Jason | Phoebe

Ten years ago, Phoebe came to Dali and stayed for nearly a year. At that time, I had just opened my restaurant for a little over a year.

She studied computer science in college, spent a year on exchange in Japan, and after graduation worked as a Japanese translator, mostly for a translation agency. At first, she translated tedious patent documents. Later, she went to France to study, and after graduating, she also translated French. Gradually, she shifted to translating only literature, children's picture books, biographies, and other content she enjoyed.

After returning from France, Phoebe has been a freelance translator, earning a modest income just enough to get by. She lives in different places, leading a simple life. She isn't the kind of independent woman you'd recognize at first glance—she's petite, appears timid, and is very cautious in daily life. But from her life choices, she is someone with a strong inner resolve, with her own clear way of approaching life. That's rare to see.

Phoebe, apart from these obvious life choices, doesn't seem to have a particularly dramatic story. I think it's partly due to my ability to tell stories, and possibly because she didn't face intense conflicts when making all her decisions. Everything seemed natural and inevitable, without strong resistance. If there was ever opposition, she probably didn't struggle fiercely—she just did what she did and moved on.

Wherever she lives, she slowly takes care of her living space, getting some things from friends and buying some herself. She works at a steady pace, methodically. Once settled, she does translation work to earn money, procrastinating until the deadline approaches, then stays up late rushing to finish, regretting not using her time better earlier. The earlier time might have been spent drawing in her journal, observing plants, writing letters to friends, preparing gifts, or browsing gossip online.

She also writes daily records, full of trivial details, and they're not short. She goes out to eat alone, observing in restaurants. When she arrives at a new place, she observes everything in life, noticing many details, and she's curious about quite a few things. When you meet her, she's a quiet, gentle person, speaking softly, asking questions, and rarely offering sharp opinions on her own.

Next, I'll share some articles she's written. You can see how Phoebe, back in Dali, slowly settles down and, in the process, observes this place that is both familiar and much changed.

Her coming to Dali this time isn't a major decision, just a change of living environment for a few years. Perhaps she'll also work with us as a guide for nature, plants, and birds, but she says she's not ready yet—maybe next year.

We first got to know each other in the blog era, almost 20 years ago. Now, "blog" is quite an old-fashioned word.

Some of Phoebe's translations:

Translator: Lü Lingyan

"Sustainable Good Life" (Japan) Sakai Junko

"Akioka Yoshio" Muji Books: People and Things

"A Cozy Little Home" (Japan) Kato Kyoko

"Why?" (Belgium) Yaël Van der Hof

"Blah Blah, Disappear!" (France) Mike Escoffier

"Midnight Diner's Private Recipes" (Japan) Horii Kenichiro (author); (Japan) Abe Yaro (comic illustrations)

"The Little Fox's Color Is Gone" (France) Timothée Le Véel

Phoebe's journal sketches:

Phoebe's journal sketches:

Photos