Silk Road Yihua: Arab Writers and Chinese Culture

Author: Meng Zhaoqi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-08-01
Features: The ancient Silk Road, with its western winds and frequent camel bells, connected China and the Arab world. How many perilous journeys did the Chinese undertake, struggling step by step to deliver the essence of Chinese culture, their hearts filled with excitement and happiness at the prospect of entering the mysterious Arab world. On countless desert nights, the Arabs gazed at the stars, telling stories more numerous than a thousand and one nights, some of which were filled with yearning and dreams for Chinese culture. The grand treasure ships, with the sea breeze and vast skies, added a new channel of exchange between China and the Arab world through the maritime Silk Road. The fleets from both China and the Arab world, laden with the hopes of their people, overcame more difficulties than Zheng He's voyages to the West or Sindbad's seven maritime expeditions, sailing towards each other's ports. In this great tide of cultural exchange, the image of China and the Chinese people is like the petals of a silk road flower, silently nourishing the fertile soil of Arab literature. This small book, like panning for gold, will sift through the sands of history, extracting the image of China and the Chinese people as imagined by Arab writers of ancient and modern times, and presenting it to the readers.