Nature Adventure Series -- Finding the King of the Walnuts

Author: Liu Xianping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-05-10
Features: Nature has given me life, and I love nature as much as life. Nature has always been one of the themes of literature, and it holds a particularly important place in children's literature.，you will find many famous writers and masterpieces depicting nature, even the emergence of the "pastoral poetry" genre. Among them, the nature literature that rose in the 1930s in Russia had a significant influence. With the development of the economy and society, the conflict between humans and nature has escalated, forcing humanity to reconsider its relationship with nature. Humanity finally realized that the planet we inhabit is just a small star, the only homeland and the only protected area. Subsequently, humanity reluctantly admitted that humans, the most intelligent beings, are merely a part of nature. In short, humans belong to nature. We must quickly move beyond the traditional misconception that "nature belongs to humans!" This discovery can be called one of the most important discoveries in the history of human understanding, and as a result, nature literature has taken on a new appearance, becoming literature that reflects on human survival, development, and the pursuit of harmony and coexistence between humans and nature—the birth of modern nature literature. Nature literature has experienced new development and prosperity worldwide. A good example is the nature literature that became an important genre in American literature in the mid-1980s. My fascination with nature began in childhood, inspired and nurtured by the beautiful and colorful scenery of my hometown, Chaohu Lake. But the most important thing was in the early 1970s, when a group of scientists engaged in animal research led me out of the misconception that "nature belongs to humans." I then seized every opportunity to participate in arduous field investigations or explore the mysteries of the wild animal world alone in the mountains and wilderness. Writing, however, came years later in 1978. This is the origin of the later novels Cloud Sea Exploration, The Call of the Deer, The Chase in Qianyu Valley, and The Legend of the Giant Panda. The colorful nature literature from around the world, along with my own experiences over the years, gradually made my original desire clearer and stronger: to create nature literature with Chinese characteristics, to compose magnificent poems and harmonious melodies that resonate in the sky, depicting China's diverse nature and the rich world of wildlife. The foundation for achieving this goal is to understand nature with one's own feet, to personally experience the unique charm and depth of China's nature. Therefore, I regard the exploration of nature as essential, and only then do I write about the findings of nature exploration and adventure. I hope to fully leverage the charm of authenticity to give readers a real and wonderful natural world. This is far more challenging than structuring a thrilling and mysterious story, because exploring nature does not always involve exciting events or fresh discoveries. More often, it involves the arduous journeys, the tremors of danger, and the unbearable solitude that only the explorer knows. I set myself a difficult challenge. I enjoy the challenges of writing, as they often mobilize the full force of life to meet challenges and explore. Whether successful or not, life becomes more vibrant and radiant. In 1981, I left my base at Huangshan and ventured into Sichuan, Yunnan, Fujian, Guizhou, Xinjiang, Qinghai, Tibet, Hainan, and the deserts and Gobi of Guangxi, exploring the mysteries of my homeland's nature. I structured the personal experiences, strange tales, and encounters from my investigations and adventures into a series of true stories, striving to reveal the hidden world of wildlife in forests or deserts. It was during these steps—measuring the sky with my feet, measuring the earth—that I gradually grasped the meaning of ecological balance: first, the ecological balance of "humans" themselves, primarily referring to the balance of one's own psychology and physiology, the unity of spirit and matter; then, the ecological balance of nature; and the highest realm is the harmony and coexistence between humans and nature—"the unity of heaven and earth." Thus, my observations of nature have acquired a new perspective and a new meaning—in essence, living in harmony with nature, integrating into nature, and engaging in dialogue and exchange. The process of exploration—the red willows deep in the desert, the rain-lashed birds that rush into my chest, the meadows of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the muskrat castles by the swan lake, the snake eels in the mangroves of the South China Sea, the elephant trunks extending from the rainforest, and the search for the black-and-white snub-nosed monkeys' kingdom in box canyons—often holds more significance than the results. The hardships of discovery carry a unique charm hidden in the ordinary. These stories of nature exploration are now presented to the readers. The publisher hopes to write a preface, so I will share the original intentions and thoughts behind these works with the readers as a form of mutual exchange. As for whether they are successful or not, that is for the readers to judge. I am grateful to the publisher for asking many young friends to review the proofs and list the questions that interest them most and concern them the most at the beginning as a guide. This is actually an exchange between the author and the readers, and between readers themselves, and it is novel and interesting, as some of the questions were quite unexpected! March 22, 2001