Along the direction of the monsoon

Douban

NeoDB

Spiritual freedom requires a period of self-exile—a truth I've only gradually grasped over the years. "Following the Monsoon" chronicles this journey of enlightenment. The journey has been filled with joy and happiness, as well as hardship and loss. The only constant is the yearning and pursuit for spiritual freedom.

Looking back, I'm glad I wrote Along the Monsoon. It's both a true record of the world we live in and a moving recollection of the passage of time itself. —Liu Zichao

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★A masterpiece by Liu Zichao, the author of "The Lost Satellite", a journey from India to Southeast Asia, finding spiritual freedom in the kingdom of the gods

Young writer Liu Zichao sets out again, following the wind southward, from India to the Southeast Asian nations of Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, the Philippines, and Thailand, embarking on a transcendental journey chasing the monsoon. In the realm of the gods, amidst an era of collapse, he encounters a diverse cast of characters, and suddenly realizes the faith that sustains human existence, rediscovering our spiritual freedom.

A journey of self-exile and enlightenment, written for all wandering souls: Life is an illusion of nothingness, yet it is as lush as tropical plants.

This is a journey of self-exile and enlightenment, dedicated to all wandering souls. Along the way, you'll encounter countless civilizations ravaged by time, meet thousands of people on the brink of poverty, survival, and morality, and suddenly realize the Indian philosophy of survival: "Life is an illusion." Witness the world's most dangerous work in volcanic purgatory, and see Buddhism saving all beings among the alms-giving processions of Luang Prabang. You'll witness that life can be as lush, vibrant, and diverse as tropical plants.

When the times are declining and the road ahead is narrow, go to a wider world to witness that in such a world, there are such people living such a life.

★Train through India, slow boat to Southeast Asia, a tropical roaming with all senses, steam, heat, and magic rising from the paper

Black smoke rises from the bodies lying on the banks of the Ganges River, ancient temples on the Cambodia-Thailand border are surrounded by mines, and gunfire ripples through the Philippines late at night.

Listen to coconuts falling on the Mekong River, get drenched by tropical rain while island hopping, and lose your balance in volcanic purgatory.

Hike the last of the anarchic mountains, travel through the Dark Kingdom on a luxury cruise ship, and find yourself in the world's largest slum.

Continuing his elegant and humorous style, with insightful and calm writing, this time Liu Zichao brings us back stories and scenery like the sea breeze, which will be more humid, hot and magical than you have ever experienced.

★Li Jian, Luo Xin, and Xu Zhiyuan follow up on this, a representative work of young writers of One Way Street, including unpublished travel poems and photos taken along the way.

He is considered by Xu Zhiyuan to be "the most outstanding travel writer of his generation," singer Li Jian praised him for "shattering my prejudice against travel writing," and Peking University professor Luo Xin praised him for "having a true traveler's perspective." He has won the One Way Street Bookstore Literary Award for Young Writer of the Year, and his works have been recognized as the top-ranked annual writers on Douban and as Books of the Year by Sina, Sohu, New Weekly, and Southern Metropolis Daily. His new book, "Along the Monsoon," embarks on a new journey, a wilder take on Liu Zichao's travels, featuring poems and photographs written along the way.

★ Where does the current chaos in northern Myanmar, India, and the dirtiness of the country, come from? This book will help you put aside your prejudices and rediscover India and Southeast Asia.

Fraud in northern Myanmar, dirtiness and chaos in India, drug control controversy in the Philippines... Where does the current chaos come from?

Hindu sectarian conflicts, Cambodia-Thailand border disputes, anti-Chinese unrest in Indonesia... Why has history fallen into a dilemma?

Follow Liu Zichao's footsteps and witness the tremendous changes in India and Southeast Asia under the impact of globalization and modernization during your travels, and analyze the essence of different countries in a "peeling onion" way.

“The whole substance of a nation—its history, character, attitudes—can only be peeled away, layer by layer, like an onion.”

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◎Introduction

Along the Monsoon is one of Liu Zichao's representative works of travel literature. He takes us to the monsoon-swept countries, and in the shuttle between history and reality, he captures the soul of these regions undergoing tremendous changes.

On the banks of the Ganges, amidst the tearful pilgrims and the black smoke from the crematorium, he experienced the Indians' almost instinctive sense of continuity of life; in the Golden Triangle of northern Myanmar, he met the elegantly spoken descendants of overseas Chinese, who were struggling to maintain the only Chinese school in the area; on the Thai-Cambodian border, he visited an ancient temple surrounded by landmines, uncovering a hidden painful memory; in the Ijen crater in Indonesia, sulfur workers who were making a living in purgatory reached out to him, and he realized that human existence is the soul of Java.

He witnessed a sense of dignity uneroded by modernization, and the globalized exchange of money and love; he witnessed the loss of civilization and the birth of suffering, and gained a sudden realization of the faith that sustains human survival. He encountered a diverse range of people and lives, and with a penetrating and calm pen, he wrote about this world, and these people, living this kind of life.

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Liu Zichao broke my prejudice against travelogues. What he recorded was simple and vivid, but more than that, what interested me was his thoughts and feelings, because the author's vision, thoughts, and even soul determine the depth and meaning of travel.

—Li Jian, musician

Liu Zichao's travels are different from those of ordinary tourists. He has a true traveler's perspective, going deep into the streets and alleys, interacting with people, and inheriting the excellent tradition of travel literature.

—Luo Xin, Professor of History, Peking University

In the burgeoning field of travel writing in the Chinese world, Zichao is a name that cannot be ignored. His curiosity, insight, hesitation, and habitual self-absorption all exude a unique charm.

—Xu Zhiyuan, writer and founder of One Way Space

Writers like Liu Zichao accelerate our understanding of the world. Time and again, he makes arduous journeys to these destinations, deeply understanding the local culture and history. Through exquisite and pertinent writing, he unveils the mysteries of the world, stirring our desire to know more. After reading Zichao's books, I always wish I could follow his path, and write a book like him.

—Yu Minhong, founder of New Oriental

Liu Zichao's works are a delight to read, with their concise prose style, unique sense of humor, curiosity, and adventurous spirit. Liu Zichao is a keen observer of human nature and a gifted writer.

—Jon Lee Anderson, senior reporter at The New Yorker

While modern people are accustomed to enjoying the convenience of online information, he insists on physically entering the scene and recreating his journey through literature. The situations he witnessed and wrote about refresh our perspectives and perspectives on today's world. And those unfamiliar places on the margins and in the cracks of the world have also become connected to us through the presence of a Chinese writer.

——Award Speech for the One Way Street Literary Award

2023-11-01

南海出版公司

New Classic Culture

304

9787573505798