Gateway to the Earth Series - Towards Solitude

Author: Xu Gang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: For about seventeen or eighteen years, I have devoted a significant portion of my time and energy to field research, studying the ecological conditions of China's land desertification, rivers, wetlands, and other environmental issues. I have traveled extensively, particularly in the western regions, more specifically west of Hexi Corridor. The sandstorms, cracked soil, and vast deserts have left an indelible mark on my heart, becoming a profound sense of life. The insights I have gained from the land, and the reflections that have followed, are some of the most fortunate chapters in my writing career. At least in this era where everyone talks about profit, I have shouted and watched over the wilderness, and I have not become shallower. However, depth and nobility are out of the question, especially when compared to all the life on the land. How can I possibly understand a small blade of grass in its entirety? How can I feel the towering presence of the desert poplar, whose golden leaves are intoxicating in autumn? I have only faintly called out and repeated, about the land, about water, about grains and crops, about planting grass and trees, about approaching brilliance with caution. I have searched for the slightest bit of green in the desert, the background of a tree planter in the wilderness, and the dead desert poplars along the Turpan River. I have also encountered recently abandoned ruins on the sandstorm line, stroking the eroding sheep dung balls, stroking the passage of time. Where are the herders and their lambs now? All the fragments, chapters, or even titles are merely records I have collected from the land and a dream.