I was born in Beijing, China and grew up there to the age of eight. Then I immigrated to the US with my parents and lived for three years in Richmond, Virgina. Then my family moved to New York City. I went to middle school through college in New York (I went to Columbia University). Last year, I moved to Stanford to attend medical school at Stanford.

I think the two traits that I most value in myself are my sensitivity and joyfulness. By sensitive I mean that I'm very perceptive of other people's feelings as well as my own, intellectually sharp, and appreciative of beautiful things like nature and art. By joyful I mean that I believe that life's a beautiful thing to be enjoyed and savored. I believe in doing work I enjoy, being with people I love, doing activities I enjoy. I’d also say I’m very childlike at times: I like to revel in childlike joy.

I am sensitive, joyful, and smart.

I think that another way of describing myself would be a really nice guy who's kickass smart and awesome at his professional stuff.

I'm a first year medical student, so I spend a lot of time learning medical science. But I'm also interested in obtaining a PhD and probably spending most of my professional time running a laboratory instead of seeing patients in the clinic. So I also spend quite a bit of time doing work related to laboratory research, preparing to apply for the MD/PhD program here at Stanford. The MD/PhD program typically takes at least 7 years and can take a few years longer, so there's a long road ahead of me. I'm not sure at this point whether I will pursue additional medical training after obtaining my MD/PhD; I would need at least one more year of medical training (an internship) to practice medicine. But though I have many years of training before me, I think I'll have a terrific time in the years ahead. I think I'm living a balanced happy life right now, and I intend to keep it up in the years ahead.
I also run a part-time business tutoring high school and college students. I've tutored physics, chemistry, and biology at the college and high-school level (including for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)) and English, Chinese, economics, statistics, and calculus at the high-school level.

I'm really good at noticing when other people are upset and comforting or cheering them up, bringing calm and solace and offering an optimistic outlook when that's appropriate. I'm also really good at appreciating beautiful things--for example, classical music, poetry, the visual arts, and the outdoors. I like writing or reciting other poem's about the outdoors to friends on hikes; I like analyzing music and visual art with friends.

I'm also have a sharp memory for what's going on in the lives of my family members and friends, and a love for all sorts of knowledge. Besides music, poetry, and the visual arts, I like learning about world history and literature generally, partly because they can be inspiring or moving and partly because they give me insights into other cultures and my friends from those cultures. I like biological science and want to contribute to it partly because biological science supports medical advances which contribute greatly to human happiness but also because I find the intricate mechanism of life scintillating and enchanting. I like learning the other natural sciences because there's a noble structure and grandeur to their view of the universe.

To give you illustrations of the depth and breadth of my intellectual interests, in the last two years, I've read Nicholas Boyle on Goethe, Edward Mendelson on W. H. Auden, Charles Tilly on European state formation, and Donald Tovey and Richard Taruskin on music. Most of my research experience has been with molecular biology, but in the last year I've developed an interest in imaging and so have taught myself quantum mechanics and relativistic electromagnetism. I'm currently teaching myself quantum electrodynamics. A favorite magazine I enjoy reading to keep abreast of recent publications in literature, literary studies, history, and other humanities is the Times Literary Supplement.

I think I have an affectionate way of looking at people and an affectionate tone of voice that puts people at ease. I like to use conversations to build sincere connections with other people. I very much love giving other people the opportunity to express themselves and convey what their life’s like. I recognize my limited base of experience and try hard to see things from other people's point of views. I like causal conversation about art and politics and the like that has a little seriousness to it when I'm getting to know people at first. I don't like facetious conversations that don't have any seriousness, that are just for jest or intellectual excitement when I'm getting to know people. I do however delight in frothy intellectual conversations when there's a little seriousness involved or when I know the other person very well.

There are many books, movies, musical works, and foods that I like. I should say that I'm quite willing to trying out new things with my friends so that we can spend time together and build our relationship, and that I'm quite good at learning to like new things. But I do think I'm looking for someone who's willing to spend some time trying out the things I like best.

BOOKS
Some of my favorite authors and books are: Shakespeare, George Eliot's Middlemarch, Virginia Woolf, E. M. Forster, Turgenev, Dickens, Harry Potter, The Lord Of The Rings; the poetry of Ben Jonson, Andrew Marvell, Keats, and Homer; Don Quixote, and Bocaccio's Decameron (A great 15th century collection of Italian short stories).

Here are some thoughts on why I like some of these authors and works: I like Shakespeare's tragedies, comedies, histories because of the complexity of the characters, which allows the reader or the audience to have the highest empathy for characters and for the human condition; because of the the catharsis the tragedies allow and the joy the comedies release, because of the intoxicating and dreamy lyricism of the language. I like Shakespeare's sonnets because of the sound of the language and the simplicity of the emotions (e.g., loving admiration in "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day"), which I find graceful.
I like George Eliot's Middlemarch because of she shows the highest empathy for her characters and the human condition; and because she writes about people being happy as a result of making material sacrifices to do what they love and to be with people they love.
I like Dickens for his combination of social messages with sweeping plots, sharply-drawn characters, and impressionistic language (e.g., the start of Bleak House); and I love the joy he's able to convey in his descriptions of the festive occasions in A Christmas Carroll. I like Harry Potter because I love the friendship of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, the mixture of magic and emotion, and symphonic pacing (e.g., how in Deathly Hallows the chapter on the confrontation the House of Malfoy is followed by the chapter on mourning and reflection at Shell cottage). I like The Lord of the Rings for its combination of mournfulness for lost things of the elves and Numenorians with the pluck and joy of the Hobbits and the determination of Aragorn and Rohirrim. I like Don Quixote, a Spanish novel about Spanish squire of the 17th century who thinks he's a medieval knight, because of humility, zanniness, and warmth of the narrator's voice ; the possibility of interpreting Quixote both as a man of ideals and as a man of illusions; and the slapstick comedy. I like the Decameron (a 15th Italian book in which a group of Florentines tell each other short stories--many of them erotic, or telling of close escapes from danger, or making uproarious fun of authority figures in contemporary Italian society--in order to keep each other's spirits high during the plague) because of its spirit of witty, sensual celebration of life in the darkest of times. I like poetry like Jonson's, Marvell's, and Keats for their creative imagery, rich sounds, and the restfulness many of their poems evoke.

MOVIES
The movies nearest and dearest to my heart are a BBC production of Chekhov's Three Sisters (1970, directed by Cedric Messina), The Sound of Music, and Juno. Other movies that I like include Singin' in the Rain, Some Like It Hot, Mary Poppins, Master and Commander, Fanny and Alexander, Almost Famous, Metropolitan, Rachel Getting Married, Holiday (1936), The Best Years of Our Lives, and Yasujiro Ozu's Tokyo Story, Early Summer, and Late Autumn.
I'd like to add that while the above are my favorite movies, I like and am knowledgeable about another movies. Specifically I'm familiar with a lot the critically popular ones on the BFI and AFI lists; classic Hollywood movies such as those with Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant or those directed by Hitchcock or William Wyler; historically reknowned directors such as Renoir, the Italian neorealist, Kurosawa, Bergman, Truffaut, Werner Herzog, Wim Wenders, and Kielslowski; more recently acclaimed indie directors such as Aki Kaurismäki, Lee Chang-dong, Hirokazu Koreeda, Lyn Shelton, and Sarah Polley; and a lot of contemporary main directors who make romantic comedies or relationship comedies, such as Richard Curtis, Nora Ephron, Lawrence Kasdan, and James L. Brooks. I also have a interest in recordings of plays, ballets, operas, etc. With the vast number of recordings of performances now available as DVD's or streamed on youtube and Amazon, it's possible to say watch 10 versions of Hamlet and pick one's favorite (mine is the BBC version with Derek Jacobi). Despite my knowledge of the movies, I'm a big fan of trying new things and checking out DVD's or movies at the theater that I don't know much about. I think I have a good attitude toward movies and enjoy most movies I see, even I don't pick them; I appreciate the escape and any emotional message the movie has, even if it's simple, so long as it's not false.

MUSIC
A) Some of my favorite classical musical composers, pieces, and performers are:
A.1) Mozart
A.1.1) The Marriage of Figaro
A.1.2) The Jupiter symphony
A.1.3) The Clarinet concerto (Any of the Jack Brymer versions)
A.1.4) The string trio K. 563
A.2) Beethoven
A.2.1) The 9th Symphony (Any of the Furtwangler versions)
A.2.2) The Emperor piano concerto (Especially the recording of it by Rudolf Serkin and Leonard Bernstein; the sound of the strings in the second movement is so tender)
A.2.3) The piano sonata Op. 109, the theme and variations movement (Annie Fischer)
A.3) Haydn 
A.3.1) The string quartet Op. 76, No. 5, the largo (The Lindsay Quartet)
A.4) Mahler
A.4.1) Symphony No. 4 (Salonen)
A.4.2) Symphony No. 4, Mvt. 4 or the adagietto (Haitnik)
A.4.3) Symphony No. 6, Mvt. 3 (Mitropoulos)
A.5) Schubert
A.5.1) The death and the maiden quartet, the andante
A.6) Dvorak
A.6.1) The American string quintet (in E-flat major)
B) Popular music I like
B.1) Cat Stevens
B.2) Rogers and Hammerstein
B.3) The Carpentars
B.4) Judy Garland
B.5) Frank Sinatra
B.6) The Beatles
B.7) Bob Dylan
B.8) Ella Fitzgerald (The Cole Porter recordings especially)
B.9) Helen Forest (A 40’s big-band jazz singer)
B.10) Blind Lemmon Jefferson (A 20’s blues singer)
C) Folk Music I like
C.1) Liz Carrol (A virtuosic Celtic violinist)
D) I’d like to explain that the above music is my favorite music, but there’s a lot of music I like and am interested in.  In fact, I have a pretty encyclopedic knowledge of American popular music.  For example, you might be surprised to know that I’m records knowledgeable about the early history of rap-- Def Jam Records, Run DMC, Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, Bad Boby Records, Puff Dady, Notorious BIG, Death-Row Records, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dog, 2pace.  For another example, I’m also familiar with the mainstream rock bands of the 1970’s--the Rolling Stones, Led Zepplin, and Pink Floyd—and the punk rock bands of the 1970’s—the Velvet Underground, Stooges, New York Dolls, and Ramones.  For a final example, I’m familiar with early 1930’s country artists like The Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers.  Also, the list of classical music pieces is about 1% of my collection, and I’m starting to get into a lot of folk music—for example, Czech, Cuban, and Indian. My general attitude toward art (as well as politics in fact) is to be open-minded, respectful, and thoughtful, so I’m sure I can find some find common ground and a way to share the car radio with you.

THINGS I FIND FUNNY
I think a sense of humor is extremely valuable for a happy life. One cluster of types of humor I like are childlike, cerebral, and/or positive humor. Some examples of this genre: Calvin and Hobbes, The Daily Show, The Sound of Music, Bringing Up Baby, Much Ado About Nothing, and Henry IV, Part 1. I also like dark humor that arises from, gives vent to, and laughs at one's personal frustration and concern for the well-being of the world. Perhaps the best example of this type of humor is Dr. Strangelove.

TRAVEL INTERESTS
The place I want to visit most in the world is Salzburg, Austria during the its annual summer classical music festival. Nestled under the Alps, I think that that classical musical festival is one of the finest in the world, and it's definitely set in a historic city with masterful baroque architecture. I'd love be to climb those mountains or explore the ancient city by day and listen to that music by night.

I should also say that I love the outdoors. Although I've lived In New York City from middle school through college, I was able to take many trips with my parents to the national parks of the West, and do quite a bit of hiking. My favorite natural place is Resurrection Bay, by Kenaj Fjords National Park. That bay is a magnificent glacier-carved artifact, still fed by glaciers running from the largest ice field wholly in the United States. It's surrounded by snow-capped mountains and lined by forests of ever greens. In the summer, it receives 20 hours of sunlight per day and is home to an incredible diversity of animals--whales, otters, eagles, and too many others to list. The most strenuous hike I've done is from the Southern rim of the Grand Canyon to the bottom and back in one day (My dad an I hiked it after my college graduation via the Bright Angel and South Kebab trails). Now that I'm living in California, I'm trying and (having some success!) getting out to the wilderness on a monthly as opposed to a yearly basis =)

POLITICS
As I mentioned in my discussion of musical tastes, my attitude toward a lot of life is to be open-minded, respectful, and thoughtful. Therefore, I don’t support politicians because they’re Democrat or Republican but beacause I’ve thought and read about their positions (and sometimes read articles in journals of Economics or wonky economists’ blogs or analyzed the relevant data myself) and I agree with them. I will take action to support a policy I passionately support. Recently, I've campaigned for the Democrats on a few issues, especially for healthcare reform. In 2009-10, I probably called about a hundred-fifty voters to urge them to take action to support healthcare reform. I think that the US has a terrific governmental system, that I'm fortunate to live in it, and that I have a responsibility to keep up a decent level of engagement in it.

Five general things that are very important to me are intellectual challenge, service to others, fun, appreciation of art and beauty, and time with friends, family, and other people dear to me. From week to week and month to month, I like to take the time out to reflect and make sure I have enough of each of these things.
Currently, I have loads of intellectual challenge from my schoolwork and lab-related work. For the opportunity to provide service to others, I have a fair amount of practice work with patients per week, and I'm also involved with a community service group here at Stanford that teaches art to high school students. For fun, I'm mostly hanging out with friends near where I live; however, I've also gone hiking and camping quite a bit on the weekends. For appreciation of art and beauty, I listen to music and read poetry on the weekends, and sometimes make trips to SF for cultural events or go to events here on the Stanford Campus. For friends and family, I'm in weekly contact with my mom in New York, and in frequent contact with my friends--from my elementary friends in China, with whom I communicate by e-mail, to my high-school friends, to my college friends.

Having dinner with a friend, attending a cultural event in San Francisco or on campus, dancing (waltz or salsa or another dance) with a friend, or watching a movie

You're interested in me as a friend, a date, or a pen pal.
I think the most important things in a friend or romantic partner is the ability to the non-judgmental and supportive, so you should value those qualities!