Rural Phoenix -- Where Nature Meets at the Edge Field: Where Nature Meets at the Edge Field

Author: Zhang Jiaping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-10-01
Features: During the writing process, I often found myself immersed in a melancholic emotion when encountering certain scenes or folk tales. For someone like me who has never lived in the countryside, Phoenix County is a book of immense weight, and understanding it is truly not easy. Her simplicity, her beauty, her optimism, her leisurely lifestyle, her closeness to nature, her rich rural atmosphere and human touch are too luxurious for people living in this crowded city. All of this seems to have become distant and long-forgotten. In that remote village, they sing and dance, they revere the gods, they are skilled with their hands, and they continue to repeat lifestyles and rhythms questioned by cultural and social norms—they "inhabit this land poetically." This book interprets the customs and local culture of Phoenix County in Western Hunan, from scenic spots and social life to folk traditions, folk songs, and religious beliefs, from the outside in. It is richly illustrated with vibrant colors, telling the story of the countryside in the way city dwellers understand it. Dedicated to all who love traveling, who love Shen Congwen, and who love folk art.