If you ask a runner which marathon they most want to run, the Beijing Marathon will definitely be in their top three.

On a certain platform, there's a question: 'Why do so many people go all out to run the Beijing Marathon?' The answers are mostly about sentiment, pilgrimage, and the exhilarating experience of singing the national anthem with 30,000 people at Tiananmen Square. Runners never hold back their praise for running a national marathon.

I am no exception. How much do I love it? To be honest, I want to run the Beijing Marathon every September and use the 42.195 km journey north to start a new year. This year holds even more significance for me, as I won't be running alone. I will be leading 100 members of the Huawei running team, heading north together, showcasing the Chinese spirit!

What kind of city is Beijing? No one can give a definitive answer. Due to different positions and perspectives, what we see and experience in Beijing varies. Only by combining all the answers can we roughly outline the complex and ever-changing spectrum of this city and our close connection with it. I will use four songs to narrate from night to day and then welcome the nightfall with you. This will help you understand that by integrating into this city and feeling every street and alley, you will love this city and the marathon held here even more.

Between day and night, perhaps it is the collision and intertwining of these many sounds and elements that constitute Beijing's endless vitality, further illuminated by the Beijing Marathon.

I hope you will resonate with this after reading.

With Beijing, with the Beijing Marathon, and with life.

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Please join me in Beijing, right now.

In 2005, I came to Beijing. It wasn't my first time, but it was the longest I stayed. Five years in the special police force, experiencing battles in the north and south, and facing life and death situations. The most laughter and tears happened there. In those five years, I transformed from a long-haired girl into a short-haired special forces member. Innocence disappeared, and so did fragility, replaced by courage, resilience, and a sincere heart.

At the end of 2010, I left the military. My first job in Beijing was at a state-owned enterprise. In my early twenties, I inevitably had some naivety and confusion entering society. But reality waits for no one, so I had to try my best, not just appear to be working hard. Countless nights, I thought of home, felt lost, stood helpless in the bustling traffic, tossed and turned, and soaked my pillow with tears. This song 'Beijing Beijing,' blending personal and urban emotions, is actually written for each of us.

Beijing is a city that changed me. Although I left in early 2012 and moved to Shenzhen and Hong Kong, I still have a deep attachment to it.

Many people say I am inspirational,but I don't like that term. Because 'inspirational' implies having gone through low points and then achieving some kind of leap. But in fact, at least until now, regardless of whether things go smoothly, I feel very satisfied.I just carry a 'Brave Heart' and keep moving forward. In my six years in Beijing, the most common phrase in the military was 'there's no fire you can't get through'; in my four years in Shenzhen at Huawei, I often heard Ren Zhengfei say, 'A bird that doesn't burn to death is a phoenix.' So you see, suffering is never a positive thing. I never thank suffering, but I do thank myself for rising from the ashes after overcoming it.

Have you ever struggled in Beijing? Or in a city far from home, have you ever felt that life is really hard at some moment? Those disappointments silently intrude into your life. For example, your proposal gets rejected again and again; on your way home from work, you see all the lights on but none for you; you open your door to find the glass you accidentally knocked over in the morning still lying there; or the person you always say 'we'll be together forever' to before hanging up the phone suddenly becomes a stranger...

But have you ever thought about the little joys you've encountered? Like getting the last cup of hot soy milk while queuing for breakfast, having an unexpectedly smooth commute despite waking up late, catching the last subway home after working late, finding a pack of instant noodles in the kitchen when you're starving, or listening to me tell stories about Beijing...

So, just keep being brave and working hard like you are now. Don't mind the difficulties, and be grateful for the challenges that have made you better. Eat well, work well, sleep well, and love and persist well. The so-called glorious days are not the shining days in the future but the days when no one cares, and you are obsessed with your dreams. Those seemingly futile efforts are not the end. They bring growth and change and the silent determination made in the dark.

At our age, we must learn to confront life head-on and treat it gently. Love yourself and believe that every day you live now is the best day of your future. Although the road to chasing dreams is full of thorns, as long as there are dreams, there is hope, and you can soar higher chasing the wind.

When it comes to old Beijing, besides large areas of gray and dark red, I think more of the hutongs.They say there's a kind of memory rooted in the down-to-earth life in the old Beijing hutongs: amidst the bustling traffic, one person, one house, one painting.

Hutongs record Beijing's history and preserve its customs and traditions. Away from the noisy hustle and bustle, wandering in the hutongs is like drinking aged wine, the more you savor it, the more flavorful it becomes, leisurely and free. Whether in the morning, noon, dusk, or late at night, the scenery in the hutongs varies at different times, and so do the emotions they evoke.

Winding paths leading to secluded spots, changing scenes with each step, passing through various hutongs, seeing the mottled red doors with couplets like 'Family heritage of poetry and books, loyalty and wisdom,' and the stone piers in front of weathered wooden doors... It makes one intoxicated with the hutong's history, losing track of time and place.

But the disappearance of old objects and the changes in prosperity often dilute the places where memories are deposited. So, as the song goes, 'This city is becoming more and more developed, but there's always no place to play.' Perhaps it sings about us sometimes, with hearts that have nowhere to rest.

A lyric goes: 'Just fulfilled a childhood dream, and childhood has become a dream again.' It seems that most people have never realized the promises they made in the hutongs or alleys.Youth is fleeting, and the boasts we made will be laughed off with youth. Yes, when we are old, if we come back to Beijing and run the Beijing Marathon again, all the stories of our lives can be laughed off. But this laugh is not one of helplessness or sadness; it should be one of satisfaction, happiness, and the most beautiful smile.

This is probably the meaning of the words 'running the Beijing Marathon.' While running on the road, countless voices say 'I can't, it's impossible,' but we still move forward firmly, illuminating even the darkest places.

When I heard this song, I seemed to have forgotten when I last heard it.

I remember on a marathon track, a young man said to me, 'Brother Cat, thank you for giving me energy.' After saying that, he continued running forward and gave me a beautiful smile. At that moment, my heart was full and warm. Because although I can't help someone overcome illness, poverty, or loneliness, I can at least pass on some courage.

Sometimes, especially during those tough days of struggle, I feel I've done my best. But there are still some exemplary figures around me who give their all day and night. Seeing them, I truly understand that effort is not enough; only striving with all one's might counts as effort. The future scenery is so beautiful, as long as it's something you want to do, be brave and do it, whether it means overcoming thorns or enduring rain and frost.

Just like running can subtly improve a person. The persistence and effort you are experiencing, whether in failure or victory, are a positive force. These changes may seem insignificant or even unnoticed, but you must believe in the power of accumulated effort.

By then, you will be grateful and no longer lament the past, and you will appreciate the beautiful moments of living in the present. As long as you start, you have succeeded. So, let's spend our time on the road ahead, not on memories. While on the road, don't ask about my story; just remember my beautiful smile. If you must remember my not-so-pretty scars, that's okay too!