Where is Xizhou? — Poetic Narration of Jiangnan Culture

Author: Liu Shilin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-22
Features: The "aesthetic-lyric" function in the Chinese national character thrives best in the culture of Jiangnan. Since aesthetic existence represents the highest ideal of individual life, it can also be said that the Chinese culture with an early emergence and profound accumulation of humanistic spirit has realized its highest logical stage within the lyrical culture of Jiangnan. From the perspective of modernity, as Jiangnan's lyrical culture represents a rare individualistic factor in Chinese culture, it also has the potential to become a traditional humanistic resource for enlightening and nurturing the individuality of the Chinese nation. In the unstoppable yet extremely unbalanced process of globalization, Jiangnan's lyrical culture suffers far more distortion and alienation than any other regional culture in China. Their true circumstances easily evoke the desolate landscapes of Song and Yuan dynasty painters, and all we can do is preserve those classical fragments we hold dear on paper. If these narratives, as delicate as dreams and as gentle as fine rain, can provide a reference for people to gain a deeper understanding of the "lovable Jiangnan," that would be exactly what the author of this book expects and strives for.