Yu Qiuyu is one of China’s greatest modern essayists. Sometimes a prickly commentator, he is above all a storyteller. In this volume he takes his inspiration from China’s geography, both human
and physical, and brings the culture of his country to life with human characters and historical narrative. The forests of Hainan, the Three Gorges, classical pagodas, ancient remains under
modern Shanghai, even the open skies… all have their stories and cultural connections, traced with erudition and wit by an inquisitive mind.
