Earth Gate Series - Gazing into the Depth

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 desertification, rivers, wetlands, and other environmental issues. I have traveled extensively, particularly in the western regions, more specifically west of Hexi Corridor. The sand dunes, 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, the reflections they have inspired, have been the most rewarding part of my writing career. At least in this era where everyone talks about profit, I have shouted and watched from the wilderness. I have not become shallower, but 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, and repeated, about the land, about water, about grains and vegetables, about planting grass and trees, about approaching brilliance with caution. I have searched for a little bit of green in the desert, the background of a tree planter in the wilderness, and the dead desert poplars along the Tarim River. A recently ruined courtyard on the sand dunes, 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.