Five stars. Etc.
#art #donnnaaallldddjjjttrrruummmppp #honngggkkoonngg #polllliiiccee #protesstttss #ronanfarrroooww #harveyyweiiinnsttteeeiiinnn #etcetterraaa #evveerryytthhiinnggg #evveerrybbooddyy #evvveerryyywhherree #evveerytimmeesppatacceecoonntiinnnuuummm #chhannyyyiinnllammm #??????? #metttttoooooo #qirouyang #kiyo #crimes #bullies #bully #wechat #blog #lovenotes #stop #stopbullying #donaldjtrump #him #he #strangers #jackschlossberg #money #getmarried #justintrudeau #anybody #actresses #classmates #friends #infinityyyyyy #warssss #athennnneee #lordddddd #smillllleeee #wedddiiinnngggg #dictionnnarrryyy #futurecinemaaaaa ##meangirlsssss #perfectbluuuuuuueeeee #jjjjwzxxxccc #harrryyypootteeerrr #fanficcctiioonnn #yaoooiiiiiii #softbbbaannkkk #2000000billllliiioonnnndollarrrssss #japppaaaannnn #americccaaaa #dracoharry #drarrrryyyy #friends #enemies #friendships #fantasy #thenewyorktimes #putlizerprizes #interns #internshipssss #crimes #antifa #unicornriots #401kkkkkkkk
#woooorrrkksss #jobbbbsssss #theeennneewwyyoorrkkttimmeesss #reporterssss #internssss #internshipsssss #cmagazine #review #venezuela #israel #palestine #china #hongkong #submit #features #france #nice #samuelpaty #submissions #nyc #restaurants #wikipedia #binchen #chenshangwen #nyc #writings #restaurants #skyting #studio #devils #criticism #fanfiction #yulingchen #buffythevampireslayer #gettingpublished #esse #cornelia #arrrrtttt
???????? #??????
Five stars
C magazine review/manuscript/Iowa writers workshop/brown university/columbia university/mfa/etc.
Creative writing
Fiction/poetry/ both genre/etc. /digital writing/nonfiction
Yuling Chen
2026 April 7th
Lena was hungry. She took a fig from the market. She ate it slowly. The juice was everywhere. It was on her fingers. It flew everywhere. She licked them. It’s sticky. Venice, Italy was hot. It was June. She just got a notice from the government. It said she needed to move out of her house immediately. She was relentlessly unhappy. It turned out her travel plan was nil.
A year ago, she was on an airplane flying from Toronto, Canada to Venice, Italy to see the art exhibition Venice biennale in 2017. She walked around the exhibitions feeling uncomfortable about her skin colors. Many people stared at her. They seemed to think she was an alien from the outer space. It had given her an idea about writing about immigrants in order to get herself published in Canada. As she walked down the pebbled lanes she saw a moon door like the one she saw from where she came from, Haikou, China, a real estate development at the time around 2008. It was right before she was sent off to the university after the university entrance exam. She saw the advertisement on the wood boards. She thought about how lovely it was to live in an apartment like that. The sun beated down on her like a hot stone sauna. She looked at the moon door in Italy studying its wooden grain. Then she looked to her right and saw a boat on the nearby water having a dark shade drawn over it. A man came out, about 40 years old dressing in shirts and suits carrying a cigar, looked about menacingly and then went right back inside the boat. A cold drift of air wafted pass her. She was feeling a type of sadness only possible for a rich girl. She was not rich. She was on the government grant. She turned around trying to hide from the sun that was brutal and bright. It was then she thought about adjusting her posture to look straighter. A dog barked inside the house behind the moon door. Women and men laughed. She felt cold and she held her head high even though it was impossible. She walked gingerly towards the left, determining to reach her Airbnb in a defiant spirit. She mumbled to herself under her breath, “I’d rather be called a feminist than a whore.” That was it. She felt instantly elated. She leaped about like a bird and jumped on the roads like a cat. She ran towards her Airbnb and never looked back. Etc.
Objective/synopsis
Lena Chen lived in a house in Venice Italy on a government initiative. She was a tourist from Canada. She was originally from China. She was there to write about exhibitions and Venice biennale on a mission to get herself published by c magazine , etc. . However the five star party in Italy had made her trips a dangerous liasion with powers, money and sex. She started to doubt everything was about looks instead of intelligence. She got on a local government program and tried to explore personal history in Italy. Writing about herself as locals. And other local native people. However the war happened in Iran. The government and people, five star party tried to evict her telling her to go back to where she came from. She was very angry. She attended a party in the market drinking frizzy champagne and eating oysters. She met a boy there and got married. The end. Etc.
Living as an immigrant or traveler in a culturally rich yet politically volatile environment can be a deeply transformative experience. From Lena’s narrative, it's clear how art and personal history intertwine, offering a unique lens to understand cultural identity and belonging. Visiting Venice for the Biennale, Lena’s experience of feeling alienated due to her skin color resonates with many immigrants who face subtle and overt forms of othering in foreign lands. This emotional struggle, coupled with the challenges of government interference and social exclusion, reflects a broader global conversation about immigration, identity politics, and belonging. While navigating the labyrinthine streets of Venice, Lena's encounter with the moon door — a motif linking her past in Haikou, China, to her present — symbolized a bridge between different cultures and memories. This moment of connection between her origins and her current environment highlights how place and memory influence storytelling and creative writing. Moreover, Lena’s reflections on power, money, and appearance critique common societal values, especially as seen through her interactions with the five star party and local authorities. These challenges underscore the complex dynamics artists often face when their work addresses sensitive social and political issues. Beyond the narrative, residing temporarily under a government initiative and facing eviction due to external geopolitical conflicts like the war in Iran reveals how global tensions directly and personally impact individuals, adding layers of difficulty to artistic pursuits. For creatives and writers, Lena’s story exemplifies the importance of persistence in telling personal truths despite adversity. Immigrant artists can draw inspiration from her journey, understanding that their voices contribute invaluable perspectives to cultural dialogues. Moreover, her defiant spirit and choice to embrace feminism over imposed labels remind us all of the power of self-assertion. In sum, this account encourages readers to reflect on their own interactions with culture, identity, and politics, whether as locals or visitors, fostering empathy and awareness. It also serves as a reminder of the vital role that creative expression and storytelling play in documenting diverse human experiences in a complex world.
