Bailingmiao

Zheng ZhenduoMay 2017

3.6

Word count: 6.8K words
Chapters: 4

Summary

Out of the temple, I took a walk on the hillside. The sunlight gradually grew fierce, and it began to feel like summer. At the top of the hill stood a pile of white stones, stuck with countless wooden poles arranged in a dipper shape. Many colored silk cloths hung from the poles, bearing scriptures. Such stone piles are called “obo,” originally serving to mark the boundaries between banners, and at the same time they became places of worship.

Editor's review

This piece uses the observations from a walk outside the temple as its thread, leading readers onto a hillside where the sunlight grows gradually fiercer and summer begins to show, with the gaze finally settling on the white stone mound at the summit, stuck with countless wooden poles and hung with colored silk cloths bearing scriptures. Zheng Zhenduo, in plain strokes, explains the dual function of the "obo"—both as a boundary marker between banners and as a place of worship—weaving local scenery, folk belief, and spatial order naturally together within a brief span. The writing is unadorned yet skilled at capturing details worth recording from everyday travel, leaving a sense of unhurried observation. Its value lies not in narrative but in preserving for readers a literary record of folk landscape in the border regions, carrying both the lyrical breath of prose and the flavor of folkloric inquiry. It suits slow reading in quiet hours; paired with an interest in local gazetteers or folklore materials, more layers can be discerned.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy modern prose and travel sketches and prefer plain narration
Readers interested in border folklore, ritual sites, and local scenery
Writing enthusiasts seeking short models for learning landscape description and folklore recording
Readers engaged in organizing local culture who want literary reference materials

Not a good fit for

Novel readers expecting a full plot or the unfolding of characters' fates
Researchers seeking systematic theoretical exposition of folklore

Reading tips

First read through once to feel the rhythm of the walk's prose, then revisit the description of the obo, noting the spatial order.
While reading, jot down the folklore terms and their functions mentioned in the text for comparison with other local gazetteer materials.
Can be read alongside Zheng Zhenduo's prose works from the same period to appreciate differences in his observational and descriptive technique.

版权信息
一
二
三

FAQ

What is the "obo" mentioned in the text?

The text explains that at the summit there is a white stone mound stuck with countless wooden poles in a dipper shape, the poles hung with colored silk cloths bearing scriptures; this kind of stone mound is called an "obo." It originally served to mark boundaries between banners and also became a place for worshipping deities. The article develops its observation and record around this very landscape.

Is this piece better read as prose or as folklore material?

Both. Its genre is prose, with the rhythm of a walk and changing light; in content it records the form and function of the obo, carrying the flavor of folklore inquiry. Readers may appreciate it as a short landscape sketch or use it as a literary reference for understanding local scenery.

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About the author

Zheng Zhenduo Author · Chinese · 1898–1958

Zheng Zhenduo (1898–1958), whose ancestral home was Changle, Fujian, was born in Yongjia, Zhejiang (present-day Wenzhou). Writing under pen names such as Xidi and Guo Yuanxin, he was a modern Chinese writer, literary historian, translator, publisher, and bibliophile. A founding member of the Literary Research Society, he edited Fiction Monthly and the World Library, devoting much effort to introducing foreign literature and organizing Chinese popular literature. His works include An Illustrated History of Chinese Literature, A History of Chinese Popular Literature, and An Outline of Literature. He also translated Rabindranath Tagore's The Crescent Moon and Stray Birds; his fluent, natural renderings have circulated widely. He later served as Vice Minister of Culture and Director of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, and died in a plane crash in 1958 while leading a delegation abroad. His writings combine scholarship with readability and have had a lasting influence on the translation of foreign literature and the study of literary history.