Seeking People Without Meeting Them

Name: Seeking People Without Meeting Them
ISBN: 9787541150869

Bill Porter / 曾少立 / 赵晓芳Sichuan Literature and Art Publishing House · ChinaJul 2022

4.4

Word count: 187K words
Chapters: 31
ISBN: 9787541150869

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Summary

In Search of the Ancients is a travel collection by the renowned American sinologist and writer Bill Porter, a pilgrimage to the poets of ancient China. With boundless love for Chinese culture and a bottle of whiskey and a cup carried from across the ocean, Bill embarks on a new journey—visiting the former homes of 36 ancient Chinese poets he admires. Along the way, the 69-year-old Bill follows the Yellow River and the Yangtze, from Qufu, the hometown of Confucius, to Jinan (Li Qingzhao), to Xi'an (Bai Juyi), through Chengdu (Du Fu, Jia Dao), to Hubei (Meng Haoran) and Hunan (Qu Yuan), and further south, reveling in the landscapes of Tao Yuanming and Xie Lingyun, before arriving at the Tiantai Mountains in Zhejiang, where the poet-monk Hanshan lived in seclusion. In Search of the Ancients brings to life the noble poetic spirit of ancient China.

An American, with boundless love for Chinese culture, carrying whiskey and a cup he has treasured from across the ocean, packs his bags and, alone, makes a pilgrimage to the graves of ancient poets long forgotten even by the Chinese themselves.

Editor's review

In Search of the Ancients is a heartfelt and distinctive work of travel literature by Bill Porter, the renowned American sinologist and translator. This book is no ordinary journey through mountains and rivers, but a pilgrimage across three thousand years to the footsteps and spirit of ancient Chinese poets. With a deep love and understanding of classical Chinese poetry, the author sets out from Qufu in Shandong and travels south, visiting the hometowns, graves, and relics of dozens of great poets, including Li Bai, Du Fu, Wang Wei, Su Shi, and Li Qingzhao. Carrying a copy of the Book of Songs and a flask of clear wine, at each site he completes a dialogue across time in the simplest and most solemn way—pouring a cup of wine for the poet and reciting their verses. The book's appeal lies in the fact that it is both an outsider's observation by a foreign scholar and an inner arrival by a pure heart. With a plain, simple yet powerful style, Porter depicts the changes in contemporary Chinese cities and countryside, and among broken steles and lonely graves overgrown with weeds, he keenly captures and revives those immortal poetic souls. What he seeks is not only the "people" on geographical coordinates, but the "encounter" in the cultural bloodstream. Reading this book, readers can follow a sincere guide to reexamine the poetic tradition and the land we think we know, and gain a feeling that is both familiar and fresh. It offers not the weight of academic textual research, but uses walking and emotion as bonds to build a poetic bridge connecting past and present, China and the world.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers with a strong interest in classical Chinese poetry and culture
Travelers who enjoy humanistic travel literature and reading history while on the move
Thinkers who hope to rediscover the charm of Chinese culture from an external perspective
People seeking inner peace and longing for a spiritual pilgrimage amid a fast-paced life

Not a good fit for

Lovers of pure fiction who seek strong plot and fast-paced narrative
Research-oriented readers expecting rigorous academic textual research or in-depth literary criticism

Reading tips

It is recommended to read alongside a map of China or a chronology of the poets, building a cultural geography in the mind as you follow the author's route.
Read or revisit the classic poems mentioned in the book beforehand or alongside it; this greatly enhances resonance and immersion.
Try slowing down your reading pace and treat it as a spiritual stroll, savoring the tranquility and remembrance flowing through the words.

About the publisher

Sichuan Literature and Art Publishing House China · Founded in 1984

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.

版权信息
第一天陈子昂、无名氏（诗经）、李白、杜甫
第二天李清照、辛弃疾
第三天曹植
第四天阮籍、成公绥、白居易、欧阳修、苏轼
第五天孟郊、韩愈、杜甫、白居易
第六天老子、李商隐、王维、阮籍、刘禹锡
第七天王维、杜甫、柳宗元、韩愈、杜牧
第八天韦应物
第九天李白、杜甫
第十天薛涛
第十一天杜甫、陈子昂
第十二天贾岛、韩愈、无可禅师
第十三天杜甫、李白
第十四天屈原、骚坛诗社
第十五天白居易、苏轼、欧阳修
第十六天孟浩然、王维、李白
第十七天李白
第十八天苏轼
第十九天杜甫、屈原
第二十天谢灵运、黄庭坚
第二十一天韦应物、白居易、陶渊明
第二十二天王安石、辛弃疾
第二十三天谢朓、李白
第二十四天王安石、范成大
第二十五天皎然禅师、石屋禅师
第二十六天孟郊、朱淑真
第二十七天苏轼、白居易、林逋
第二十八天陆游
第二十九天李白、谢灵运
第三十天丰干禅师、寒山禅师、拾得禅师

FAQ

What is the background of the author, Bill Porter? Why was he able to write such a work?

Bill Porter is a renowned American sinologist, translator, and writer. He has long been fascinated by Chinese culture and has translated many Chinese Buddhist and Daoist classics and poems into the West, including Cold Mountain Poems and Stonehouse Mountain Dwelling Poems. He lived for years in Taiwan and Hong Kong and traveled deep into rural mainland China in search of hermits and cultural relics, and is the author of bestsellers such as Road to Heaven and Zen Baggage. His profound sinological training and decades of personal practice enable him to interpret traditional Chinese culture from a unique and deeply affectionate perspective.

How does this book differ from ordinary cultural travelogues or biographies of poets?

The greatest difference lies in its purely "pilgrimage" perspective and highly ritualistic actions. It is not objective landscape description or a listing of biographical facts, but the author's "present" experience with strong personal emotion and respect. The whole book is structured around "seeking" and "commemorating," and through simple on-site rituals such as reciting poems and pouring wine, it tightly blends history, literature, and personal reflection, creating a sense of dialogue across time, with sincere emotion and a unique perspective.

Does reading this book require a strong foundation in classical literature?

No. The author naturally incorporates key facts about the poets' lives and highlights of their verses, explained in plain and accessible terms. Even if you are unfamiliar with some of the poets, you can still be deeply moved by the author's descriptions and reflections. The book is more like a door, inviting all readers curious about Chinese culture to enter; its role in sparking interest may be greater than that of imparting knowledge. A certain grounding in poetry will help you discover more resonances in the details, but it is by no means a threshold for reading.

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About the author

Bill Porter Author · American · 1943

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.

曾少立 Author

Zeng Shaoli is a writer about whom limited public information is available: no reliable records have been found regarding an English name, nationality, dates of birth and death, or a detailed career history. Two works can currently be confirmed, both classified as prose and miscellaneous writings. These are Searching for Someone Without Finding Them and A Journey Along the Yellow River. Judging from the titles, the former may center on visiting and seeking out people, while the latter appears related to travels and observations along the Yellow River, together reflecting a writing approach that combines travel with humanistic inquiry. Because public materials are limited, specific details about his writing career, background, and the influence of his works cannot yet be described in depth. Based on the existing works, however, his writing draws largely on field travel and visits to people, emphasizing narrative and records of what he saw and heard, and is suited to readers interested in travel essays and humanistic sketches.

赵晓芳 Author

Zhao Xiaofang — currently, public information about her is limited, and no reliable records of her dates of birth and death, nationality, or educational background are available. According to the library's holdings, only one work by her is included, Seeking the Unmet, which is classified as prose and miscellaneous writings. Judging by its title, the book carries connotations of visitation and recollection, suggesting that it may center on encounters with people, revisiting past events, or the workings of human connections, recording what is seen and felt in a prose style. Because of the limited material, the specific content and the arc of her writing are difficult to describe in detail. As an author of prose and miscellaneous writings, Zhao Xiaofang can presently be understood only through this single work; readers who wish to learn about her style and concerns should begin with Seeking the Unmet and appreciate its narrative tone and emotional orientation through close reading. The full scope of her writing remains to be supplemented by more published works and information.