yesterday

Author: Jia Pingwa
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-10-01
Features: About "Paper Ecology"
"Paper Ecology" is first a reading perspective, proposed in response to the act of writing. Buying a book is different from buying a cup; we do not wait for a cup to tell us anything. When reading, "oneself" is lent to "others"; in reading, the book becomes a series of words, images, and ideas; in reading, "I" is invaded by another person, contemplating the reasons the other makes me contemplate and experiencing the things the other makes me feel. "Paper Ecology" advocates a clear-headed reading, where all lending and invasion bring the reader clarity. Because the search for wisdom has never been in books but within ourselves.
Secondly, "Paper Ecology" is a writing perspective, proposed in response to the phenomenon of publishing. Ancients revered oral transmission, so Socrates, Christ, Buddha, and Confucius did not leave written records; they hoped their thoughts would live in the minds of their disciples. The appearance of books changed the meaning of writing. Writing was no longer just a technique for recording but became a complex and independent act with its own history and will. Today, massive commercial publishing has changed writing again, making this act questionable and ambiguous. Beyond the ancient meanings of confession and mission, writing is more often about entertainment, games, or selling. "Paper Ecology" advocates a restrained writing, where the writer should constantly examine their desires, needs, and motivations in every act of writing. Because publishing has not only changed the world but also each writer and their every act of writing.
Finally, "Paper Ecology" is a publishing perspective, proposed in response to the purpose of reading. Initially, Eastern papermaking technology took over 700 years to spread to the West. Yet today, the internet swept across the East from the West overnight like a storm. The internet is changing people's reading habits, altering the civilization derived from paper, and reshaping the modern publishing industry built on paper. "Paper Ecology" calls for a cautious publishing, where publishing efforts strive to maintain the ecological environment of reading. Because this is the only way for "Paper Ecology" to survive in the electronic age. "Paper Ecology" is the name of this book series and the foundation of our undertaking.