Glory of Guangling

Author: Wei Minghua
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-08-01
Features: Baihua Literature Publishing House is preparing to publish a series titled "Jiangnan Wind and Moon," aiming to showcase Jiangnan's cultural landscape from a broad perspective in the form of large-scale prose. I once joked with Su Jiaju, a fellow from Suzhou who was involved in the planning, that since we're talking about "wind and moon," it seems inseparable from women—without women, is it still "wind and moon"? Jiaju smiled and said it would be great if we could, but it's not necessarily so. In reality, he remained noncommittal. The nature of spring culture in Jiangnan, or even just in Yangzhou, I believe, is fundamentally rooted in women. The Han Canal is not a great river, and Shuogang is not a high mountain, so everything here seems somewhat petite, refined, leisurely, and even somewhat trivial and domestic. If we say that great rivers and high mountains belong to men, then the Han Canal and Shuogang naturally belong to women. Her scenery, people, arts, and customs all carry a feminine touch. The gentle ripples of the ancient canal, the warm breezes of the Slim West Lake, the enigmatic allure of Flower Temple, the elegance of the Spring Platform troupe, the passionate hearts of female poets, and the romanticism of the Love Story Society—all, in a broader sense, belong to what is called "Jiangnan Wind and Moon."