Tibetan Leather Book: The feeling of just packing your bag and going

Author: Yizhi / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-11-01
Features: The harsh natural environment of the Tibetan Plateau and the resilient wild yaks have given this book a solid name, "Tibetan Yakskin Book." The concept of the yakskin book lies in perseverance and genuine experience. It aims to convey a more simple way of life and serve as a travel guide with a unique appearance and substantial content, offering practical value to travelers. "Tibetan Yakskin Book" is the kind of book you can spot at a glance among a stack of others. Its packaging design is top-notch in China and is the perfect travel guide for backpackers. The book is interspersed with numerous hand-drawn maps, detailing convenient trails and restrooms. There are several special features—yellow Dutch Mont paper is used to protect eyes from the strong sunlight on the plateau; highlighted sections are marked with circles, and arrows point to significant locations. Some pages are intentionally arranged in a disheveled manner. Two small holes are drilled in the book. If it gets scattered during your journey, you can find a piece of leather rope in any part of Tibet, thread it through these holes, and ensure the book's safe return. As for the memories the rope will bring you years later, that's for you to discover. This is a travel guide designed for adventurous backpackers who love to explore alone. It covers regions in Qinghai, Tibet, Yunnan, Sichuan, and Gansu, including sacred highland sites and snow-covered landscapes, author-experienced hiking routes, and lesser-known villages and pastures. It delves into the rich cultural traditions of the Tibetan and other ethnic minorities. In addition to the author's photographs taken during travels, the book is filled with detailed hand-drawn maps, including trails and restrooms, all of which can only be fully appreciated through firsthand experience. These details will not lead you astray.
About the Author: Yizhi was born in 1967 and spent his childhood and youth in Xining. A trip to Xinjiang with just a few hundred yuan over a decade ago turned him into a dedicated traveler who values perseverance. After graduating, he worked as a teacher, small shop owner, and entrepreneur before establishing his own design studio in Beijing in 1997, embarking on a freelance career as a graphic designer, photographer, and writer. Yizhi has visited many rural areas in China, slept in various types of beds, and firmly believes that this is the true essence of travel. Li Huo, born in the mid-1970s in Guangzhou, is currently a graduate student studying etching at an art academy. Perhaps due to his Hakka ancestry, he has a harsh yet passionate love for the northern and western regions of China. For the sake of safety during his travels, he has even taken vows as a monk or worked in any clothing store. During the editing of this book, he truly experienced a journey of both body and mind. It is not just for travelers, as the highlands always hold a temptation for those living in cities. By following the author's travel experiences with imagination, it becomes a spiritual cleansing or an exciting and lively adventure. On the road, he tries to communicate with herders using a few phrases of Tibetan, feeling their sincerity, kindness, and openness. Suddenly, he seems to realize that the sacred mountains and lakes filled with spiritual energy, the wind horses scattered everywhere, and the purification they bring feel like a rebirth. Together, they form a breathtaking and magical journey.