The Silk Road
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Summary
In the book the author sketches for readers a magnificent "Silk Road" panorama. As the journey unfolds, the splendid desert, long rivers, gobi and high mountains along the route, together with the evocative Buddhist niches, the Great Wall, cave temples, ancient roads, castles and countless moving historical legends, come one by one to the reader's mind; it seems to carry us across time and space, to follow in the footsteps of Zhang Qian, Huo Qubing, Xuanzang and others and glimpse the vicissitudes of the thousand-year Silk Road.
Beyond re-presenting the ancient civilizations along the route, the author's "foreigner's" perspective makes the book all the more lively and interesting: he loves tea and wine, and pours a cup in tribute before the tombs of the ancients; he relishes adventure, and on the Pamir Plateau nearly has a brush with death from a falling rock; he is witty and humorous, joking all the way about the hardships and setbacks of the journey... Travel China with Bill, and you will discover the many different charms of China's five-thousand-year civilization!
Editor's review
The book's value lies in the experience of "being there" that it offers. Porter is not merely a narrator of history but a firsthand witness on the ground. He records conversations with ordinary local people, his direct impressions of ruins, and the hardships and surprises of the road; these vivid details make the distant Silk Road tangible and palpable. For readers who already know the general outline of the Silk Road through academic works, Porter's walking fills the skeleton of history with flesh and warmth. He reminds us that the Silk Road is not only a channel for the flow of goods but a living, ongoing story of cultural exchange and human connection. The book's observations and depictions of the Islamic civilizations of Central Asia, Persia and elsewhere are especially precious in our time, helping us look past simple labels to see the richness and historical continuity within these civilizations.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- General readers interested in the history and culture of the Silk Road but wishing to avoid daunting academic works
- Readers who enjoy travel literature and learning about foreign cultures through an author's firsthand experience
- Readers curious about the contemporary society and culture of regions along the Silk Road, such as Central Asia and Persia
- Readers who appreciate plain, finely wrought nonfiction writing with a personal warmth
Not a good fit for
- Readers seeking a systematic, rigorous and comprehensive general history or academic analysis of the Silk Road
- Readers expecting lavish photography or deep adventure narrative
Reading tips
- Read with a map and mark the author's route on it as you go; this greatly enhances the sense of spatial immersion.
- There is no need to read it all in one sitting; read chapter by chapter according to the major cities or regions the author passes through, immersing yourself in one cultural-geographic unit at a time.
- While reading, pay attention to the cultural comparisons and reflections embedded in the author's perspective and impressions as a Western observer.
About the publisher
Sichuan Literature and Art Publishing House is a professional literary and art publishing institution. It mainly publishes books on contemporary and modern literature, foreign literature, poetry and prose, music and art, and literary theory. Judging from the books in the database, the house places considerable emphasis on classic works and foreign literature. Representative titles include Lu Xun's Call to Arms and Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk, Lao She's Camel Xiangzi, Xiao Hong's The Story of Hulan River, J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, William Shakespeare's Hamlet, and Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha. Its translator resources include Deng Jiawan, Shi Zhongge, Du Yunci, and Zhu Shenghao. Common categories include social fiction, classic works, foreign literature, world classics, literary appreciation, and classical poetry, reflecting a publishing profile that balances Chinese and foreign literary classics with literary appreciation.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 序
- 第一章 启程：疯子才走的路
- 第二章 西安：像玄奘一样前进
- 第三章 出城：三千年的奇人异事
- 第四章 天水：中国最早的哲学家
- 第五章 兰州：乘坐地狱火车
- 第六章 武威：昔日要塞今何在
- 第七章 河西走廊：戈壁中的绿洲
- 第八章 向前：长城尽头流浪开始
- 第九章 敦煌：神与人，哀伤与辉煌
- 第十章 哈密：甜瓜特别香
- 第十一章 吐鲁番：酒与火之歌
- 第十二章 乌鲁木齐：睡在天山上
- 第十三章 伊宁：民族英雄的流放地
- 第十四章 巴音布鲁克大草原：超现实主义
- 第十五章 库车：传说总是残酷的
- 第十六章 阿克苏：沙漠玉石胡旋舞
- 第十七章 喀什：神秘的香妃故里
- 第十八章 通往塔什库尔干之路：海拔四千米
- 第十九章 红其拉甫山口：帕米尔惊魂记
- 第二十章 香格里拉：只叹停留太短
- 第二十一章 吉尔吉特：飞过世界屋脊
- 第二十二章 伊斯兰堡：我们的故事不能忘
FAQ
How does this book differ from Peter Frankopan's *The Silk Roads: A New History of the World*?
Is the book's depiction of Islamic civilization objective?
Is this book demanding to read? Does it require much historical knowledge?
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About the author
Bill Porter (1943–), pen name Chisong, is an American writer, translator, and sinologist. Born in Los Angeles, he studied anthropology and Chinese at Columbia University and went to Taiwan in 1972 to practice at Fo Guang Shan. He has long translated Chinese Buddhist and Daoist classics and classical poetry, and he also writes about China's landscapes and culture from a traveler's perspective. Eight of his works are included here, among them Road to Heaven, The Silk Road, and travel books on the Yellow River and Jiangnan. His subjects span culture, prose, travel, and modern poetry, and his bilingual interpretation of the Thousand Poets' Collection reflects his approach to Chinese-English reading. His writing combines walking through places with reading classics, in a plain and natural style, and has helped introduce Chinese culture to English-speaking readers. He received the 2018 Thornton Wilder Translation Prize.
Ma Hongwei is an author about whom little public information is available; the three works held in the library nonetheless outline the range of his interests and writing. His main focus is on essays and miscellaneous writings on cultural subjects, with some engagement with world history. The work Caiyun zhi Nan (South of the Colorful Clouds) centers on regional culture, presenting the scenery and human life of Yunnan. The Silk Road takes as its subject the ancient route linking East and West, tracing its historical development and cultural exchanges along the way. Tokyo Prelude: The Tokugawa Shogunate and Edo Castle turns to Japan, recounting the rise and urban character of Edo during the Tokugawa period. These three works span a considerable range, from Chinese regional culture to transregional history and Japanese urban history, showing an author who moves between cultural essays and historical narrative, linking geography, history, and human life in a plain and accessible style that gives readers an overall sense of the cultures and historical backgrounds concerned.
Lyu Changqing is an author about whom little public information is available; his nationality, dates of birth and death, and educational background are not clearly recorded and await further verification. Judging from the three works held in the collection, his writing focuses mainly on cultural essays and historical narrative. Yunnan, the Land of Colorful Clouds and The Silk Road belong to the essay and cultural category, the former dealing with the customs and landscapes of Yunnan and the latter tracing the history and cultural exchanges along the Silk Road. Tokyo Prelude: The Tokugawa Shogunate and the City of Edo turns to world history, focusing on the formation and evolution of Edo during the Tokugawa period. Overall, Lyu Changqing handles cultural and historical subjects in an essayistic style, combining geographical observation with historical context. His works are both informative and readable, offering readers a popular yet solid introduction to regional culture and foreign history.
