Mountains and Waters of China: Shanxi Volume

Author: Duan Baolin, Jiang Rong, Editors
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-04-01
Features: The saying goes, "A benevolent man loves mountains, and a wise man loves water," and it is also said, "Mountains and waters possess their own music." The Chinese people's affinity for nature has deep roots. Peking University Press plans to publish a 20-volume illustrated series titled "Mountain and Water China," which will provide a panoramic overview of the natural landscapes, historical sites, and local customs of each province and region. Each volume will be accompanied by nearly 200 illustrations, showcasing elegant prose and exquisite artwork. With profound cultural depth and a lyrical narrative style, it distinguishes itself from the current trend of information-heavy travel guides and purely academic historical studies, allowing readers to savor the beauty of China through reading. The first six volumes—Beijing (volumes 1 and 2), Ningxia, Tibet, Zhejiang, Shaanxi, and Henan—were published in January 2005.
The series is edited by Duan Baolin, a retired professor of the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Peking University. He has authored or compiled over a dozen works, including An Overview of Chinese Folk Literature, Chinese Folk Literature Studies, The Comic Art of Jokes, The Law of Elegance and Popularity in Literature, and A Dictionary of Folk Literature. Jiang Rong graduated from the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Peking University in 1970 and joined the department as a teacher. In 1980, he was transferred to Peking University Press as a humanities and literature editor. He is currently a senior editor. He has reviewed nearly 100 academic works, including the 30-volume Series of Aesthetic Studies in Literature and Arts. He has also overseen the national key book projects "The Grand View of Chinese Culture Series" under the "Eighth Five-Year Plan" and "Ninth Five-Year Plan."
It is precisely to help readers gain more spiritual wealth during their travels that this series blends landscape appreciation, legends and anecdotes, poetry, and local customs, offering everyone a "comprehensive collection of mountain and water stories." The ability of this series to take its current form is the result of the collective efforts of many colleagues and friends. There are two key concepts behind this series: "mountain and water stories" and "mountain and water sentiments." The rich diversity of stories behind every mountain and water is a defining feature of Chinese landscapes. Due to the country's long-standing civilization and history, as well as its long tradition of agricultural life, the "stories" behind China's mountains and waters are particularly abundant, meaning that its cultural landscapes are exceptionally rich, and the accumulation of historical and cultural heritage is profound.
The series blends landscape appreciation, legends and anecdotes, poetry, and local customs, offering everyone a "comprehensive collection of mountain and water stories." "Mountain and water sentiments" refer to a unique cultural mindset formed by the ancestors in their long agricultural society. The publication of this series in its current form is the result of the collective efforts of many colleagues and friends, especially Luo Zhewen, a renowned scholar who dedicated his life to protecting cultural heritage and exploring the mountains, as well as famous photographers such as Gu Di, Li Yuxiang, Wu Yinnan, and Li Xiangde. They provided a wealth of photographs of cultural relics, historical sites, and artistic landscapes, adding a rich classical poetic charm to the series.