Self-Quarantine in Beijing: Episode 3, Sanity Crisis
I’ve been illustrating this “Self-Quarantine in Beijing” series for over a month now. This third episode is called Sanity Crisis: Aside from causing physical discomfort and sometimes death, coronavirus seems to also have mutated into a virtual virus, causing fear and menacing the mental stability of people around the globe. For me, not leaving home all this time would have been much harder if it weren’t for these drawings. I hope that everyone can find something which restores a bit of sanity to you during these uncertain times.
Hi, I’m Donal. Just the bird.
你好，我叫云鹤。
Nǐ hǎo, wǒ jiào yún hè
From My Window (窗外 Chuāngwài)
I hear birds singing outside every morning.
I’m not sure whether we have swapped places.
我朋友家在一楼，看不到天空，
Wǒ péngyǒu jiā zài yī lóu, kàn bù dào tiānkōng,
只能通过光的颜色判断天气如何。
zhǐ néng tōngguò guāng de yánsè pànduàn tiānqì rúhé.
听到了外面的鸽子声总有一种幻觉：
Tīng dàole wàimiàn de gēzi shēng zǒng yǒuyī zhǒng huànjué:
分不清笼子内外。
Fēn bù qīng lóngzi nèiwài.
Sunny Day Contradiction (好天气之矛盾 hǎo tiānqì zhī máodùn)
1. Blue Sky When You Aren’t Supposed to Go Out (必须要出门的天气 bìxū yào chūmén de tiānqì)
2. Mythical Pekinese Gray Skies When You Have to Get Out (不能出门的天气 bùnéng chūmén de tiānqì)
Abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko would understand this kind of dilemma.
可能抽象表现主义画家
kěnéng chōuxiàng biǎoxiàn zhǔyì huàjiā
Mark Rothko 马克·罗斯科也很少出门。
mǎkè·luósī kē yě hěn shǎo chūmén
Self-isolation can bring out your inner cuckoo, just enough to start shaking the foundations of your sense of self.
自我隔离会让你开始怀疑自己。
zìwǒ gélí huì ràng nǐ kāishǐ huáiyí zìjǐ
The Cuckoo (布谷鸟儿 bùgǔ niǎo er)
Your thought processes start to function in weird manners:
Thinking in Chinese,
Revising in English,
Deciding in French
(The pinyin is for my mom)
自我隔离一段时间思维会发生一些改变：
zìwǒ gélí yīduàn shíjiān sīwéi huì fāshēng yīxiē gǎibiàn:
中文想好了一个问题，
zhōngwén xiǎng hǎole yīgè wèntí,
用英语过一遍，
yòng yīngyǔguò yībiàn,
然后用法语确认。
ránhòu yòng fǎyǔ quèrèn.
(拼音是给我妈看的)
(pīnyīn shì gěi wǒ mā kàn de)
International Decision Making Committee (我脑瓜里的国际研讨会 wǒ nǎoguā lǐ de guójì yántǎo huì)
One way of releasing amalgams of inner tension is to cook, sing…and drum on your pots and pans.
不大声唱歌做饭的话如何在家呆一个多月？
bù dàshēng chànggē zuò fàn dehuà rúhé zàijiā dāi yīgè duō yuè?
Funky Cooking: Releasing Inner Tension (做饭唱歌解压 zuò fàn chànggē jiěyā)
Honestly, I don’t think I would’ve made it this far if it weren’t for the home-delivery guys.
Going to pick up my parcels is almost like Christmas without a Christmas tree.
However, just between you and me, who has never coveted their neighbors’ presents?
说不出门其实也不对，每天都有快递要取。
shuō bu chūmén qíshí yě bùduì, měitiān dū yǒu kuàidì yào qǔ.
我需要走到小区门口取快递，
wǒ xūyào zǒu dào xiǎoqū ménkǒu qǔ kuàidì,
看到门口堆着所有人的快递包裹，
kàn dào ménkǒu duīzhe suǒyǒu rén de kuàidì bāoguǒ,
又回到小时候圣诞节的感觉…
yòu huí dào xiǎoshíhòu shèngdàn jié de gǎnjué…
巴不得多拿两个。
bābudé duō ná liǎng gè.
We’re Not Birds, Let’s Have X-Mas Without a Tree (我们不是鸟，圣诞节不需要圣诞树 wǒmen bùshì niǎo, shèngdàn jié bù xūyào shèngdànshù)
Now, even when I watch movies, I feel concerned for the main character when they go into a crowded place without a mask.
现在看电影，主角只要去了一个人多的地方，担心他没有戴上口罩会被感染。
xiànzài kàn diànyǐng, zhǔjiǎo zhǐyào qùle yīgè rén duō dì dìfāng, dānxīn tā méiyǒu dài shàng kǒuzhào huì bèi gǎnrǎn.
The Mask, New Luxury Product 2020 (2020年一线奢侈品 nián yīxiàn shēchǐ pǐn)
If your local delivery guy doesn’t have any more masks, Stitching Your Eyes, Nose, and Mouth might help fight the virus, especially when this procedure eventually gets cheaper than N95 masks.
口罩买不到的话可以整容一下，把眼睛鼻子和嘴巴封上, 避免得上病毒的任何可能。
kǒuzhào mǎi bù dào dehuà kěyǐ zhěngróng yīxià, bǎ yǎnjīng bízi hé zuǐbā fēng shàng, bìmiǎn dé shàng bìngdú dí rènhé kěnéng.
Stitching Your Eyes, Nose, and Mouth (两手准备: 把眼睛鼻子和嘴吧封上 liǎngshǒu zhǔnbèi: Bǎ yǎnjīng bízi hé zuǐ ba fēng shàng)
Self-Quarantine in Beijing is a series of illustrations by Donal Turner. Previously:
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