Place where the soul resides

Author: Gai Mingsheng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-01-01
Features: Mr. Gai Mingsheng began his career as a photographer and, at the age of fifty, gained fame for his literary talents. His literary life began in 1993 after an accidental injury on the western shore of the Black Sea. As if guided by some divine force, he took winding mountain roads and, like the fisherman who stumbled upon the Peach Garden in the tale of Wu Ling, spent four years traversing the Hengduan Mountains. During this time, his footsteps covered the entire Liujiang River Basin, the mountains and ridges of what is known as the "Ancient Naxi Kingdom in southwestern China." Of course, he also traveled multiple times to the tropical rainforests of Xishuangbanna and the foothills of the Himalayas, but these journeys were merely to better understand and appreciate the land of the Huma people and the Naxi ethnic group. This book portrays, with a degree of realism, the lives of various cultural groups centered around the Naxi people in the Hengduan Mountains at the end of the 20th century. It is imbued with profound historical and cultural significance while also reflecting the changes brought about by modern society. Where the Soul Resides is, strictly speaking, a documentary travelogue but also has a strong flavor of cultural essays. It portrays, with a degree of realism, the lives of various cultural groups centered around the Naxi people in the Hengduan Mountains at the end of the 20th century. It is imbued with profound historical and cultural significance while also highlighting the changes brought about by modern society. The living people, vivid events—everything is genuine, touching, and free of any artificiality.