Fading Tibetan Mastiffs

Author: Yang Zhijun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: In the place closest to the sky, in the place with the least air, in the place with the most sunshine, in the place with the densest rivers, in the place with the widest terrain, in the place with the most loneliness, in the place where life is hardest, in the place where death is easiest, a spirit is growing. A spirit that does not yield to hardship and backwardness is growing poetically. A tragic spirit rooted in love, nature, faith, and nobility is growing with difficulty. This is another masterpiece by the plateau writer Yang Zhijun, following his novel The Tibetan Mastiff. It can be considered a sister piece to The Tibetan Mastiff. The Tibetan Mastiff is the spirit of the plateau, embodying excellent qualities such as resilience, endurance, loyalty, aversion to evil, and unwavering commitment to goals. In this book, the author, through documentation, narration, remembrance, and reflection, lays a complex, concrete, and vivid foundation for the geographical and cultural environment that gave rise to the "Tibetan Mastiff"—an excellent cold-region animal. Every line is filled with the author's deep affection for the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in his eyes and heart, a sentiment imbued with the writer's boundless piety and attachment to the last sacred land. The poetic narration and expression are intertwined with a compassionate and empathetic. The author shows deep concern for the danger of marketization damaging the environment that gave rise to the "Tibetan Mastiff" (a representative and symbol of plateau spirit and plateau temperament) and for the conflicts and dilemmas between tradition and modernity. This book is a collection of essays on the cultural geography of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the West in the author's eyes and heart. With a unique perspective, profound thinking, and elegant writing, the author explores the cultural, moral, and spiritual dimensions of the West's ecological landscapes, natural scenery, history, and religion.