Gehongbing's Overseas Diary

Author: Ge Hongbing
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-07-01
Features: Open the pages of the book, and the scent of ink scatters around, like flowers blooming in April. He stands between the pages, young and handsome, standing by the Seine River, the summer sun of Europe shining brightly, casting a reflection of the snow-white towers of Notre-Dame behind him. A beautifully crafted book, filled with illustrations and texts, divided into three sections: Section 1: "In the South Seas," writing about his time in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia; Section 2: "In Paris"; and Section 3: "In the UK," writing about his time in London, Cambridge, and the Isle of Wight. Each piece of text is accompanied by photographs taken by Ge Hongbing himself. Dynamic words, dynamic images—beaches, islands, cities, suburbs, airports, subways, shops, markets, bars, cafes, restaurants, hotels, banks, schools, temples, churches, museums, scenes of people, environmental events, emotional atmospheres—overwhelming, dazzling, rushing at you—dry eyes open, imprisoned hearts release, the vehicle of time and space spins rapidly, from land to sky to the ocean, from East Asia to South Asia to the European continent to the British Isles, from his eyes, the world is vast, we are small, I am small.
“It can’t be called ‘traveling,’ but rather a ‘life’,” Ge Hongbing says. Ge Hongbing’s overseas life, in the authentic style of a “diary,” simple and straightforward, records and reflects on life as he goes, writing wherever he is and thinking whatever comes to mind—rich in knowledge and independent, unconventional thoughts and insights, shining like scattered sparks of enlightenment in his pure, simple, elegant, and beautiful prose—different from the “he” in My N Number of Lives, full of anxiety and indignation, and the “he” in Sandy Bed, who is pessimistic and morose. The Ge Hongbing in Ge Hongbing’s Overseas Diary, though still melancholic and sensitive, has a sense of inner peace and hope for the future.
Go out, go abroad, go overseas, to that other sky, to seek the kind of “freedom” you hope for, like a flying bird. At Clare College, Cambridge, every morning, Ge Hongbing leans against the window of his attic, “seeing the rising and falling pigeons and some unknown birds,” he says, “They are freer than you.”
If we could be as free as those birds, then between us, in body and soul, there would be no barriers. We can only follow his steps, his vision, his hearing, his touch, his feelings, through his words, between the lines, to savor everything he has experienced—living, working, traveling, reading, writing—Ge Hongbing’s life overseas, gentle, simple, rustic, tranquil, and beautiful. The coffee, durian, and lizards of the South Seas; the red wine, CDs, and picture books of Paris; the morning tea, smoked meat, and baked bread of Clare (a college in Cambridge); the gin and sailing ships of Plymouth; the tea, cakes, and rocks of the Isle of Wight—immersed in them, immersed in foreign lands, immersed in their culture, their ideas, their thoughts, and their consciousness, shortening the distance—you think. But you will never forget where you came from, you will never break free from where you came from. In your book, in your words, in those leisurely and peaceful days overseas, more often than not, you still think of China.
“Passion has cooled,” Ge Hongbing said in an interview in 2004. Cold passion, profound thoughts, a calm life, beautiful memories—those unforgettable days overseas, written on paper or not, have deeply “embedded” themselves in his inner being. Perhaps, they bring a sense of pain whenever you recall them. I think I understand, because they (your diary) have touched me, this is how I feel when reading your new book. Each piece of text is like shedding a layer of shell, tearing and peeling away from your body and heart—this is the hope of “rebirth.”
After passion cools, what do we have left? Understanding and compassion, forgiveness and tolerance. You use all the words in your book to tell me, to tell us: After passion cools, the space humans possess should be broader and more profound—let us fly like birds, freely, fly. You have that vast, tranquil sky, and I want to find Ge Hongbing, a representative of the new generation of theoretical scholars in contemporary China, an internationally influential scholar-writer, holding professorial and research positions at multiple prestigious institutions in China, Singapore, the UK, and elsewhere. His novels and essays, such as My N Number of Lives, The Three Adventures of Future Warriors, and Sandy Bed, have become enduring bestsellers in the literary world for their ability to capture the soul-stirring moments of contemporary people, offering sincere self-examination and transcendent confessions.
This book selects diary entries and essays by Professor Ge Hongbing from his recent lectures and travels in Singapore, France, the UK, and other places. His writing is delicate, elegant, and profound, accompanied by numerous photographs, making it deeply valuable for both reading and appreciation. Compared to those who rush through their “cultural journeys” for the sake of writing, his wandering is a journey of stopping and going, which is why this book is called a “diary” rather than a “travelogue.” He does not simply lay out the marvels of his travels but immerses himself deeply in the daily life and spiritual essence of foreign countries. He lets the lives of those foreign places speak for themselves, rather than providing superficial illustrations. Thus, he sees the religious, political, historical, and customs in everyday stories and scenes, and he sees the spirit and soul in buildings, landscapes, and people. This demonstrates the skill of an experienced scholar and writer.
This book selects diary entries and essays by Professor Ge Hongbing from his recent lectures and travels in Singapore, France, the UK, and other places. His writing is delicate, elegant, and profound, accompanied by numerous photographs, making it deeply valuable for both reading and appreciation.