Welcome Onboard.

TK, The Forbidden Flourish

June 18, 2024, 20:00 Sichuan

Translated and edited by Tommy Kuang in November 2024

Editor's note:

The following article is a translation of TFF's launching post, first-hand penned by TFF's Founder and shared with folks on the Chinese Internet earlier this year. We hope it helps you understand who we are and what we do at TFF.

Hello there,

We're The Forbidden Flourish. This is our first time saying hi to the internet. Bit of a mouthful, right? Just call us TFF.

We're a bunch of high school and college kids from all over. Some of us are kicking around in Beijing, others in Seattle - or down in California, about a thousand miles south. I'm Tommy. I'm a student journalist who probably spends too much time hopping on planes, isn't the best writer, and honestly isn't too thrilled about the whole college thing.

TFF started as just an idea back in spring 2020. With everything that was happening back home (and you would understand what this means if you were in China back then) - all those events we'd rather forget - I realized just how much we need basic civic awareness, even just common sense. I didn't know what I could do, but I figured maybe I could at least write things down, help people remember. That's how TFF was born.

(Picture of us showing up in DC)

While the big wheels of history keep turning, we're trying to bridge the gap between the decisions made up top and how they affect real people on the ground. We live by "Awareness Matters" - or as we say in Chinese, "识意为先". We picked that specific phrase because we believe you've got to spread knowledge before you can raise awareness. We're just students who love making sense of this crazy world, and we think it matters that you understand it too.

We're big believers in the power of stories and different takes. Starting now, that's our angle. In TFF, you'll find stories from student journalists (who, trust me, are way better writers than I am) in what we call TFF Journal - or as we like to call it, "Big Policies, Small People". Sure, everyone's talking about the hot topics, but we think the unexpected angles are what really get you thinking. We've also got this bilingual podcast thing going, TFF Podcast. We're looking at everything through student eyes, trying to bring fresh takes on what's happening in the world.

If you're coming from another organization called ICSTT, you probably know one of our other projects. TFF Thinktank is our student think tank that's been around for a while. We're keeping the same nerdy, analytical approach to breaking down policies and social issues. This summer, we're launching something new - the first TFF Heckathon policy paper competition. It's this thing Western universities have been doing forever, and we thought, why not bring it here?

Quick explanation - a "heckathon" is basically a bunch of policy nerds getting together to geek out and write papers. While we love sharing our stuff with you, we really want to hear what you think too. If you're into this kind of thing, we'd love to have you join. More details coming soon.

Look, I'll be honest - I'm probably still a bit of an idealist, and TFF is definitely running on some of that idealistic energy. Sure, we know we might not change the world. But we really believe that every article, every podcast, every bit of research might plant a seed in someone's mind.

There's power in that, we really believe it. We're just a bunch of idealistic kids, waiting to share stuff with you.

So here we are. Welcome aboard. Hope you dig what we do. Catch you next time.

Cheers,

Tommy Kuang

The guy who started TFF, who pretends to know about media, who writes sometimes. Used to run my high school paper. Wastes too much time hunting for cheap flights. Dreams of being that guy flying around the world with camera and microphone.

Layout Editor: Georgina

Website Editor: Tommy Kuang