Xia Zhiqing -- Selected Sentimental Prose by Famous Writers

Author: Li Xiaoming, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: Passing by the sadness of spring, I anticipate rebirth in the scorching heat of summer.
Summer is the season of growth. It has abundant sunlight and ample rainfall throughout the year, and everything grows at an astonishing speed. The green on the fields becomes so dense that it cannot be unraveled overnight. The flowers that were shy in spring are now competing to bloom. Cicadas, frogs, and birds are also showcasing their outstanding or mediocre voices like a singing competition. Summer never settles for mediocrity, subtlety, or tranquility; instead, it unleashes endless passion and infinite creativity.
Summer is also the season of reflection. No other season's night sky is as vast and profound as that of summer. For thousands of years, philosophers from all over the world have gazed at the vast night sky and asked: Who am I? Where do I come from? What is the meaning of my existence? Those ideas, some slightly childlike and others brilliant, burst into dazzling light under the contemplation of the summer night sky, guiding us to explore and pursue.
Summer is also the season of gratitude. Farmers with tanned skin and weathered faces will squint at the dark green crops singing in the wind, feeling grateful for the gifts of nature. Sunlight and rain easily bring about the primal "unity between heaven and humanity." In the city, the restless hearts agitated by the heat will find peace in an unexpected downpour. Suddenly, they realize that it is precisely the oppressive heat before that makes us cherish this subsequent blessing from the heavens. Isn't life the same?
Summer is also the season of no longer being lost. Who among us can escape the confusion and bewilderment like in A Rainy Season No More Comes? But it is through experiencing the turbulence, confusion, and rebellion of youth that we gradually understand the meaning of innocence and transformation, and become more steadfast in our ideals and life's direction. We love summer, and thus we love nature; we sing of summer, and thus we sing of life.
In passionate devotion to summer, what does one pour their heart into? Pouring it into embracing nature, pouring it into relentless pursuit, pouring it into feeling growth, pouring it into loving life.