'Being alone is not isolation, being alone is Solitude.' Solitude, a state where one gets into a sacred conversation with oneself helps one find oneself and be able to live in alignment with one's core values and beliefs. The talk stems from the speaker's recent visit to the river Ganga where she finds Ganga's stillness and deep-rootedness in herself truly incredible. This visit followed by a short spiritual retreat to an ashram made her experience and relish the power of solitude, thereby realising the need to establish a strong connect with oneself.In today's hyper-connected world it is essential to be comfortable with oneself to be able to seek meaningful experiences and engage in acts that bring purpose and peace. With 25 years of experience as a teacher of English and 18 years as a school leader, Ms. A. Preetha Prakash has dedicated her life to nurturing young minds and fostering a love for literature. Her passion for education has been driven by her commitment to: - Empowering students through language and literature - Innovative planning and skill development - Nurturing emotional well-being - Creating a joyful and vibrant school environmentIn recent years, Mrs. Prakash has embarked on a journey of self-reflection, seeking to align her actions with spiritual values. She strives to cultivate a deeper connection with herself and the universe, nurturing a sense of connection to something greater than herself.Through her remarkable journey, Mrs. Prakash embodies a perfect blend of educational excellence and spiritual growth, inspiring those around her with her dedication, passion, and committment to making a positive impact. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

As the founder of a leading domestic commercial rocket enterprise, Zhang Changwu and his colleagues successfully launched the world's first liquid oxygen methane carrier rocket into orbit, achieving substantial progress for China's carrier rocket and aerospace industry. The reusability of rockets is a process that evolves from scratch and then from existence to excellence. Zhang Changwu described to everyone a phenomenon that few are aware of: the boundaries of natural language are the boundaries of systems engineering. Landspace Technology Corporation (Landspace), founded by Zhang Changwu, is a leading enterprise in China engaged in the creation and operation of aerospace transportation systems. Established in 2015, it is a national high-tech enterprise and a member of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF). Guided by national strategies and oriented by market demands, the company is committed to developing medium and large launch vehicle series using liquid oxygen methane as propellant, providing cost-effective and highly reliable launch services for the global market. Landspace is the first private launch vehicle enterprise in China to obtain all access qualifications. On October 27, 2018, it completed China's first private launch vehicle launch. In July 2023, its independently developed Zhuque-2 became the world's first liquid oxygen methane launch vehicle to successfully reach orbit. In the same year, it achieved consecutive launch successes and carried commercial satellites. To date, Landspace has achieved 4 consecutive launch successes, and continues to focus on liquid oxygen methane rocket and reusable rocket technologies, aiming to achieve high payload, high-frequency and low-cost rocket launches, contributing to China's satellite networking program. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

Zheng Hanwen illustrated several ways of being a wet blanket and not being one through a few stories: a mother on the verge of death, in the final stage of cancer, still requested aesthetic medical modifications to dress up for her son's wedding; why we shouldn't open our husband's bag to avoid letting out Schrödinger's cat; why she only takes a suit of worn-out old clothes when returning to her hometown. When we say to fate, "I choose," we are expanding the breadth of the script of our own lives. ZHENG Hanwen has led Parkway in its global expansion, establishing 9 high-end chain institutions and 1 haute couture aesthetics art center, with its business reaching 43 major cities in China. As a pioneer in haute couture aesthetics, she was the first to introduce the concept of "private beauty customization" into China, which was later upgraded to "minimalist haute couture aesthetics". Under her leadership, Parkway has achieved remarkable results in the business field: it became the only medical aesthetics brand included in The Yearbook of the People's Republic of China (2014 Volume), successfully listed on the National Equities Exchange and Quotations, won awards such as "Most Competitive Model Brand" and "Most Valuable Investment Brand", and was rated as Shanghai's Annual Private Enterprise Headquarters. Meanwhile, she is a firm advocate of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and a charity ambassador. With the mission of "creating beauty and spreading love", she established the "Parkway Beautiful Angel Special Fund" under the Shanghai Charity Foundation, dedicated to helping children and women. She also enjoys an international reputation. She once served as the co-chair of the Better World Foundation at the 77th Cannes Film Festival and was awarded the "Most Beautiful Dedication Award". She has been successively reported by journals such as Marie Claire, L'officiel Monaco and Le Figaro, showcasing Oriental charm and female power to the world. As a director of the Chinese Association of Plastics and Aesthetics, she provides valuable suggestions for the development of the industry. She initiated the "Extraordinary Women Plan" and has millions of followers on social networking platforms. Her achievements and influence lie not only in the innovation of the industry but also in the interpretation and transmission of beauty and love. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

Chinese, with a history spanning thousands of years, is one of the world's oldest and most continuously used languages. Each character is like a small painting, evolving from oracle bone inscriptions to seal script, clerical script, regular script, and cursive script. As a dubbing star, Jiaming discribes why Chinese could be the most beautiful language. ZHANG Jiaming has participated in many film and television works such as the movies Nezha: Birth of the Demon Child and Nezha: Chaos in the Sea, served as the dubbing director of the Bilibili animation Humble Me, Just a Wild Monster and dubbed multiple roles. Other dubbing works include: the game Planet: Restart; radio dramas Swordsman in the Snow and Mobius Time and Space, etc. He works as a visiting professor (in the field of film and television performance and dubbing) and a specially-appointed lecturer at many domestic universities. He provides performance guidance and line guidance for some film and television works. The JAMMONKEY (Jam Monkey) team led by him provides dubbing, sound effects, music and other services for the industry. He also acts as a motion capture director and motion capture actor, being active in the film, television, game and animation industries. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

As a child of Chinese immigrants raised in the United States, Dr. Bernard grew up hearing stories about the Five Elements from his mother, who also told him that he should develop in the directions of "Wood" and "Water". It was not until he reached adulthood and achieved success that he understood the profound meaning behind these words. For him, Wood represents medicine—his primary profession—while Water symbolizes media, corresponding to his current identity as a content creator. The two are indispensable, each complementing the other. He elaborated on the various industries associated with each of the Five Elements and the potential connections between them. He urged everyone to learn more from the wisdom of their ancestors, noting that even after thousands of years, this wisdom can still guide our lives and work. Dr. Bernard, known online by the nickname "Chubbyemu", is a toxicologist and medical video creator. Through the narrative presentation of real medical cases, he teaches medical and human physiology knowledge to over 6 million followers worldwide. His popular science works have exerted significant social impacts: they once helped several top academic hospitals in the United States identify special cases and complete the recruitment for rare disease clinical trials; and promoted the legislative process of the U.S. Veterans' Medical Care Act. He was awarded the title of "Top 100 UP Main" on Bilibili for two consecutive years from 2023 to 2024, won the 2023 Gezhi Science Communication Award, and was honored as Bilibili's "Annual Overseas UP Main" in 2024. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

Mr. Tang Jianyuan is a great master of guqin (a traditional Chinese zither). He recalled his arduous experience of learning guqin, as well as the tremendous efforts he and his wife spent compiling the monumental work Qin Fu (The Mansion of Qin). As an epic masterpiece in the field of guqin, Qin Fu has influenced countless guqin enthusiasts and players across the Taiwan Strait. After 50 years, Qin Fu will be published for the first time on the Chinese mainland, which is also the reason why Mr. Tang came to TEDx to tell us stories about himself, the guqin, and his teachers. Tang Jianyuan was born in Hong Kong, China in 1946. In his early years, he studied under the great sinologist Professor Rao Zongyi, listening to his qin (guzheng) playing and receiving guidance in the research of two types of qin literature: qin scores and qin theories, which laid the foundation for his practice in four levels: technique, art, learning, and Tao. Later, he studied under qin masters such as Wu Zonghan and Wang Yici of the Mei'an School; Cai Deyun of the Fanchuan School; Sun Yuqin of the Shanlin School; Wu Jinglue of the Yushan School; and also sought advice from Yang Xinlun of the Lingnan School and Wang Huade of the Chuan School. Tang Jianyuan has been playing the qin for more than 50 years. In his middle age, he gradually formed his own style, which is elegant, quiet, mellow, ancient, and long-lasting. Just as Tai Gu Yi Yin (ancient qin book) puts it, "like a lonely cloud in the vast sky, rolling and stretching with the wind, never dispersing for a long time". His playing features endless variations in hardness and softness, continuity and interruption, complexity and simplicity, and he is especially skilled in using "yin" and "nao" (vibrato techniques in qin playing). Each piece has its own charm, and connoisseurs praise it as "the qin rhyme of the Tang School". Tang Jianyuan learned the techniques of making and repairing qin from Sun Yuqin and Wu Jinglue. Over 50 years, he has collected more than 100 old qin from the Tang, Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties, and has never stopped repairing and making qin. His fine qin, with wonderful sounds at the fingertips and lingering aftertones, are cherished and treasured by qin enthusiasts at home and abroad. In addition, Tang Jianyuan has conducted research in fields such as oracle bone inscriptions, Cantonese opera, Nanyin (Southern Music) singing, purple clay teapots, Pu'er tea, and Redology (studies of Dream of the Red Chamber), and is known as a "polymath scholar". This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx