The river of time, facing the city
For every city, each has its own river. It is not only a geographical coordinate, but also a carrier of the times. It is also a hotbed of culture. As far as Beijing is concerned, this river cannot be seen. It flows in the texture of the alleys and soaks between the bricks and tiles of the courtyards. The hutongs and courtyards where people can live together form the most authentic living space in old Beijing. They form a wonderful contrasting relationship with the magnificent imperial architecture. One is at a high place and the other is at a low place. One highlights the official nature and the other highlights the private nature. However, they have always coexisted harmoniously and peacefully over hundreds of years, and together they have created the city's unique Beijing-style culture. A city like this built for the lives of ordinary people is much stronger than a city wall. It carries memories and fireworks passed down from generation to generation. It is the true habitat of the city's soul!
Turning your eyes towards the south, the stories of Fuzhou City are engraved on the roads paved with blue stone slabs, which are three lanes and seven lanes with bright blood red colors. This street area has been around since the Tang Dynasty. It has experienced various changes in the city after the founding of New China. Fortunately, it has been preserved and has become the source of the city's history and the foundation of culture in Fuzhou. Among them are Yijinfang, Wenrufang, Guanglufang, as well as Yangqiao Alley, Langguan Alley, Ta Alley, Huang Alley, Anmin Alley, Gong Alley and Jipi Alley. The names here alone are like solidified epics. Ancient people once said: Giving a thousand taels of gold to your children is not as good as teaching your children to learn a skill; teaching your children to learn a skill is not as good as giving your children a beautiful name. Behind the name of Jipi Lane is actually the place where the people place their simplest prayer for safety and success. In the past, this place was a gathering place for scholar-bureaucrats and a place with a prosperous cultural heritage. Many of the houses had people who influenced the course of time and changed its direction. Behind every carved door and window, there is a hidden feeling of family, country and world. The Three Lanes and Seven Alleys are not only architectural treasures, but also a general image of the development and evolution of this period in China’s modern history. They are the coordinates of the city’s cultural context that remains unchanged as the times advance like a rolling torrent.
On the top of the mountains, humans and gods face each other
If a city is a tool for civilization to accommodate, then the mountain peaks are the upright backbone of the earth, the divine gaze that nature casts towards the human world. In that place in the remote Himalayas, Shishapangma uses its tall and majestic posture to quietly gaze at the vicissitudes of this land. It is the only 8,000-meter peak in China. For China, its existence is not only a record of geographical height, but also a symbol of spiritual height. As a hiker and climber who dares to move forward, I spent 360 hours to capture the all-round surrounding scene. I breathed hard every time I took a step, so as to touch its quality called "the majesty of the sacred mountain". This situation constitutes a sacred confrontation between the courage of human beings and the majesty of nature, a confrontation with a sense of sacredness. As it is said in the book "When Humanity's Stars Shine", "Bravery is the light that shines in the face of adversity." Those who challenge the limits are those who chase that beam of light. Together with the ever-changing snow-capped mountains, they constitute the most moving scenery on this land.
From the holy snow-capped mountains back to the land full of human fireworks, the Sichuan-Tibet Railway is like a giant dragon made of steel, shuttling between plateaus, snow-capped mountains and canyons. Its construction project itself is a modern epic showing a magnificent momentum. In particular, the section of road west of Ya'an faced complex and difficult natural geographical conditions. People who carried out construction work not only had to fight against the hypoxia caused by high altitude, struggle with waist-deep snow, and dangerous glaciers, but also used modern technology to communicate and dialogue with the ancient wilderness. This is different from the pioneering method carried out by ancient ancestors, but it also requires endless courage and perseverance. The extension of the railway will completely change the appearance of the areas along the line, inject new vitality into the ancient Tibetan and Yi corridor, and make civilization more closely integrated among the mountains.
The gift of the earth and the hymn of living beings
(Original picture on the right page: Fireworks bloom in the night sky of Queenstown)
The earth has never been stingy with what it has given. In a place called Anji, Zhejiang, there is a vast sea of bamboo and a Bamboo Expo that brings together 400 species of bamboo from around the world. It is a highly condensed bamboo culture on a global scale. This area has been a pass on the post road between Jiankang and Lin'an since ancient times. The historical trajectory and the bamboo shadows swaying in the wind have been accompanied to this day. At the foot of Huangshan Mountain in Anhui Province, the poet Zhou Qiang built gardens. There were two gardens, one at a time. One was a traditional Hui-style garden called "Guiyuan", which is now called "Sai Jinhua's Former Residence". There was also another garden built in the valley in the Laoyao District of Jingdezhen. It was a modern style garden called "Qingye". Moving from tradition to modernity, from historical figures to natural valleys, this is not only a change in gardening concepts, but also the exploration of spiritual destination by contemporary Chinese people. Similarly, in distant Cambodia, after people admire the splendor of Angkor Wat and head south, at the end of the road, there is a "Lost City", where there are ruins of mansions on the cliffs, with the joyful singing and dancing of France a hundred years ago, and the spicy aroma of Cambodian spices rising in the tropical wind. Time is confused here, triggering people's various reveries.
This land not only gave birth to human civilization of various ethnic groups, but also sheltered a large number of magical species. The snow leopard, known as the "King of the Mountains", is the most mysterious recluse in this section. It is covered with thick long hair and comes from the snow-capped mountains. Its slightly naive appearance has been deeply loved by people in recent years. As a national first-level protected animal, its existence is a yardstick for measuring the health of alpine mountain ecosystems. Every time it appears, it seems to be an act of tribute to the pure natural environment. This is a place full of pathos and infinite affection. I love the hope that exists during life and death and the state of disillusionment there. I love the way the lights shine and the ruins appear at the end of the direction where I am. I am obsessed with everything that comes from this solid feeling of mutual ignorance but closely related fate. Every step of the journey, every step of looking back and observing, is the expression of the most profound conversation between us and this place.
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