Yang Zhijun · The Fading Tibetan Mastiff

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 territory, in the place where loneliness is most profound, in the place where life is hardest, in the place where death is easiest, a spirit is growing. A spirit that refuses to yield to hardship and backwardness is growing poetically. A tragic spirit rooted in love, nature, faith, and the sublime is growing with difficulty. This is another masterpiece by the plateau writer Yang Zhijun, following his novel The Tibetan Mastiff. It can be considered the 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 injustice, determination to protect goals, and unwavering loyalty. In this book, the author, through documentation, narration, remembrance, and reflection, lays a complex, detailed, and vivid foundation for the geographical and cultural environments that gave rise to this high-altitude, exceptional animal. Every word is imbued with the author's deep affection for the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau as he sees and feels it, reflecting the writer's boundless reverence and attachment to this last sacred land. The poetic narration and expression are intertwined with a compassionate and empathetic sentiment. The author shows deep concern for the danger of market-oriented development damaging the environment that gave rise to the "Tibetan Mastiff" (an outstanding representative and symbol of plateau spirit and plateau temperament), as well as the conflicts and dilemmas faced by those caught between tradition and modernity.