Empty Mountain, Spiritual Rain

"Empty and Ethereal" is a representative work by the Taiwanese essayist Jian Zhen, originally published in Taiwan in 1991, with the mainland edition released by Changjiang Literature and Art Publishing House in 2017. The book is composed of short essays, divided into seven volumes: "Empty Mountains and Spiritual Rain," "Lone Smoke in the Vast Desert," "Light Boat Cutting Through Water," "Wild Deer Sleeping on Mountain Grass," "Fishing Alone in Cold River Snow," "Tides Beating the Empty City," and "Snowy Night at the Thatched Cottage." These titles subtly evoke the classical landscape poetry of Wang Wei, the empty mountains reminiscent of Wang Wei's style, and Zhang Ji's midnight bell, among other poetic imagery. Jian Zhen creates a fictional traveler, using the first person to inhabit different poetic realms—climbing mountains, wandering fields, cruising rivers, consulting woodcutters, visiting elders, and reflecting on the past—as the traveler explores the mysteries of life, seeks an inner pure land, and ultimately returns to a snowy night on a cold mountain, merging with the great transformation of nature. The author does not intend for readers to trace back to the Tang Dynasty in search of a specific mountain or temple, but rather uses the classical landscape poetry as a gateway for readers a thousand years later to visit their own empty mountains, listen to the bell within their hearts, and appreciate the Zen-like interplay between nature and living beings. The narrative is exquisite and dynamic, with a transcendent and ethereal atmosphere; the prose is clear and refined with substance, combining classical literary cultivation with modern existential inquiry. Many readers regard it as a path into the aesthetics of classical poetry and prose. The book concludes with an appendix, "Travelers of Poetry: Recommended Classical Poems," which can be read alongside the main text.