A Journey Not in Vain

Name: A Journey Not in Vain
ISBN: 9787521229080

褚夫玮Writers Publishing House · ChinaApr 2026

3.0

Word count: 89K words
Chapters: 37
ISBN: 9787521229080

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Summary

Author Chu Fuwei has been active in the Chinese poetry scene since the 1980s. His poetry ranges widely and is known for its delicacy, and it is precisely this delicate, graceful style that reveals a lucid and refined sensibility. His poems have elegance, mood, subtlety, and beauty; they are rich in poetic feeling and meaning, with the finest points left unspoken. This Is a Journey Worth Taking is a delight: here is a writer who can turn life into poetry and prose, who keeps a sensitive and loving eye on the world, and who is joined in it by all three members of his family, comparing and sharing their work—warm and full of charm. Besides the poems, the appendix collects pieces drawn from firsthand experience, action, reflection, and insight in daily life, work, and study. They look like ordinary small matters, yet on closer thought they hold rich life wisdom.

Editor's review

This Is a Journey Worth Taking gathers poems and prose by a writer active in poetry circles since the 1980s. The poems are delicate and graceful, attentive to elegance and mood, subtle and suggestive, with the finest meaning left unspoken. A notable feature is the way “all three members of the family join in and compare their work,” letting poetry and daily life illuminate each other—warm and full of charm. The appendix collects firsthand experiences and reflections from daily life, work, and study; they seem like ordinary trifles, yet close reading reveals life wisdom. Its value lies not in grand narrative but in reminding readers to stay sensitive to and in love with life: poetry can be written about things close at hand, and life itself is worth savoring again and again. Suited to casual reading on a quiet afternoon, and to family reading and discussion, to appreciate the attitude toward life summed up in “a journey worth taking.”

Who it's for

A good fit for

Poetry readers who like delicate, subtle verse with mood
General readers hoping to recover sensitivity and love for daily life
Readers who enjoy family reading and parent-child exchange
Busy people who need short poems and prose to relax

Not a good fit for

Genre-fiction readers who prefer strong plots and fast pacing
Researchers expecting systematic poetic theory or academic criticism
Readers with little interest in life essays and lyrical poetry

Reading tips

No need to finish at once; read a few poems or one appendix essay a day and leave time for reflection.
Jot notes beside lines that move you and record your own associations.
Suitable for reading aloud in turn with family and discussing your different understandings.
When reading the appendix, compare it with your own daily life and think about what overlooked philosophy hides in ordinary trifles.

About the publisher

Writers Publishing House China · Founded in 1953

Writers Publishing House is a Chinese publisher focused mainly on literary publishing. Its output covers classical literature, foreign literature, folk literature and Eastern philosophy, with some extension into popular reading such as social fiction and parenting books. Its catalogue contains more than 900 titles, including representative works such as Dream of the Red Chamber and its edited editions, Shakespeare's Macbeth and A Midsummer Night's Dream, and foreign literary classics such as The Brothers Karamazov and Lost Illusions. In terms of authors, it includes classical writers such as Cao Xueqin and Gao E, foreign masters such as William Shakespeare, Dostoevsky and Balzac, and translations by translators such as Zhu Shenghao, Geng Jizhi and Fu Lei. Overall, its publishing profile balances Chinese and foreign literary classics, emphasizes quality translations, and serves both academic and general readers; publicly available information on its specific publishing plans is limited.

版权信息
序言平中出奇异彩纷呈
自序不虚此行
第一辑诗歌卷
门外的风景（组诗）
人生如棋（组诗）
2020 年的诗情（短诗 12 首）
人生三味（组诗）
北漂手记（组诗）
艳歌（组诗）
人间烟火（组诗）
不枉此生（组诗）
永恒的时光（组诗）
第二辑随笔卷
快乐是一种能力
快乐的种类
而立之年的感悟
一家三口欢乐颂(系列短文)
人间漫画（系列小品文）
痴迷的爱好
防不胜防——致敬烟民朋友
悼文友
人生随笔
孤独
荒原
故乡的小河
晚霞依依
好的习惯会受益终生
赞美母亲的诗
初恋的主打歌
悠悠车梦
第三辑附录卷
平凡的一天（外三章）
不虚此行（作文十篇）
儿歌卷（三十九首）
家庭作品研讨会
成长与感恩（跋）

FAQ

Is this book only poetry?

Not entirely. The main body is poetry, and the appendix also collects the author's firsthand experiences, actions, reflections, and insights from daily life, work, and study—essays in the nature of prose, plain to read but meaningful on reflection.

What does “all three members of the family join in” mean?

According to the materials, the book reflects the author's family of three writing together and comparing their work, which makes the pieces warm and full of charm. The specific division of pieces and what each family member wrote should be based on what the book actually presents.

Is it suitable as a gift for an elder?

It can be considered. The poems are subtle and refined, and the appendix mostly concerns daily firsthand experience and reflections on life; the pace is gentle, suiting elders who like quiet reading. But if the person prefers strongly plotted reading, it may not be suitable; better to know their reading taste first.

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About the author

褚夫玮 Author

Chu Fuwei is an author for whom publicly available information is currently limited, and little verifiable detail about his creative work can be confirmed. The library holds one work by him, titled A Trip Worth Taking, which is classified under classic works. Based on the available bibliographic information, this book serves as the main entry point for understanding Chu Fuwei's writing. Because basic materials such as his biography, nationality, dates of birth and death, and English name are unavailable, it is difficult to give a systematic account of his creative career, and it would be inappropriate to make excessive inferences about his literary standing. Readers approaching him through A Trip Worth Taking may note its choice of subject and narrative style, and consider the concerns and modes of expression the author presents in the text. For this author, a single work is both the starting point of current knowledge and a reminder that more public information is needed to understand his writing trajectory and the influence of his work more fully.