Emerald in Flames: A Colorful Journey of a Turpan Oasis Woman

Author: Luo Juan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-02-01
Features: Life is a journey that never ends, and we are on the way, not yet arrived. Traveling is not about "living in a different place"; rather, it is about "going to distant places" and then returning to "where we stand now," walking, and dwelling. But returning to where we already are is unknown to be how many times harder than any other place. So, after traversing thousands of mountains and rivers, we search for the person of our dreams, holding their hand, "to go home together"—it is a dream we are yet to wake from. The road is born from dreams. Here, we willingly get lost. Without the lost sheep, how can one know the happiness of home?
Fire-Emerald—A Colorful Journey of an Oasis Woman in Turpan is a human geography book, once again launched by China Youth Publishing Group, a young publisher that has led the trend in the tourism book market in recent years, in 2005. In the past year, the national tourism book market has shifted from prosperity and noise to quietness. In reflection, China Youth Publishing Group took the lead in moving towards the theme of "composite tourism illustrated books" and advocated a transition from "geographical travel to spiritual travel" in tourism books. Through the meticulous planning of Lin Dong, the deputy editor-in-chief of the Cultural and Education Branch of China Youth Publishing Group, who once edited Tibetan Yakskin Book and Xinjiang Feast, the theme of Fire-Emerald—"experiencing the journey home in travel"—elevates the concept of to human geography books, giving it multiple connotations such as a travel book for urban travelers, a book describing the journey home for urban readers, and a book about life's journey on the road. It guides readers to discover, enrich, and develop themselves through travel, demonstrating that travel itself is a form of "education" for spiritual growth and maturity.
The author, Luo Juan, is a young writer from Xinjiang with rich life experience and years of literary background. She has lived and worked in Turpan for many years and is currently employed at the Xinjiang Radio and Television Press. In 2002, she published a prose collection titled Dust Like Gold with the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles. Her new work, Fire-Emerald, is a unique homecoming journey on the land where she has lived for many years.
In terms of writing style, Fire-Emerald combines color blocks with travel trails, such as the white ancient road, the red natural landscape, the yellow historical heritage, and the green folk customs. In content, it centers on Turpan and radiates to surrounding scenic areas, following the order of tourism routes and the differences in tourism themes, guiding readers through a colorful journey of Turpan. On one hand, it expands the cultural connotations of Turpan tourism, playing a cohesive role for cities and regions along the Silk Road, such as Urumqi, Changji, Hami, and the Hexi Corridor, thereby enhancing the tourism culture of Turpan. On the other hand, it deeply explores the local culture of Turpan, flexibly capturing and reflecting it between rationality and sensibility, showcasing the tourism value and cultural charm of Turpan.
Through her personal travel experiences and unique writing style, the author presents the magic of this distant land, the richness of the white ancient road journey, the passion of the red desert journey, the solemnity of the yellow ancient city journey, and the lightness of the green grape journey. It is worth mentioning that this is not just a simple journey. The characters touched upon by the author (Uyghur women, elderly imams, folk performers) are all representatives of highly individualistic groups living in this magical land. Through the portrayal of their lives and the collision of their souls, readers will feel a deeper humanistic essence in travel.
The book emphasizes the combination of aesthetics and intellect, with 200,000 words paired with over 200 photographs. The color printing highlights the rustic charm of both the images and the text.