世界已经够处在不利的结构中了，倘若我们还用这些噪音弱化自己，才是掉入了真正万劫不复的陷阱。

所以反父权的核心的一步，就是别听和别传播，更别发出这些噪音了。不对别人发出，更别对自己发出。

以及如何分辨这些噪音呢：只要是你不认同的环境，让你痛苦的群体，命令你做什么，逼迫你选什么，反着做就对了。

倘若你受到了你不认同环境和群体的强烈批评，恭喜你，你一定是做对了很多事情！

但是倘若你在你不认同使你痛苦的环境里广受赞誉，说你温柔脾气好，说你勤劳善良好用有责任心（是的，特别有责任心的人一定会burn out，祝愿我们2025都学会let it burn的时代精神），那警钟今天为你而鸣，你迄今为止的人生都在按照噪音行事。倘若继续下去，你会抑郁，无力，被剥夺和损害，会毫无防线地放弃自己。会终其一生都难找到自己真正想做的事，听不到自己真正的声音，因为噪音会将你吞噬。

而被这些噪音激烈批评的女性，会解放自己，会自由，会从天罗地网的陷阱中脱身，找到并发出自己的声音。

意识到噪音的存在，是屏蔽噪音最关键的一步。让人充满希望的是，无数女性都在陆续意识到这些噪音。2025，祝你我都有辨别更多噪音并将至屏蔽的能力。屏蔽最关键的一环，是物理上的远离。远离那个对你发出噪音的家庭，那个社交媒体，那些垃圾的书籍影视剧，那些人（哪怕是亲近的朋友或伴侣），更有力的是，那整个系统环境。

价值投资的开创者，巴菲特的老师格雷厄姆在《聪明的投资者》一书中介绍一条明确的商业原则：“有勇气相信自己的知识和经验。如果你根据事实得出了结论，而且你知道自己的判断是可靠的，那么就照此行事，即使其他人会迟疑或反对。（众人不同意你的看法，并不能说明你是对还是错。如果你的数据和推理是正确的，你的行为就是正确的。）同样，在证券领域，一旦获得了足够的知识并得出了经过验证的判断之后，勇气就成为最重要的品德。”在屏蔽噪音，稳住道心这件事情中，勇气也是最重要的品德。因为很多已经觉醒的人依然饱受痛苦，缺的并不是辨别噪音的能力，而恰恰是屏蔽噪音，坚持自我的勇气。这噪音有时候甚至来自己最亲密的人，来自那些自己以为志同道合的人，勇气就是你最后的堡垒，请你为自己守住它，也为未来的验证守住它。

最后一条祝福来自于我的学习和日常生活的实践，它们能给我带来恒久的平静和欢愉，我前两天看到巴菲特说他的老师格雷厄姆也恰恰是拥有了这三种特质：惊人的记忆力，对新知识一如既往的着迷，并且能够把这些知识重新应用于表面上不相关联的问题。

我的记忆力很不错，对数学，物理学，经济学（包括由此衍生的投资理财），心理学，社会学，哲学，语言，以及所有揭示规律和谜底的学问都有不同程度的痴迷，还有能力关联这些知识并对问题进行重新的理解和阐述。这些一起让我可以对事物建立独属于自己的判断，进行理性的选择，并用自己的判断和选择来进行自我塑造和作品的创造。我想，这是我对自己有自我认同非常根本的原因。我的存款不多，此刻也不上班，不拥有任何世俗社会的priviledge，没有其它任何人可以为我托底，但是我却对自己的未来生活充满了信心，觉得自己的人生未来不必为金钱烦扰，这信心也源于这三个特质。

前段时间有一位比我钱多非常多的朋友看了我每天阅读的书单，说：我觉得你以后会非常有钱。

我说：我也觉得！

巴菲特和格雷厄姆恰恰是因为这3个特质能做出准确的判断和理性的选择，并由此获得了财富的报偿，因此我也相信自己：虽然时代来到了垃圾时间，我相信自己在垃圾时间充分地满足自己对新知的着迷和好奇，并用自己的记忆力和把不相关的事物建立起来的能力，能够为自己的生命扩容、储值、充电，继而在时代周期度过垃圾时间过后迎来硕果满枝头。

因此在2025年，我不祝福大家暴富，因为逆时代回报很难，这样的祝福只能是骗人骗己的谎言。但是我祝大家拥有好的记忆力，对新知的痴迷，和把事物建立起联系的能力。这是人能自我认同，度过垃圾时间和未来拥有财富的关键。

所以2025年的三个祝福总结在一起是：祝我们专注，坚定，大脑有活力，人生有渴望，思维有逻辑和洞察力。

以及想和尚在上学或者刚刚毕业的极其年轻的朋友说一句，这个时代对你们实在太不公和残酷了，在你们还没有进入市场储备任何物资的时候，彻骨的严寒就铺天盖地来了。我想了很久都想不出有什么解决方案能帮到你们，或者能安慰到你们。

但是今天写这篇文章的时候想到了一个：倘若你的记忆力良好，对新知有渴望，有建立起事物关联的能力，无论你此刻多么赤手空拳一无所有，甚至觉得自己身无长技，没有任何硬技能，你都不必恐惧。我用我自己的亲身经历和我看过的其它不可胜数的实例向你保证：除非有天灾人祸的意外，你的人生都不会过得糟糕。如果能有机会去到一个相对公平正义的环境，你的生命还会无限辽阔。时代没有为你准备礼物，还把一切变得荒芜，但是有这些特质的你，一定能穿越迷雾。你不会困在原处，不会原地踏步，更不会被驯服。

最后再放一下答案的链接，希望大家收听愉快，并带着这些祝福迎接新的一年！

你可以在爱发电进行单期付费解锁（适合国内用户）：https://afdian.com/item/90682ea4c68611ef8e645254001e7c00

也可以通过解锁放学以后Spotify月度订阅会员，收听以往所有付费播客：https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/afterschool2021/episodes/ep-e2sscug

或者通过解锁放学以后Newsletter的月度订阅会员，解锁以往所有付费文章和付费播客：https://open.substack.com/pub/afterschool2021/p/ed2?r=pilpv&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

PS：收听和阅读完毕后如无续订需求也可及时关闭付费，以防产生意料之外的成本。

这是放学以后run and rebel系列第4期，不再是逃离某个地域疆域，父权制和极权统治，这一次，我们策划一起逃离这个时代的低点，逃离乱纪元，逃离历史的垃圾时间。

“历史的垃圾时间"，这个被官方强烈批判且否认存在的名词，得到了普通人的无限共鸣和认可。下行的趋势，即使是眼盲心盲装盲的人，此刻也能感受到，凛冬在过去几年从来不是将至未至，它已经明目张胆地在场。在接下来的数年或者数十年，可能还会无期限地攻城掠地。

全球加剧变暖，生活加速凛寒。我们这些时代的普通人，如何在不知拐点何时到来的历史低点，应对时代的风暴，安放自我的恐惧绝望和不知如何度过每一天的空茫？在这个历史的垃圾时间的感受，想法，应对的策略和计划，是我们这一期播客最主要探讨的内容。

Do not go gentle into that good nig…

Read more

我会好好活着，等你们长大，建立一个新的游戏。

—— 《好东西》

亲爱的媎妹：

见字如面！

2024是危机四伏的一年，如同一场企图杀死女权主义的漫长寒冬。

经济萧条的时代下，女性的生存空间日渐逼仄。男权宗教极权统治下的阿富汗颁布了泯灭人权的法令，让数以百万计的女性彻底失去了权利和自由；

美国黑人亚裔女性总统候选人哈里斯的落选再一次戳破新自由主义的幻梦，而保守派的胜利让本就蠢蠢欲动的反女权阵营有了卷土重来之势；

向男性倾斜的社会制度持续忽视女性的人身安全，近几个月多起骇人听闻的针对女性的刑事案件只换来司法机关的无视和粉饰太平。在经济低迷的“多事之秋”，手无寸铁的女人变成了社会情绪的宣泄口、一切暴力行为的“导火索”。而与此同时，在我们无法触及的角落，依然有无数“被收养”的女性身陷牢笼、挣扎求救……

2023年的年度关键词是“新生”，象征着我们终于脱胎换骨、整装待发。而今年，我们的关键词是「走出冰原」——无论现实多不完美、不公平，觉醒的我们都会像最初一样满怀热忱、风雨兼程。

2024年的现实犹如一望无际的冰原，在这里，我们见证了风雪中无数苦难和困顿，听见了风暴中心的女性悲伤而愤怒的呼号，也看到了横亘在理想与现实间的巨大鸿沟。曾经，我们满怀希望地出发，却也难免在风雪飘摇中为女权主义的前途感到担忧。然而，“置之死地而后生”。尽管身处凛冬，依然有越来越多的姐妹正点亮顿悟的火光。点点微光映出女权先行者们坚定的身影，指引我们寻找属于自己的生路。

在今年最后的这封信中，我们想和大家聊聊电影《好东西》——邵艺辉导演送给女权主义者的特别礼物。虽然电影自上映以来争议不断，邵导也深陷被审判的风波，我们依旧认为《好东西》是一部里程碑式的国产女性主义电影。她充满关怀又绵里藏针，如同一束炽热的火焰带给我们温暖的慰藉，让在冰原中长途跋涉的我们重拾前行的勇气与希望。

1、 走出冰原第一步：卸下重担、轻松上路

《好东西》中精妙的台词一针见血地揭示了父权规训是如何化作沉重的枷锁、阻碍了我们前进的脚步。我们曾在第二十二封信中提到，轻松舒适地启程是抗争的第一步，这也和邵导借电影传达的思想不谋而合——在启程之前，女权主义者先要敏锐地识别出那些让我们不舒适的「坏东西」：传统性别规范、厌女原生家庭带来的创伤、母职惩罚与荡妇羞辱、生育焦虑和月经羞耻、性同意的模糊界限、情感劳动和美役的无形负担、社会对女性言论自由的打压和对女男道德的双重标准、父权制与资本主义的合谋、“恐弱”的新自由主义对所谓“独立女性”的标榜……

因此，为了走出这片险恶的冰原，我们必须相信自己的潜力和无限可能。《好东西》用一句“你怎么打鼓，女孩就怎么打鼓”告诉我们「你就是这个世界的规则」。这既是我们鼓励年轻一代女性践行女权主义的方法，也是 “以柔克刚”、让父权规则不攻自破的最好方式。

所以，当王茉莉勇敢地说出“我不想当观众”，拒绝扮演为男权服务的“辅助角色”；当小叶发觉自己恋爱脑和厌女的原生家庭有关、决心不再辗转情场而是专注自己；当王铁梅退出投入十几年心血的行业、不再做“女权斗士“，转而以一个普通女性的身份写下自己的生活故事；当千千万万的女性卸下男权社会加诸于身的层层重担、撕碎中伤女性的标签，不再征求“父权”的认可，而是坚定追求自我价值的实现……我们才得以卸下包袱、轻装上阵，以“我即是主体”的心态找回那个斗志昂扬、雌心万丈的自己。此时，路在脚下，而出口就在前方。

2、走出冰原第二步：抱团取暖、停止审判

除此之外，《好东西》还告诉我们要团结一切能团结的力量对抗严寒、不再割席或审判。影片中的 “举报”情节充满了导演的巧思：举报王茉莉的男同学仿佛跳梁小丑，这种行为背后的心理更是可笑。考虑到近两年女权主义者之间相互举报、党同伐异的现象愈演愈烈，我们不得不思考：“举报”真的有利于女权主义的发展吗？

对于那些我们不认同的声音（仅限女权言论），“举报”看似是最快速、解气的痛击对手的方式，可以立刻让对方“闭嘴”、再无还口之力。但实际上，女权主义者动辄举报打破了紧密相连的女性命运共同体，让本应并肩同行的女性同盟被戾气割裂、冲散。另一方面，“举报”本就是父权等级逻辑的产物。高位者通过“捂嘴”这一惩罚机制管控言论自由，结果无疑会巩固偏袒男性的公权力。我们每多举报一篇不合心意的文章、投诉一个有“瑕疵”的发声者，资本为王的平台就多了一分决定权，男权社会的最高权力就多了一分对公众言论的约束和把控——这无疑是在为敌人递刀，而这把刀也终将变做指向每一位无辜女性的残忍武器。

邵艺辉导演用《好东西》告诫大家：不要将男权社会“打压、审判、噤声”的手段带到属于女性的言论空间。愤怒不应成为中伤同伴的借口，而应是我们抱团取暖、对抗严寒的力量来源。

3、走出冰原第三步：忍耐严寒、保持乐观

在卸下重担、团结盟友之后，我们必然要经历最艰难也最重要的抗争阶段——明知现实残酷，却不能不继续在结构里挣扎求生、努力向前。在觉醒后，我们更容易洞察社会的不公，一边为“唤不醒“的受害者扼腕叹息，一边又对难以撼动的现实感到绝望。而这时我们难免会感到厌倦沮丧，只希望立刻获得一剂灵丹妙药、一张迅速通关的“加速卡”帮我们飞越争权的漫漫长路、直接到达胜利的彼岸。在这种心境下，我们面对女性主义作品很可能禁不住质疑： 只提出问题却不提出解决方案有什么意义？只批判结构性压迫却不告诉我们如何推翻结构，不是隔靴搔痒吗？而这也正是《好东西》受到批评的主要原因。

可是，现实难道不应该由我们共同努力争取改变吗，要求一部电影开出治愈千年顽疾的药方是不是太过强人所难了？何况，性别平等的愿景本不可能一蹴而就：法国女性争取投票权历时约96年，中国74年前才废除一夫多妻制，美国女权运动经由数十年时间才为女性争取到堕胎权（把堕胎确立为宪法权利的“罗伊诉韦德案”判决却仍在2022年被推翻）……女性争权的过程如此艰难足以证明男权社会有多么残忍无情、既得利益者有多么贪得无厌，而这不应归咎于女权主义者反抗的速度不够快、发声的方式不够好、没提出足够多的解决方案。

此外，交叉性理论指出女性权益是多维度的社会问题，除性别外还涉及种族、阶级、性取向等多方面因素，要在短时间内想出一个有利于全体女性的方案无异于天方夜谭。而相比开出药方，当下更迫切的应该是让更多人意识到这个社会已经病入膏肓、呼吁她们加入反抗的同盟。

事实上，我们在承受一场由立法到司法、由经济到文化、由社会到家庭无孔不入的结构性压迫。《好东西》对现实的批判是一把直击父权要害的利刃——用真相划破男权编制的迷网，让更多女性从幻梦中醒来、和我们一起踏上走出冰原的旅程。

不过，虽然揭示了现实，影片的底色还是温柔的。邵艺辉导演不惧怕诉述苦难，但更想把满满的希望呈现给观众、构筑一个女性乌托邦。“正是因为我们足够乐观和自信，才可以直面悲剧。” 她让铁梅承受的母职惩罚变成了宇宙的律动、自然的声音，让茉莉在一个类似母系的环境里成长，将女性经历的悲剧拍成欢笑连连的喜剧呈现在荧幕上，在寒冬时节为我们演奏了一曲荡气回肠的「女权欢乐颂」。

当然了，这并不代表《好东西》是完美的。电影的这份温柔和乐观也意味着它不免有些悬浮。故事中上海中产阶级高知女性的生活对大部分女性来说是可望而不可及的。事实上，这个世界上不只有王铁梅这样可以“一切靠自己”的精英女性，还有更多领着微薄薪水、日夜赶工却难逃边缘化的普通职场女性；不只有小叶这样才貌双全、只为“真情”所困的女性，还有在两性关系中饱受骚扰、剥削的受害女性；不只有茉莉这样享受优质教育的天才少女，还有被原生家庭压榨生存空间、失去受教育机会的底层女孩……

保持乐观可以帮助我们对抗严寒。但欢笑过后，我们依旧要正视现实才能走得长远，否则铁梅的温馨小屋终究也不过是芭比乐园一样的糖衣炮弹。《好东西》当然是好东西，她有犀利的批判、有温柔的治愈，却也如冬夜的火把，只能为我们提供短暂的温暖和光明，而真正的抗争之路仍在我们脚下。所以，让我们把《好东西》当作一场理想主义者间的围炉夜话，然后带着信心和力量去创造「全新的游戏规则」，在太阳升起之前向着冰原的尽头跋涉吧——向着黎明、向着春天！

就此搁笔，期待下一次和大家见面！

陌生女人2号*

二〇二四年十二月三十一日

*本文由陌生女人2号主笔，陌生女人1号编辑

中文世界受辩证法教育的影响，有不少人习惯上把什么都一分为二，甚至把平等和自由对立起来，说要平等就会妨碍自由。这种说法不符合历史，也不符合现实。自由不是抽象的，都是些具体的法律权利，比如说，恋爱自由、结婚自由，实际上是说跟相爱的人在一起并缔结婚约的法律权利。

再比如说，选举自由，实际上说的是投票选举的法定权利。1920年以前，美国很多州的女性公民没有选举权，也就是没有选举自由。那么，女性争取选举权、争取选举自由，也就是争取跟男性公民平等的法定权利、平等的选举自由。显然，在女性选举权问题上，争取自由和争取平等不是两个过程，而是同一个过程。再说具体点，就是对于传统弱势群体来讲，争取平等和争取自由，其实是同一个过程。所以，真正的平等跟自由并不对立

这里就有一个真平等和假平等的问题。那么，什么是真平等呢？用美国法院的话说，就是“向上拉平”(level up)。我们再举个中国的例子。1911年，中国推翻了帝制，成立了中国华民国，那是亚洲的第一个共和国。中国人从臣民变成了公民。第二年，中国举行了有史以来的第一次选举，投票选出国会代表。当时只有男性公民有投票权，女性公民没有投票权。

1947年，中国举行国民大会代表选举。女性公民第一次获得了跟男性公民平等的选举权。这是“向上拉平”的平等，是真平等。1949年以后，大陆不再有公民普选，男性和女性都没了选举权。这也是一种平等，如果用美国法院的话说，就是“向下拉平”（level down），这是一种假平等。

简单地说，“向上拉平”，即一个群体获得了本来没有的权利，这是真平等，真平等让人获得自由。相反，“向下拉平”，即一个群体丧失了本来拥有的权利，全民坠入权利洼地，这是假平等，假平等让人丧失自由。

Read more

To close out the year, we got Jake Newby, the author the China music substack Concrete Avalanche, to put together a radio hour introducing China’s best music from the past year. His set includes everything from Afrobeat-influenced Beijing funk to an electronic track crafted in a Tibetan monastery featuring Buddhist chanting.

What you should really do is listen to the mix on ChinaTalk’s podcast feed in your favorite podcast app! Here are the links for Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and every other podcast catcher.

1. Golden Seeds 黄金种子 by Sleeping Dogs

Jake Newby: This first song is called ‘Golden Seeds,’ and it’s by a band called Sleeping Dogs. They’re a Beijing bass group that put out a new four-track EP in November called Cliché, which was their first proper release since their debut album two years ago. But this track is actually from a compilation of songs from all across Asia that the Guruguru Brain label put together for their 10th anniversary. Gilles Peterson also played this track on his BBC Radio 6 music show.

2. Never Broken, Never Healed by Seon Ga 信鴿

Jake Newby: Speaking of compilations, this second track is from one of my favorite compilations of 2024. It's an ambient album put out by Beijing’s Seippelabel. The label is run by Brad Seippel, and it had a comeback in 2024 after a hiatus of about six years. They made up for lost time by releasing a bunch of excellent and interesting experimental electronic records.

‘Never Broken, Never Healed’ is the opening track of an especially beautiful ambient compilation. This song is by Seon Ga 信鴿, a duo comprised of Brad himself and the Guangzhou-based producer Yu Hein.

Subscribe now

3. Aroma Compound by ayrtbh

Jake Newby: Our next song is from ayrtbh, also known as Wang Changcun 王长存. He’s a programmer and experimental musician based in Shanghai, and he’s been releasing interesting avant-garde computer music for around two decades now. ‘Aroma Compound’ is a track from his latest album, Bust Fossil, which is one of his most accessible works to date.

4. Stage Riot 舞台 by Carsick Cars

Jake Newby: Up next is another artist who's been around for a while. There was a time in 2007-2008 when Carsick Cars was the Chinese band known by overseas audiences. In 2007, they were planning to support Sonic Youth in China, but authorities stopped them from doing so at the last minute.

In 2009, they were featured in The New York Times and The Guardian. I wont recite the group's entire history right here, but it’s safe to say there have been a few ups and downs since then. Earlier this summer, the band made a comeback with the original lineup getting back together and recording a new album called Aha.

The first song released for that record is a beautiful track called ‘Farewell (告别)’ It’s a wistful reflection on the band’s youth and comes with a refrain of, “而你们还在吗？(Are you still there?)”

It almost felt like an end-of-a-career track. Fortunately, it was swiftly followed with a full new album. ‘Farewell’ is also definitely worth a listen — it’s in my end-of-year mix on Concrete Avalanche, but for today I selected a different song called ‘Stage Riot.’ It’s one of the livelier tracks from the album.

5. Hereditary Nightmare 遗​传​噩​梦 by The Swan and Blossoms 天鹅与花朵

Jake Newby: “The Swan and Blossoms” sounds a bit like the name of an English country pub, but it’s actually a band from Chengdu. They put out their first album in five years (their second ever) at the end of November. A number of people — including the producer of the record, an established Chengdu indie rock musician in his own right called Uncle Hu (Hu Xike) — say that this is a record that requires a bit of time to get into. I feel like I’m still digesting it. But I wanted to include it here because it just feels so different. It’s an indication of how diverse music in China can be, which doesn't always come across in English language coverage of the Chinese music scene. This album was mixed by Mark Nevers, who's worked with the likes of Lambchop and Andrew Bird.

The record (entitled World Below the Moon 月​下​世​界) has a lot going on. It makes use of interesting instrumentation and vocal flourishes, such as Chinese opera-style singing on one track. It moves between dark folk, quirky indie, and a range of other genres. It’s a fascinating listen.

6. Kagi 鍵 by Voision Xi

Jake Newby: Our next track is from an artist called Voision Xi, who put out her second solo full-length album just a few weeks ago, called Queen and Elf. She's been a key figure on the Shanghai jazz scene for years.

She used to work kind of behind the scenes at JZ Club — which is something of an institution in Shanghai — and then later she took to the stage herself. She's also a really skilled electronic music producer, and her interest in different forms of music is evident on this album. Although it's kind of rooted in jazz, she kind of also weaves in elements of instrumental hip hop, ambient, spoken word, and lots more. I’ve selected a track called Kagi 鍵 from that record.

7. 物件 (Object) by Mdprl & Git Bu$y Trio

Jake Newby: Mdprl & Git Bu$y Trio are from Guangdong, and they’re signed to the Space Fruity label. Their debut LP (called BA*) came out in August. It’s a fun, laid back, jazzy hip hop record with strong summery vibes.

Share

8. Night Patrol by Fazi 法兹

Jake Newby: These next two tracks are pretty different. First, we have a band called Fazi 法兹, a post-punk band out of Xi’An. They’ve had a really interesting year — they went to South by Southwest in the spring, and were meant to go on a tour of North America after that, but only ended up playing a handful of the planned dates. They nevertheless put out a documentary about their time in the U.S. with clips where they were getting really up in the faces of the crowd in Texas and the smaller venues they played. At the end of the documentary, the band said they wished they could do that more in China, since they’ve been playling mostly bigger venues there since they were featured on the TV show The Big Band.

But then they booked a tour of smaller gig venues across China, which felt a bit contrived but actually did work. It seems to have given them a renewed kind of energy, and in November they put out an album where they took a bunch of their old songs and re-recorded them. This wasn't just a Taylor's Version-style release, they really did reinvent a lot of the tracks. The album is called Oriental 101 w Future Prairie, and the track I selected is called ‘Night Patrol.’

9. Mantra Of Buddha Akshobhya 不​动​佛​心​咒 by Howie Lee

Jake Newby: Howie Lee is one of the most interesting artists operating in China. It’s no surprise that his latest album was given a lot of attention by Jamz Supernova and Tom Ravenscroft on the BBC. The LP was recorded over two weeks at the Drolma Wesel-Ling Monastery in the mountains of northeastern Tibet. He combines Tibetan Buddhist singing with what the official introduction on Bandcamp called, “mutating bass/footwork science, glitched-out hyper-rhythms and sampled Chinese-Tibetan instrumentation.” I’m pretty sure it's unlike anything else you’ve heard all year.

10. Ghostbomb by Ghostmass 大鬼众

Jake Newby: One more track for you. But first, thank you for listening! Please support the artists if you can — all of this music is available on Bandcamp.

Our final track is a brutal one from a group called Ghost Mass. They’re a noise supergroup, uh, comprised of two members of Carsick Cars — Li Weisi 李维思 and Li Qing 李青, although they sound very different here — as well as the Chinese noise pioneer Yan Jun 颜峻. Together, they make these visceral, fascinating sounds. There’s not really a good way to describe it, but this is a track called Ghostbomb and you might want to adjust your volume accordingly.

For more Concrete Avalanche/ChinaTalk collabs, check out our Chinese shoegaze playlist, his best of 2023 playlist, H1 2024 roundup back in June. And subscribe to Jake’s excellent substack!

Concrete Avalanche

A newsletter about music from China

By Jake

Read more