Mountains and Rivers of China: Beijing Volume (Part 2)

Author: Duan Baolin, Jiang Rong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: This series of books has two key concepts: "Mountain and Water Stories" and "Mountain and Water Sentiments." The richness of stories behind the mountains and waters is a primary characteristic of Chinese landscapes. Due to the long-standing civilization and historical heritage, as well as the cultivation of a long agricultural lifestyle, the "stories" behind China's mountains and waters are particularly abundant, meaning that the cultural landscapes are especially rich, and the accumulation of historical and cultural heritage is particularly profound. This series blends landscape aesthetics, anecdotes and legends, poetry and local customs into one, offering readers a "compendium of mountain and water stories." This sentiment, when expressed in the relationship between humans and nature, is the "heart of the forest and spring," where climbing a mountain fills one with emotion, and watching the sea overflows with feelings. This sentiment, when reflected in daily life, is the transformation of life into something artistic and refined. The Record of the Splendid Ages records: "Zixiu Wang once temporarily rented an empty house and immediately had bamboo planted." This sentiment, when applied to one's attitude toward life and society, is the "mind of ritual and music," where one does not rejoice in external success or grieve over personal setbacks. For thousands of years, this sentiment has not only enriched the lives of many individuals but also endowed China with a culturally beautiful spirit that the world envies. In modern society, where people are alienated by instrumental rationality into biological specimens and their spiritual worlds are fragmented into scattered cultural fragments, this sentiment and this cultural spirit undoubtedly hold special significance. The title of this series, "Mountain and Water China," is intended to call back to this sentiment and this spirit. It is hoped that it can become a spiritual oasis and a clear spring for the cultural root-seeking journey of the Chinese in the new century.