Northbound and Beyond – Passionate and Driven

Northbound and Beyond seems to resonate with a yearning in everyone's heart – a fast-paced lifestyle, passionate and driven. A hard-working, upward-moving life. It seems that everyone is striving for their own lives, unwilling to pause, and any pause would lead to falling behind.

In 2016, after graduating, I came to Beijing due to my internship unit, starting my Northbound and Beyond life. Arriving in a strange city, it was a fresh start and a new stage for a newborn like me, full of curiosity about everything.

Small Life

Simply and purely appreciating the beauty of everything, but often not as desired. The difficulties in my internship unit led to working hard for a month without receiving a single penny, and after finally finding a suitable job with familiar people in the same unit, it was due to a misunderstanding that I was left alone, finding a job by myself.

So I started working tirelessly, studying English after work, weekends were spent with part-time jobs. I didn't dare to pause, with no time for rest, not even visiting the nearby Tiananmen Square. Weekend outings with colleagues and friends were all rejected. When Beijing friends contacted me, I seemed afraid to reach out.

Seeing their work so smooth, I never felt complacent, but I felt very fulfilled. However, the good times didn't last long, and my unit stopped operating after only half a month due to the unit's mistake, forcing it to exit.

Finally, I found a more favorable unit, with excellent conditions all around, and I felt confident that I could have good developments here. But then, a phone call disrupted all my plans because of family reasons, leading to my resignation.

Just hearing the sound of my family's phone calls, tears streaming down my face, constantly crying, unable to stop. It was hard to accept, despite my words. I was moving belongings in a strange city, making connections with social circles, which was my first experience in this society. This is unforgettable. Perhaps this is my Northbound and Beyond experience – bumpy, but also the most memorable. Looking back, I wonder how I managed to get through it.

Comfort and Passion

After returning to Chongqing, I seemed to have seen everything and lacked the passion I once had in Beijing. It's better to live a peaceful and natural life.

Sometimes I think, if I hadn't resigned, what would my Northbound and Beyond life be like now? If my family hadn't experienced those events, what would our lives be like? Life always surprises you, catching you off guard.

Some people say, 'I'm fine in small cities, why go to big cities to resist the pressure.' I want to say: If you haven't experienced a big city, you will never know what you will encounter.

I think Northbound and Beyond life is unforgettable, it makes you active and willing to work hard, it won't let you feel too comfortable or lazy.

Yearning for the Beautiful

Beijing is China's capital, with Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Great Wall of Badaling, the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace, Yuanming Garden, the Wall of Mukden, Jingshan Park, the National Museum of China, the Temple of Heaven and the Imperial Academy Museum, Yonghe Temple, and the Bird's Nest and North Sea Park as must-visit places. Each place symbolizes Beijing's representative and China's capital.

Shopping Areas: Financial Shopping Center, World Trade Central, WF Central, West End Taikoo Hui, SEG Plaza, Sanlitun, Wangfujing, Qianmen Street, Panjiayuan Antique Market, Meimei Department Store

Food Streets: Wangfujing Snack Street, Qianmen Street, Guang'anmen Food Street, Ping'an Street, Fangzhuang Food Street

If someone told me to make the same choice again, I would still choose to go. Maybe Beijing's distance from home will make you feel far, but it will have a deep meaning. I hope you always preserve your and pursue the beautiful things.

(Image source: from the Internet,)