New York, New York west

Author: Zhai Yongming
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-05-01
Features: He Duolin, the painter, Zhai Yongming, the poet, and Bongbong, a former flight attendant turned painter, bought a used Nissan car. Holding a travel guide and a hand-drawn map of all U.S. national parks, they traveled from New York westward, crossing over 20 states and covering more than 20,000 kilometers, finally arriving in Los Angeles. As the folk song goes, "You walk the mountains, I walk the plains, I arrive in Scotland before you." They avoided crowded places along the way. The prequel to their trio's journey was their trip to Alaska. Their greatest regret was turning back just 40 kilometers away from the Yukon River, the home of Jack London. In the days before returning home, He Duolin had an accident. The used Nissan car, which was originally intended to be sold for $2,000, was sold for only 150 yuan in a single day. Zhai Yongming said, "This was a sign from fate, a divine command from the unseen, telling us: it's time to leave."
Zhai Yongming, the female poet, has always been a myth and legend in Chinese poetry. Her poetry, her appearance, her emotions, and her travels are all part of this myth and legend. New York, West of New York allows readers who love Zhai Yongming's poetry to see beyond the words and glimpse the face and figure of the legendary poet in her and imagination. What is particularly novel and even exhilarating is that this face and figure are overlaid on the equally mythical and legendary New York, as well as the vast wilderness of North America to the west.
Our hope in planning and publishing this book is not to let these precious images remain locked in the poet's drawer, becoming secrets. They should be shared and seen, cherished, just like her poetry.