Wind bird Pinocchio

Author: Liu Ke-xiang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: A sensation in Taiwan at the end of the century, achieving an incredible record of 28 reprints within a year. A fable of a bird's growth from infancy to maturity, a hymn to life that reexamines the value and meaning of existence. A quick search on Google reveals its profound influence in Taiwan, and its simplified version was first published in mainland China. Renowned Taiwanese writer Lin Qing-xuan wrote the preface, saying: "To have the heart of the universe, to share the suffering of all living beings." Such a work not only lets us witness the life journey of a migratory bird but also prompts us to reconsider the value and meaning of life.
Liu Ke-xiang's previous works, many of which were "bird poems" and "bird essays," were largely inspired by his observations of birds, documenting their life and ecology. The Wind Bird Pinocha is his th bird novel, which goes beyond recording life and ecology to delve deeper into the "minds" of birds, exploring their philosophy of survival.
Migratory birds, driven by the need for survival, are eternal wanderers, bold in their long journeys and adventures. Resident birds, content with their current state, live a leisurely life, often misunderstanding and disregarding the migrations of migratory birds. Resident birds rarely break out of their comfort zones to try the migratory life of migratory birds, while migratory birds, in an effort to understand the resident birds' way of life, choose to live with them, observing, mating, and reproducing. Once their experiments prove successful, they too might abandon migration and settle in the south.
Black Shadow was a legendary migratory bird hero. Pinocha, in his quest to find Black Shadow, experienced the adventures Black Shadow might have undertaken, ultimately becoming a new hero to replace him. Symbolizing birds as humans or humans as birds, Liu Ke-xiang follows the footsteps of the "legendary hero."
I am a migratory bird named Pinocha, proud of my role in group life, coming to Taiwan to find a fellow named Black Shadow, with a clear goal. I cross hills, fly into high mountains, settle by lakes, and have been to snow-capped peaks. I reproduce, adapt to the environment, and even abandon my original self, but, I still have dreams—exploring the meaning of life, becoming a bird of dignity.