Holy Land

Author: Li Mingxing
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-03-01
Features: This is a contemporary version of Old Man Zan's Journey. This rural novel, composed with the waters of the Yellow River, the clouds of Chu Mountains, the winds of Huai River land, and the rains of Jiangnan, shines with the spiritual light of holy land and the splendor of humanity. It is a contemporary version of Old Man Zan's Journey. A high school graduate named Jiusheng becomes a wanderer after his hometown suffers a catastrophic flood. He travels through the vast plains, meeting one good neighbor after another, each household holding a moving story. Accompanied by a girl named Xiaoxian, he ventures into the Jingchu Mountains, earning a living by performing arts—painting tigers for potters, pine and bamboo and sparrows for village officials, painting Xiangjun and plum blossoms in a ruined garden, and painting the five poisons and a loyal dog named Huangdang for the family. He helps the siblings escape the snow-covered and ice-bound mountains. After wandering back to his hometown, his carefully built home collapses in a rainstorm. He then sets out alone to Jiangnan, where he is deeply touched by the genuine care of several girls in a picturesque water village. The process of wandering is also a process of searching: he seeks his foster mother who nurtured him with milk, but instead finds the true Guanyin Bodhisattva; his home is destroyed, yet he finds pure love; he leaves his hometown, yet finds a spiritual homeland; his college entrance exams fail, yet he enters the best university in the world. Hardship allows him to taste the flavors of life and understand its true essence. The vast rivers crisscross the land, the high mountains stretch across the sky, the rural sentiments are profound, and the local customs are enchanting. Villagers value righteousness, village girls cherish emotions. This rural novel, written with the waters of the Yellow River, the clouds of Chu Mountains, the winds of Huai River land, and the rains of Jiangnan, shines with the spiritual light of holy land and the splendor of humanity. He Zhenbang, a professor at the Lu Xun Academy of the Chinese Writers' Association and a renowned literary critic, believes that this work has brought the strengths of rural literature to their peak, making it an exceptional masterpiece in the genre.