The other day, I went to the National Art Museum of China to see paintings with my buddy Tong Liu. We were pretending to be cultured and acted like typical文艺青年 (artsy youths). When we encountered an oil painting, we had to first figure out what it depicted and whether we understood it or not; when we came across a traditional Chinese painting, we would ponder whether the twisted and winding lines were deliberately crafted or casually doodled...