Volume and Number
Occasional Paper No. 3
Files
Download Full Text (48.2 MB)
Publication Date
1971
Managing Editor
Henry G. Schwarz
Publisher
Center for East Asian Studies, Western Washington University
City
Bellingham, Washington
Description
The Love of Nature: Hsü Hsia-k'o and his Early Travels, by Li Chi: I have enjoyed the diaries of Hsü Hsia-k'o for many years; never dilettantish, he was a veteran traveler and a thorough observer. The factual quality of his writing convinces me that his information is reliable as much as his disdain of affection, although often suggesting simplicity, ensures that his writing will always be fresh. Although all his diaries can be read with equal interest, those written during mountain visits are the most rewarding and important. They have a single focus and thus avoid the tediousness of, for example, the diaries written in Kweichow and Yünnan. Moreover, readers will find greater pleasure in the descriptions of the great mountains because their monasteries, academies and ruins, known through poetry and prose to generations of Chinese, form a vital part of China's cultural history. An awareness of this linkage should help readers in making their study of Chinese literature more intelligent and meaningful. Although the geographical information in these diaries is less important, a student of geography may find something of Interest. I have prepared this translation primarily, however, for the general reader interested in the natural scenery of China and for the student of literature concerned about a significant portion of the field in which Chinese literature was created.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.25710/3z54-cj11
Publisher (Digital Object)
Resources made available by the Special Collections, Heritage Resources, and Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
OCLC Number
258435
Geographic Coverage
China--Description and travel
Disciplines
Chinese Studies | East Asian Languages and Societies
Keywords
Hsü Hsia-k'o, China's cultural history, Chinese literature
Document Type
Book
Recommended Citation
Li, Chi, "The Love of Nature: Hsü Hsia-k'o and his Early Travels" (1971). East Asian Studies Press. 24.
https://cedar.wwu.edu/easpress/24
Rights
Copyright 1971 the Center for East Asian Studies, Western Washington University
Language
English
Format
application/pdf