Remember the moments of life
——A series of travel notes and essays by Qian Chengyuan
Lu Yao said : "The years have blurred my eyes, The future is getting farther and farther , Lonely searching for memories slowly turning into illusion."
Cheng Yuan is a writer who pays more attention to his own feelings but is very restrained . I believe that in a few years, if Cheng Yuan re-examines his series of travel notes and essays, he will recall those experiences, times and scenery. With people, you will definitely feel closer, warmer and cherished. Time has changed , opened the dusty memories , how can we not let him go back to those moments of life without forgetting it?
One of the keywords :
Words are a long-term accumulation and precipitation of time
The further history advances, the richer the spiritual heritage of mankind becomes.
Good articles also seem to have the same wine-making process - that is, the longer they last, the more fragrant and mellow they will be. During Cheng Yuan's participation in the PEN Conference and self-funded travel, he had the opportunity to visit many places across the country. He also had many feelings and left many writings. In his opinion, the great rivers and mountains of the motherland and hometown are the best ideological yearning and spiritual sustenance. These records are a special excerpt of Cheng Yuan's life experience, a beautiful episode of his life, and a special accumulation of his life.
Writing requires time to accumulate and settle. The vast land of the motherland has accumulated a long and profound history and culture, and some of the long-standing historical culture permeates all fields and aspects. This kind of long-term accumulation and sedimentation sometimes shows a floating state. Some people "look at mountains but not mountains, and look at water but not water", which is a metaphor for the charm hidden in the mountains and rivers. They are like springs flowing gurglingly or mountains standing for billions of years. What's more, there are also the remains of the ancestors' footprints and pens, which undoubtedly increase the historical thickness of the mountains and rivers of the motherland. As we all know, on the one hand, everyone and everything has their own past, present and future. Tracing or recording history is a kind of literal interpretation or inheritance of the object being described. Especially with the widespread popularity of regional culture, various places hope that scenic spots and attractions will expand their influence and reputation due to historical or realistic publicity. On the other hand, everyone and everything needs cultural nourishment, and some scenery has not been recorded in writing even for several years. In contemporary times, travel prose occupies a relatively awkward position among all literary genres. There are many writers who use words to record the past of life, including elegance, folk customs, scenery, fireworks, and mystery.
Heilongjiang Cheng Yuan - Photo
I am afraid that not many people in Northeast China know about Huma. Cheng Yuan said in "Huma Records": “ Even in the Northeast, Huma is a remote place. "" It is named after the Huma River that runs through its territory. "" My friend said that this is the place where the whole world is looking for treasure because of the 42-chapter sutra in Jin Yong's novels. No one has found the treasure so far. Over time, the guardian has turned into a stone pillar, which emerges from the pool under the cliff, like a chimney on the roof of an ordinary person's house, so this place is also called Yanchong Lazi. ” This article by Cheng Yuan suddenly makes people remember the Huma River in Huma County and want to go there to have a look. The description of the scenery is full of humanistic atmosphere. “ This is not because of her length, width or speed, but her color. It is too blue! It is so blue that it seems fake, and it is so blue that it looks like porcelain fired in the official kiln of the Qing Dynasty. I dare not touch it lightly. "" I know this may be because I just came back from Tibet and just looked down at the rolling green waves of the Yarlung Zangbo River. One blue and one green, northeast and northwest, like the two arms of God. ” Any style of writing is ultimately the art of life, the art of being alive, and the art of how to live. Good travel essays feed back to life, restore people's faith in life and the earth, and are also the author's self-examination, questioning and correction. Travel essays allow us to learn again and become a person who understands "all aspects", a person with a broad vision, a person who witnesses, records and accumulates time.
Travel prose is the same as the foundation of all civil construction. We can completely regard it as the foundation for stabilizing high-rise buildings. Cheng Yuan's travel prose contains geography, humanities and time, rationally laying out the culture of each scenic spot or written location. Through these travel prose, we can find the flavor of time and the deposition of history of each scene. His travel prose is an integral part of his prose. Literature and art are now gradually moving towards human culture and publicity. Travel prose is no longer just for viewing, but can also bring knowledge, thinking and inspiration. The article "From Hangzhou to Qiandao Lake" covers Xuling, rapeseed flowers, stone forests, etc. It only uses this line of text to summarize the scenery there. It is interesting to read: " However Frankly speaking, the stone forests here are much inferior to those I have seen in Kunming Stone Forest, Xingyi Stone Forest in southwest Guizhou, and the Ningbo Xiangshan Hua'ao Sea Stone Forest after returning from Qiandao Lake! Stones are not exempt from secular names. Sanyang Kaitai, Xitian Qijing, Zhangliang Cave, Qinyin Cave, etc. are also indispensable. Statues, lotus flowers, stone tables, stone benches, incense burners, etc. are all placed by later generations in Zhejiang. The calligrapher's handwriting is strong and powerful, like a knife and an ax, and you will never tire of reading it. " Such wonderful writing gives the scenery you see a strong humanistic atmosphere and life experience. Cheng Yuan's travel prose works have prospered local tourism culture to a certain extent, enhanced the popularity of cultural attractions, reflected the sophistication of the people in the described regions, and reflected people's hardworking, brave and positive spirit.
Qiandao Lake Stone Forest Stone Carvings Photo by Cheng Yuan
Keyword 2 :
Understand poetic imagination from the materials of characters and landscapes
If you blindly follow others,sooner or later you will become materialized.
We see in Cheng Yuan’s travel prose , almost all the themes are special and warm-toned , all the words are warm , even and tranquil , is like a practice of personal writing. On the surface , what we read are travel essays, gatherings of literary friends , reflecting our own experiences. But the author has used these flowing words , to structure the existence of a beautiful life , allowing readers to break through layers of geographical barriers , to achieve Live poetically at a certain height.
First, let the scenery in your writing become the dream you seek in your heart . I even feel that the author is like a bunch of vibrant sunflowers, or a diligent poet himself, facing the sun with a dreamy and strange pen. , Looking for a poetic journey, writing about the comfortable and relaxing life and scenery under the sun. In "When Ambiguity Becomes Clear", the scenery in front of Cheng Yuan coincides with the scenery in his heart. After describing: “—— What is even more ingenious is that there is Bijia Mountain in front of the magic pen and cliffs behind it, with green flying and dancing, just like a huge landscape painting, while the high and vast sky is like a piece of white rice paper, waiting for the magic pen to paint freely. There is an ink pool on the left side of the magic pen, filled with clear springs that never dry up in all seasons. ” Afterwards, he wrote affectionately: “ The four treasures of the study appearing in the beautiful Chaibu Creek are truly a gift from nature and a gift from heaven and earth. I know that I am blessed in this life. I hope this giant pen will help me to travel around the world and continue to pursue my dream of a saddle and a pen. ” In real life , We are free and happy , Because he can write freely while traveling around the world. Presumably, the scenery in Cheng Yuan's writing has deep meaning. At the same time, he makes his articles peaceful and serene, happy and comfortable, and never isolates the scenery he sees. He cherishes the passing of time and regards every trip as his own dream-seeking journey and poetic journey. Every place he goes, he has this feeling: “ When we turned a corner and stood halfway up the mountain overlooking the sea, we saw the magnificent scene in the surging tide! Like a mountain but not a mountain, like a cliff but not a cliff, like a reef but not a reef, like a tombstone but not a tombstone. All metaphors and adjectives seemed to have disappeared at this moment. I could only hold my breath, open my eyes wide, and couldn't say a word for a long time! ” (Chapter 2 of Xiangshan)
When writing "Yellow Crane Tower in 1984", Cheng Yuan couldn't help but mention Mr. Yu Nong and ended the article with his words:
Mr. Yunong is the second writer I know who does not use a mobile phone... Mr. Yunong said that he is a person who lives in the last century.
On the title page of the book, there is a poem "Man Jiang Hong" written by Mr. Wang, with the end of it copied:
The west wind blows gusts, and in the high mountains, it is even more biting. In the sea of clouds, the stars are vast, and I am eager to explore. After birth, you will eventually return to heaven, so why not worry about rain and snow during the journey. Move forward, don't leave any regrets, for Xian Yue.
Colorful dreams, determination of will; swan wishes, great pass. Create a self and trek hard. Watching the world of mortals roll away in the east, laughter and ridicule are shrill. Look at the sky, play the triumphal song, and comfort the immortal palace!
An excellent writer must always have poetry in his heart, and his life may even be filled with thoughts and romance. Cheng Yuan's travel prose writing is a fusion of realism and romantic consciousness. In addition to using symbolism and personification to penetrate poetry, he also skillfully uses traditional rhetorical techniques such as synaesthesia. He is good at capturing the details of life and is good at organizing figurative language. His works, due to the addition of narrative elements, add realistic beautiful scenery to the vast life, giving the travel prose text a certain spiritual and artistic tension.
Second, the integration of stories and scenery is full of poetic and artistic feeling . The author Cheng Yuan is good at using the original meaning of stories and scenery to give space for imagination , constructing the image of the poem , let the emotions in the heart deepen with the travel prose prose y6>, creates a relaxed and happy atmosphere just right. Reading the spiritual world in Cheng Yuan's words , is a pleasant journey, because there is a kind of elegance in his heart , integrity and goodness , this is also It just fits the aesthetic characteristics of Chinese Confucianism. The characteristics of the narrative language in the prose of Cheng Yuan's Travels , show that language with the flavor of life naturally has the function of integration and substitution, which can bring a superb effect to "listeners". In "Gunma Ridge", after talking about historical materials on Nurhaci, Hunhe River, Dahuofang Reservoir and other aspects, Cheng Yuan changed his tone:
Of course, these are all vague memories of the past.
Nowadays, whether you are standing on the ruins of Jiefan City or on the top of Tiebei Mountain or Salhu Mountain, overlooking the slowly flowing Suzi River and Hun River, you may think of the famous saying of Confucius: The dead are like the dead. Sifu, don’t give up day and night. Even the most tired river, after all its twists and turns, will eventually reach the sea safely.
In the corridor of life, the elegance derived from nature is extremely beautiful. It can be said that Cheng Yuan is not trapped by history, not limited by historical stories and scenes, but walks out of it, integrating ancient and modern times, story narration and modern thoughts, attracting readers to enter the works , Enter the story scenery or character space to form a realm of language use in travel prose. Cheng Yuan has a sincere recognition of beauty and kindness, and a passionate desire for traditional art, natural landscapes and tranquil wisdom. The bustling life is like smoke everywhere, and life passes quietly.
Looking back, the most beautiful things are often the simplest ones. Cheng Yuan's writing is neither noisy nor pretentious, and calmly "presents facts and makes sense" from beginning to end. It does not have gorgeous colors or excessive exaggeration, but it has its own temperament. It’s also like Cheng Yuan’s candid response in "Gunma Ridge": " The reason why I am willing to run here over and over again, I think, in addition to the legend, is the mountain breeze, tree shadows, flowers, plants and birds here. The sound, the fresh air, the well-proportioned three pools of clear water, the red birch and white birch standing on Longgang Mountain, the poplar and oak trees, the basswood and locust trees, the cypress and spruce, and the rare bent willow and flowering elm all attract me all the time, even though The mountains are high and the roads are long, and the car is like a roller coaster. This may be the joy of traveling! " This is the fun, this is the elegance, this is what Cheng Yuan feels deep in his heart after the story and the scenery are combined. A true portrayal. This idea comes from nature, with brightness and freshness, cleanness and purity, and secret fragrance. I believe that as long as the writer follows the inner peace and authenticity, abandons the chaos and anxiety of the mind, let his words return to the direction of traditional Chinese culture and the unique Oriental The study of philosophy and mind , will inevitably lead to the path of poetry and wisdom in life.
Hunhe Sui Xiaodong - photo
Third, put the power source of the prose in the omitted part of the text . Just like poetry writing , Cheng Yuan's understanding of travel prose is based on the understanding and reading of classic articles. The articles do not make twists and turns, but express their feelings directly. At the same time, he also pays great attention to cutting out the complex and keeping it simple, and goes straight to the point. Even if it is a running account, he should reduce the dull narrative, and even spread the human soul in the blank spaces of travel prose . Practice has proved that the blank spaces of travel prose are the best. This is the gateway to travel prose. There are many such examples in Cheng Yuan's articles, especially the narration of some historical facts without complete expression ( He feels that this is no different from a manual or introduction to scenic spots, and it also loses the meaning of writing travel prose ). Articles are meant to be read by others. If they are the same and have repetitive artistic conceptions, that is not creation. Cheng Yuan sometimes abandons scenery and objects decisively , sometimes lyrically, sometimes narratively, and according to literary standards, he handles the blank spaces in travel prose, sometimes leaving them blank, and sometimes not. More often than not, the omitted part of the text is left, or simply passed over, which has the characteristics of poetry writing. There are many chapters like this, just take "From Ivory Villa to Daizhuang" as an example:
(1) I wrote about going to the Ivory Mountains after rain and snow. The road was slippery and dangerous, so I didn’t describe it in detail. I just relied on my feelings: I finally hired a small truck, and it was the one driven by Wang Xiaohu in "Country Love II" vehicle! The driver was very enthusiastic and said: This line is very familiar.
However, we still walked for more than an hour for nearly 30 kilometers. The road is too slippery.
(2) Writing about the landlord of Liu Neng’s house, he said jokingly without much introduction: There is a gourd on the flower stand in front of Liu Neng’s house, with Liu Neng’s ink on it: Smooth sailing. Smiling.
(3) Writing about the Yutian family depicts real-life situations: Zhao Yutian’s family lives in the northernmost part of the village. Like Guangkun’s family, the owner is not like Xiaomeng and Liu Neng’s family. The signboard of the family restaurant, on the other hand, has a poster with photos of Zhao Yutian and Liu Ying erected in the front corner of the room, while a corn stack is piled brightly in the yard, like an Egyptian pyramid. A woman called us into the courtyard while gathering firewood. Seeing that I had a camera in my hand, she asked me to take a photo of the corn stack, saying that it was specially used for filming by the crew and that it would be dismantled in a few days.
Like poetic styles, sometimes their flavor often comes from that imagination. Cheng Yuan's travel prose works can be seen as direct expressions and powerful interpretations of the characteristics of travel prose. His works bear the strong regional characteristics of each written region and scenic spot , and then evolve into regional, cultural and ideological literary works. His works not only refer to regional customs and the specific actual content of people's lives , more importantly, they consciously or unconsciously reflect regional culture and national culture in their works. Understanding poetry from the travel notes, from the southern customs to a snowflake in Changbai Mountain in the Northeast, Cheng Yuan praises the land under his feet with a strong poetic geography , .
Keyword three :
Good articles become the best evidence and continuation of history
People always have some sadness and melancholy in their hearts about the beauty that has gone away and the past that has disappeared.
Good times make people miss them , only records in various words can last longer. Just like we are wandering in the river of history , we not only know the ancient Chinese civilization , we also know the extraordinary writing skills of some literati after the great waves washed away the sand. Good articles are the best evidence and continuation of history. We understand Chinese history and humanities better by reading "Historical Records" , We understand Confucius and Confucianism better from "Three Character Classic" , From "Li Sao" we learn more about Qu Yuan's justice and his attitude towards death as a matter of justice. Patriotism ... When humans move towards civilization , words coexist with humans , human activities are becoming more and more frequent , need to be recorded There are more and more things going on.
First, the existence of history and words are closely connected . The degree of development of human civilization can be recorded through writing. Although we cannot talk about deeper history and new historical highs for the time being , , what we can take comfort in is , Some of the words it once emitted record the light and heat that record a period of history and a special time. The recording of history is a kind of consciousness, and it is also the accumulation of all aspects over time. It needs to move forward silently, which invisibly links history and words.
Secondly, it is also a kind of commemoration to reflect the local customs and customs. For a period of time, Cheng Yuan has been writing hard based on some of his personal experiences. These travel prose of his record the tranquility and beauty of the great rivers and mountains of the motherland. Those traditional life-oriented words only exist in our hearts as sudden inspirations, or as an indescribable small world. Just because of his love, Cheng Yuan worked tirelessly to cultivate this field as a field of responsibility. He did not intend to "leave a voice when the geese pass by, and leave a name when a person passes by", nor did he try to "put himself in the bright light" in isolation. Sometimes these articles are just regarded as a kind of record and a kind of commemoration.
Again, leaving valuable promotional products for local scenic spots. The prose of Cheng Yuan's Travels has a rare quality in the impact and collision of regional cultures , without losing the basic right of authentication in the integration of cultures from various places. In a sense, culture is a sign of man's departure from nature and his move towards civilization , and is the manifestation of man's rational nature. Cheng Yuan's travel prose satisfies and adjusts people's spiritual needs and the culture created by psychological mechanisms, and especially promotes the promotion of local cultural products and cultural brands.
The history of this world will never come back. Some people describe it: It is like a star that is getting farther and farther , seeing it gradually getting smaller, darker, and colder , finally disappearing at a distance that is absolutely beyond the reach of people. When faced with the history of tourist destinations and scenic spots, Cheng Yuan still concisely described, summarized and sublimated it with confidence. Language is content,Language is the ontology of various articles. The introduction of scenic spots in various places reflects the historical background or humanistic customs——
Example 1: "Xiangshan Chapter Two" focuses on the tourist resources and culture of Hua'ao Island Scenic Area.
Hua'ao Island Scenic Area is located on the ocean at the mouth of Sanmen Bay in the south of Xiangshan County, Ningbo City ... It is very rich in tourism resources, especially the magnificent central volcanic rock original landform, sea stone forest, god-shaped giant rock and giant Buddha head, five-color The exquisite pebble beach, peculiar honeycomb rocks, Sun and Moon Parallel Vomiting Cave, Fairy Cave, thousand-year-old camphor piles, Zhang Cangshui Anti-Qing Barracks ruins, etc. are more distinctive and are known as " the sea cuts the stone in the sky, exquisite and precipitous ", known as "Haishan Fairy Kingdom, Yingzhou City " on earth.
Qingdao Shen Congwen’s Former Residence Photo by Cheng Yuan
Example 2: The introduction of Bodhi Temple in "Qingdao: Spring Clink" and reflect the author's attitude towards the truth of the world.
Bodhi Temple, also known as Baiyun Temple, is said to be a Han Buddhist Zen monastery. It was built in the late Ming Dynasty, rebuilt in the sixth year of Xianfeng in the Qing Dynasty, and rebuilt twice in the 31st year of the Republic of China (1942 AD). It was completely destroyed in the 1960s and is currently What we saw were all built in recent years. Although they are spectacular, they lack the ancient charm. However, the scenic area is very quiet, it seems that there are only a few of us tourists, and the sky is clear and clear. Magnolias are either white, red or yellow, some are in bud, or blooming in the wind. Such scenery makes it a good place for a spring outing.
Example 3: "Qingdao: Spring Clink" introduces the former residence of Kang Youwei and others, which is full of admiration and mystery.
A sign in front of Kang Youwei's former residence reads: Cultural Celebrities Street. Including Kang Youwei, Hong Shen, Shen Congwen, Mao Hanli, Song Chunfang, Wen Yiduo, Hao Chongben, Liang Shiqiu, Tong Dizhou, Feng Yuanjun, Lu Kanru, etc. However, after visiting on the spot, I realized that not all of them were on this street. We only found the former residence of Shen Congwen and the former residence of Hong Shen—— The door of the former was closed, but the courtyard door of the latter was open, but the building door was also locked. We had to wander in the courtyard for a while, thinking about this man in those days. This is the scene where the playwright writes his pen and ink. As for the former residences of several other celebrities, including Xiao Hong's former residence and Shu Xingbei's former residence, which I have always wanted to see, I visited many places and asked several passers-by, but they all didn't know the answer. I just regret that I didn’t prepare enough homework before coming. Even if I checked online, it would definitely be a worthwhile trip!
This can only be left for the future.
Example 4: "From Wuhan to the Shadow of the Three Gorges" also has many regrets about the introduction of the Yellow Crane Tower.
The Yellow Crane Tower is located in Snake Mountain, Wuchang. It was first built in 223 AD. It was destroyed and rebuilt many times until it was rebuilt again in 1984. This is the 51-meter-high five-story attic we see today, with layers of cornices and magnificent splendor. . This reminds me of last year's visit to the West Lake in Hangzhou, which coincided with the completion of the Lei Feng Tower. It was a cone-shaped object with a reinforced concrete elevator running through it. Except for a few pieces of loess and a few blue bricks in the glass cover on the ground floor, it is difficult to imagine the tower that White Snake collapsed. film. The Yellow Crane Tower in front of us is no longer the Yellow Crane Tower of that time. Has the former tower gone with the Yellow Crane?
The clear and transparent language strategy and broad writing field , are naturally integrated , making the things written by Cheng Yuan , reveal vitality , This also creates an open and vast poetry writing pattern. The characteristics of clean and vast writing , allow the vastness of time and space , the shortness of individual life , to form valuable textual evidence. As we all know, travel prose is a " business card " of a local scenic spot. It first condenses the history, culture and spirit of a region and has a strong spirit. sex and culture. The prose of Cheng Yuan's travel notes expresses an upward thought, emotion and spiritual pursuit, allowing people to understand the true meaning of these words and feel the author's emotional fluctuations. Cheng Yuan placed the vast landscape outline of his motherland and under his own spiritual care and only made simple sketches. The emotions and that overflow from the text are the intersection of individual life experience and and group life experience. The colorful mountains and rivers of the motherland are an inexhaustible source of inspiration for Cheng Yuan’s travel prose.
"Culture is the soul of a city , if a country, a nation, or a region does not have culture , it has no soul."
Travel prose is sometimes like the "soul" of a scenic spot. The prose art of Cheng Yuan's Travels is not about self-admiration , is not about being alone , but about shouldering social responsibilities , is a kind of lyrical and plastic art that is calm, rational and temperate. , His works are not only about showing beauty and happiness to readers , but also about promoting good tourism products through their works , This is what he is The purpose of the art of travel prose. His optimistic attitude towards life, serious writing style and clear life wisdom are very inspiring to readers who read the article.
For some time, it seems that people are looking for the value and meaning of life , where is the value and meaning ?
In fact, true feelings and aesthetics are indispensable elements of nature. True love is a kind of melody in the heart, is to feel the details of life with true feelings ; Aesthetics is a kind of art, has special aesthetic value, Contains all aesthetic qualities. For Cheng Yuan, a writer who has been writing for many years , this means never repeating yourself, not hastily, or a running account, but a solo way to let the individual go out of the individual and let the area Transcend the region, make the world roar, and make the soul quiet —— This is Cheng Yuan’s effort and our expectation.