🐯 Welcome to the Jungle: The Official Den of Johnny (Tiger) Tai

At the beginning of 2025, I was on the phone with my old nanny—the woman who basically raised me when I was little. Out of nowhere, she told me in that no-nonsense voice I still remember: “If you trust me, don’t ask why, but you and your girlfriend need to carry a vial of salt with you this year so you can be safe.” I didn’t understand it. I didn’t ask. But I’ve been carrying that tiny vial of salt in my pocket the whole year. Because honestly? Better safe than sorry, right? Image: A cartoon man in outdoor clothes pours salt from a shaker onto two giant, stacked, green slugs. Both slugs have wide, alarmed mouths in a forest setting. [ ] Turns out, what she said has deep roots in something old, strange, and fascinating: the Chinese tradition of 压胜术 (yàshèng shù)—an archaic form of spiritual defense, protection, and sometimes… mystical sabotage. What is 压胜术? The term literally means “to suppress and prevail.” It’s a mix of folk belief, proto-fengshui, and ritual magic. The...

Let’s talk about communication—the sexy little skill everyone thinks they’ve mastered until it turns around and spanks them in public. I recently made a video outlining what I believe are the four essential elements of being a good communicator. They are: Stay true to your principles. Start from a balanced position. Put your emotions away. Use empathic communication skills. Sounds solid, right? Very educated. Very mature. Very… textbook. But here’s the twist. I’m someone who’s studied psychology and sociology, someone who lectures, teaches, runs workshops, and helps people literally fight their way through life—and even I get bitten in the ass by communication. Repeatedly. Why? Because no matter how skilled you are, communication is a two-way street. You could be the smoothest talker alive, but if the other person’s not ready to hear you, it won’t matter. Sometimes, it’ll just blow up in your face. Let’s walk through these so-called golden rules—through th...

在世界歷史上，常常聽到哥倫布、麥哲倫、達伽馬的名字，但事實上，早在他們還在歐洲的小港口掙扎時，中國已經完成了史上最宏偉的海上遠征。從1405年至1433年，在明成祖永樂年間，鄭和（1371－1433）先後率領七次遠洋航行，從東南亞到印度洋，從阿拉伯半島一直抵達非洲東海岸。 鄭和的艦隊規模令人咋舌：據史料記載，他的「寶船」長達120米以上，比後來哥倫布的「聖瑪利亞號」大了數倍。整支艦隊超過300艘船隻，隨行人員近28,000人，包括士兵、翻譯、醫師、學者與工匠。可以說，這支艦隊不僅是軍事力量，更是一個移動的外交展覽館，充分展現了大明王朝的財富、文化與國力。 相比之下，哥倫布1492年僅帶著三條小船，麥哲倫1519年啟航時僅有五艘船，最後還只剩一艘艱難返航。這種差距，就好比把「太空梭」和「划艇」放在一起比較。歐洲後來的「地理大發現」更多的是殖民與掠奪，而鄭和的遠航則是以禮物、絲綢、瓷器與茶葉來建立友誼與互通有無。中國人講究「以和為本」，這不正是最好的體現嗎？ 然而，鄭和的個人經歷更加傳奇。他出生於雲南的一個穆斯林家庭，11歲時在明軍征伐中被俘為囚，並被閹割成為太監。在當時，這樣的身份往往意味著被人瞧不起、失去「完整男人」的尊嚴。然而，他憑著膽識與能力脫穎而出，成為皇帝身邊最信任的人，最終統領史上最大規模的艦隊，名垂千古。想想看，一個本來應該被歷史遺忘的小太監，卻成了「龍的使者」，走遍萬里海疆。 鄭和也從未忘記自己的信仰。他自幼夢想有朝一日能前往麥加朝聖。在第七次遠航中，他終於實現了這個願望，於聖城清真寺朝拜。不久之後，他在返航途中去世，結束了一生的壯闊篇章。這份執著與成就，讓後人敬佩不已。 我之所以要寫這一篇，是因為最近正在製作一個關於鄭和下西洋的歷史性視頻。在研究的過程中，我不禁想起小時候，那位我最心愛的保母常常在睡前為我講各種歷史故事，其中就包括鄭和下西洋。那時候年紀小，聽得似懂非懂。如今回憶起來，再加上自己深入考證後的資料，才真正體會到當年的故事原來如此宏大、動人，別有一番風味。 作為一名殘障人士，我對鄭和的故事特別有共鳴。因為我深知被人小看的滋味。我雖然不是太監（哈哈，這點要澄清），但我們這些被貼上「不完整」標籤的人，往往更能創造不凡。說白了，我在某些方面可比誰都強呢！ 所以下次再有人誇耀哥倫布或麥哲倫，別忘了提醒他們：我們中國早就做...

Everyone likes to brag about their heroes—Europe has Columbus, Magellan, da Gama. But let’s be honest: a full century before most of those guys even knew how to get out of their own harbors, China was already running the world’s biggest maritime flex. Between 1405 and 1433, during the Ming Dynasty, 鄭和 (Zheng He) led seven epic expeditions across the seas. We’re talking a fleet of more than 300 ships—not dinky caravels, but massive “treasure ships” that made European vessels look like bathtub toys. Some of his ships stretched over 120 meters long and carried crews that, in total, numbered close to 28,000 men. Soldiers, translators, scholars, doctors, diplomats—basically an international expo floating on the ocean. This wasn’t just exploration. It was China showing off. Image: Wooden sailing ships with tall masts and brownish sails moving through choppy blue waters under a partly cloudy sky. The sea is scattered with floating debris, mainly wooden planks, suggesting a rece...