Seeking a Home (Some excerpts from this collection have been published in the Chinese magazine "Reading" in recent years.)

Author: Yu Liping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features: This series of books compiles non-fiction essays, a broad definition of prose, unrestricted by narrative, lyrical, or discursive styles, and encompasses various forms such as articles, diaries, and letters. What matters most is the connection to the earth. This includes the heaviness, simplicity, fragrance, and bitterness of the soil, the gentleness of water, as well as drought and thirst. My hometown, Gaochun, is located at the southwestern tip of Jiangsu Province and borders Anhui Province, aptly described as the "Jiangsu-Anhui." The terrain is higher in the east and lower in the west. The eastern part is where the Maoshan Mountains and Tianmushan Mountains meet, with high mountains and dense forests, commonly known as the "Mountain Village." The western part is surrounded by three lakes—Danyang Lake, Shijiu Lake, and Xiaonan Lake—with crisscrossing streams and rivers, and endless reed marshes, commonly known as the "Floodplain Village." The earliest county seat, Gucheng, was established in 541 BC, over two hundred years earlier than the construction of Jinling County by King Wei of Chu (333 BC), making it an ancient town. By the time I was born, Gucheng had long been abandoned, and Chunxi Town, the county seat, was merely a small town with only a few thousand households. The town had only one narrow, winding street, over three meters wide, paved with cobblestones, commonly known as the "Old Street."