Mountains and Waters of China · Shanxi Volume

Author: Duan Baolin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-01
Features: As the saying goes, "The benevolent love mountains, the wise love water," and it is also said, "Mountains and waters possess their own music." The Chinese people's affinity for mountains and waters has deep roots. Peking University Press plans to publish a 20-volume illustrated series titled "Mountains and Waters of China," which will provide a panoramic scan of the natural landscapes, historical sites, and local customs of each province and region. Each volume will be accompanied by nearly 200 illustrations, showcasing literary brilliance and exquisite artwork. With profound cultural depth and an elegant, flowing narrative style, the series distinguishes itself from the current trend of information-heavy travel guides and purely academic historical studies. It allows readers to savor the essence of "travel through reading" while admiring the splendor of China. The first six volumes—Beijing (volumes 1 and 2), Ningxia, Tibet, Zhejiang, Shaanxi, and Henan—were published in January 2005. The series is edited by Duan Baolin, a retired professor of the Chinese Department at Peking University. He has authored or compiled over ten works, including An Overview of Chinese Folk Literature, Chinese Folk Literature Studies, The Comic Art of Jokes, The Law of Elegance and Popularity in Literature, and A Dictionary of Folk Literature. Jiang Rong graduated from the Chinese Department of Peking University in 1970 and joined the department as a teacher. In 1980, he was transferred to Peking University Press as a humanities and literature editor. He is currently a senior editor. He has reviewed nearly 100 academic works, including the Serious of Aesthetic Studies in Literature, comprising 30 volumes. He has also been responsible for the national key book projects "The Grand View of Chinese Culture Series" under the "Eighth Five-Year Plan" and "Ninth Five-Year Plan." This series aims to help readers gain more spiritual wealth during their travels by blending landscape aesthetics, legends and anecdotes, poetry, and local customs, offering them a "comprehensive collection of mountain and water stories." The publication of this series in its current form is the result of the collective efforts of many colleagues and friends. There are two key themes in this series: "mountain and water stories" and "mountain and water sentiments." The rich diversity of "stories" behind every mountain and water is a defining feature of Chinese landscapes. Due to the country's long-standing civilization, history, and agricultural heritage, the "stories" behind China's mountains and waters are particularly abundant, meaning that its cultural landscapes are exceptionally rich, and the accumulation of historical and cultural heritage is profound. This series blends landscape aesthetics, legends and anecdotes, poetry, and local customs, offering readers a "comprehensive collection of mountain and water stories." "Mountain and water sentiments" refer to a unique cultural mindset formed by the ancestors in their long-standing agricultural society. The publication of this series in its current form is the result of the collective efforts of many colleagues and friends, especially Luo Zhewen, a renowned scholar who dedicated his life to protecting cultural heritage by traversing the mountains, as well as the famous photographers Gu Di, Li Yuxiang, Wu Yinnan, and Li Xiangde, who provided numerous photographs of cultural relics, historical sites, and artistic landscapes, enriching the series with a profound classical poetic charm.