Volume 1 Chapter 1

  There is

  Han Han - Zero Degrees Celsius

  Preface at Zero Degrees Below

  On February 22, 2000, the collection of essays "Zero Degrees Below" was finally settled. The phrase "dust settles" is actually the title of a novel by author Alai, and it's quite an abstract term that I still haven't fully grasped its meaning. I can only understand it as dust falling down and settling in place. The articles in this collection are all over 10,000 words long, with some even exceeding 100,000 words, but none of them are shorter than a hundred or so words, which is quite restrictive for free expression.

  I once wanted to write "Zero Degrees" with the same style as "Triple Door", unfortunately, I temporarily lost that ability to play with words. I dare say that in terms of playing with words, no work can surpass "Triple Door", but it was overplayed to the point where I didn't even know what I was writing anymore. Therefore, "Zero Degrees" is more representative of Han Han.

  The collection includes some of my previous immature works (especially the last two "Fool" and "The Sunset is Still Beautiful") These articles were mostly written when I was in second grade, and later became more and more childish. I stopped writing for a year, then wrote a long piece and stopped again for another year. Then came "Minus One Degree". Some people say that my writing is like "a thousand words on horseback", which is either too much praise for me or too little respect for the horse. My writing has always been slow and laborious, grinding away until my hands are sore, then stopping abruptly. The result is what critics often call "leaving the reader with a lingering impression that invites deep thought".

  There are also some articles in the collection that I cherish and don't want to give away. These are for maintaining my reputation after I'm gone. Nowadays, aren't there always people who have already lost their talent worrying whether I will become like them? So I'll take advantage of the fact that I haven't run out of talent yet to secretly stash some good articles, and when I really do get worse with age, I can suddenly whip them out and make those people exclaim in surprise: "Han Han has made a comeback!" But since I have the opportunity to publish this book, as a thank you to those who care, I'll just give it all away. This way, when I'm old, I won't have any security.

  The first part of the article in this collection has a bit of an old and cunning taste; some commentaries in the second part start to become slightly more serious and subtle in tone; the third part is where my writing style has changed the most recently, I had originally intended to write in a more solemn and profound manner but unfortunately ended up being played by profundity and becoming increasingly superficial.

  This morning I went to a bookstore and found that there are some mediocre, vulgar, and trendy young and old authors who have published books. So my confidence has increased - wait for Han Han to come, you guys get out of the way!