

If I were to use one word to describe Grandma’s village and miles beyond, it would be GREEN. The village is surrounded by impenetrable shady green where the famous Buenshore chickens roam for bugs and worms; the route to my school is covered in cushiony stretching green; the rice paddies in the lower village are patterned with shooting green; the path leading to the upper range is a vast green meadow where Grandma’s self-reserved plot, ziliudi, sits atop the rolling hills at the bottom of which a pond reflects like a green mirror, even in winter.

Karl is a multi-disciplinary artist. He finds expression through photography, watercolor, and ink, using calligraphy to manifest his life philosophy to remain mindful and keep perspective.
Karl lives in New England with his longtime spouse, who provides him with the stoutest support in every sense.

The Voice Behind the Memoir
Karl Wen Sun

INTRODUCING HEART TO HEAT CHAT
A JOURNEY BACK TO THE CHILD WE LEAVE BEHIND
Heart to Heart Chat with the Six-Year-Old Me invites readers into a deeply personal story of memory, survival, and healing—an honest return to the moments that shaped a life.
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By Karl Wen Sun
Heart to Heart Chat
This book is a detailed memoir by Karl W. Sun, recounting his early childhood experiences living with his grandparents and going to school in rural Hainam during the 1970s, and reflections on his life journey, family dynamics, and socio-political changes. It is organized into two main parts: the memoir itself and a reflective section, offering a personal narrative interwoven with cultural and historical context.
Born, raised, and college-educated in Southern China, Karl W. Sun retraces his early years with a poignant focus on a childhood spent in rurality without parental care. His narrative explores not only the overt traumas of the era but the profound "absence of action" - the invisible weight of emotional neglect. For much of his life, he lacked the vocabulary to name the quiet void in his inner world, a condition he has recently identified as childhood alexithymia. Through this lens, he counters the western tendency to claim expertise over a system at the expense of those with lived experience. A sports enthusiast and a lifelong ESL instructor across multiple countries, interposed by stints in real estate development and international trade, Karl is also a multi-disciplinary artist. He finds expression through photography, watercolor, and ink, using calligraphy to manifest his life philosophy to remain mindful and keep perspective. Karl lives in New England with his longtime spouse, who provides him with the stoutest support in every sense. A documentary that they directed and filmed, along with a number of Canadian professionals, was featured at the Toronto Gay and Lesbian Film Festival in the 2000s.
Arts League of Lowell
The Wuwei Mind of Ink
Lowell Art Exhibition June 6 - June 28
Beautiful show, Karl…so wonderful. I’m sorry I didn’t come to your reception yesterday. My loss. I have spent a little bit of time here just exploring your very soulful work. Even your pictures have something to say. I would love to buy your book and would like you to sign your name. My friend told me she was at your reception and I should come to see both shows. I’m glad I came to experience your show. You are very talented. Keep expressing yourself…. - CJ





































