Notes on Moving

Yu Jian's essays have always possessed a quality of walking and watching, and in The Moves of Moving, "moving" becomes both a physical and a spiritual act. The book includes classics such as "A Record of Climbing Mount Tai" and "Deep in the Earth," as well as new pieces like "Flowering Quince and Crabapple." Subjects range from watching the sunrise on Mount Tai, browsing the Heihe free market, and tasting Yiliang roast duck, to the origins of the Miluo River, the information explosion era, cookie-cutter county towns, and the blooming and withering of epiphyllum—seemingly scattered, yet threaded throughout with the poet's capture of the poetry of the everyday. The strength lies in his poet's eye for the people and things around him, folding travel, food, local customs, and observations of the times into plain-spoken narration that carries both an earthy breath and a mild wariness toward homogenized life. Suited for slow, piecemeal reading on commutes, while traveling, or before bed—no need to chase plot momentum; simply follow the words as they move. For readers familiar with Yu Jian's poetry, this book offers an essayistic entry point to understanding the sources of his poetics; for those new to him, it is a threshold-free stroll through Chinese prose.