Flying southeast

Author: Gao Xing
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features:
Recalling the past, the Tea Horse Road must have passed through here, with hooves clattering and bells ringing. Fenghuang is named after Fenghuang Mountain, and Fenghuang became famous because of Shen Congwen. The phoenix bird has always been a beautiful dream for me, just as Fenghuang City gives me a sense of wanting to fly yet linger.
The Tuo River in Fenghuang hasn’t changed, the ancient city walls haven’t changed, and the red stone-paved roads haven’t changed. The people living here remain the same, content and untroubled, with a sense of self-fulfillment. When I see the landscapes on both banks of the Yuan River still intact, or when I sit by the fire in the Tufu Restaurant, savoring the spicy river fish that Shen Congwen once enjoyed, I wonder if another kind of scenery remains the same. Because "food and desire are innate," this is an unchanging, eternal concept.
Like my passion for collecting folk art, my study of local residential architecture has also become a major part of my travels. I believe only residential architecture can reflect the customs and culture of a place, providing a spatial system for the local people’s living environment and background. When we travel to other places, aren’t we curious to see how the people there live differently from us? Only this authenticity enriches our life experiences, making us feel more fulfilled and extended.
Although the book is titled Flying Southeast, its content is not limited to the southeast. The southwest includes Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan, while the central south includes Hunan and Hubei. It is a travel record of southern China, but it differs from ordinary travelogues. The author pays more attention to the cultural heritage of a place rather than just its scenic spots. For example, when he visits Hangzhou, he records not the well-known West Lake or the recently emerging tea bars and Peach Blossom Village scenic markets, but the old alleys and traditional handicrafts.
When he goes to Fenghuang, he follows the water route Shen Congwen took home years ago, comparing the names of places mentioned in Shen’s writings with the current customs and local conditions. He also displays over a dozen sketches Shen Congwen made back then. Such cultural depth is unmatched by other travelogues.
The book also includes thousands of photographs, capturing local landscapes and customs from unique perspectives, complementing the text’s diverse viewpoints.