Flower · Realm

Name: Flower · Realm
ISBN: 9787301313510

程然Peking University Press · ChinaAug 2025

3.2

Word count: 99K words
Chapters: 35
ISBN: 9787301313510

Report an error Find this book

Summary

This book is part of the "Weiming · Elegant Life" series and records the author's visits to temples following the flowering seasons.

Where there is a temple, there are always flowers.

Donglin Temple, Ta'er Temple, Fayuan Temple, Yaoshan Temple, Xingjiao Temple, Kaiyuan Temple...

Begonia, lilac, magnolia, hibiscus, osmanthus, camellia...

These writings do record encounters with plants and the measuring of mountains and rivers, yet they are not only that. Not all

Editor's review

This book belongs to the "Weiming · Elegant Life" series. Following the flowering seasons, the author visits temples including Donglin, Ta'er, Fayuan, Yaoshan, Xingjiao, and Kaiyuan, writing of encounters with crabapple, lilac, magnolia, hibiscus, osmanthus, and camellia. The text records encounters with plants and the measuring of mountains and rivers, yet it is more than that: the blooming and falling of flowers mirror the morning bells and evening drums of the temples, and a quiet attitude toward life emerges from the natural sequence of the seasons. It suits reading when the pace of life slows, one piece at a time as the flowering seasons advance; there is no need to seek plot momentum, for what matters is the composure the writing brings. For readers who love plants, temple culture, or travel essays, this book offers a way of writing that combines walking with observation; for those who wish to settle their minds through reading, it is also a corner to which one can return again and again. The book contains no gardening instructions or religious doctrine, and readers should enter it with the heart of a prose reader.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who love essays and travel writing and enjoy a slow-paced text
Travel enthusiasts interested in temple culture and plants and flowers
Urban readers who wish to settle their minds through reading amid a busy life
Readers interested in nature writing and books on the aesthetics of living

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking systematic botanical knowledge or gardening guides
Researchers expecting historical examination of temples and exposition of religious doctrine
Readers who prefer strong plot and fast-paced narrative

Reading tips

Read in scattered pieces by flowering season or temple, one or two at a time, not necessarily all at once.
When you come across a temple or a flower, look up its season and geography to deepen the impression.
Keep a pen to note your own travel memories in the margins, turning reading into a comparison.
Best kept by the bedside or read while traveling; a quiet environment helps you appreciate the rhythm of the writing.

About the publisher

Peking University Press China · Founded in 1979

Peking University Press is a comprehensive university press whose publishing areas cover classical literature, popular science, social culture, world history, Western philosophy, and culture. Its catalogue contains 6,031 titles, with representative books including A Dream of Red Mansions, Relativity: The Special and General Theory (15th Edition) (with Einstein's classic papers on unified field theory and other topics), Elements, Conics, The Aristocratic Families of the Eastern Jin, The Philosophy of Mythology (Volume I), The Philosophy of Mythology (Volume II), and The Origin of Continents and Oceans. Representative authors include Cao Xueqin, Zhou Ruchang, Albert Einstein, Euclid, Apollonius, Tian Yuqing, Schelling, and Xian Gang. The press has developed distinctive strengths in classical Chinese literature and in the translation of Western philosophical classics, while also covering scientific classics and social and cultural studies. As public information is limited, this description is based only on the books in the catalogue and offers no further extrapolation.

版权信息
自序
春之百花
白马寺的四月
平城拈花
黄梅栀子香
匡庐白莲
紫丁香开满窗
香雪海中探法源
卧佛寺花事
玉兰树下默默坐
道心犹如海上花
旧时芍药开满山
夏之凉风
凌霄花开兴教寺
香萦碧云寺
木槿荣时茶席盛
楠庭院闻花香
秋之月
桂花海在灵谷
再见五塔寺
开元木上棉
米兰地消息
看见牡丹莲，看见她
蝴蝶芙蓉黄檗山
冬之雪
隋梅知人心
白云沧海
云居山怀远
太白山寻隐
光明藏里繁花开
云门山茶
曹溪水畔火炭母
鼓山木荷
后记

FAQ

Is this book popular science about plants or a temple guide?

Neither. According to the content summary, the author visits temples following the flowering seasons and records encounters with plants and the measuring of mountains and rivers, but the writing is more than that—it is closer to prose essays taking flowers and temples as their thread. If you need botanical knowledge or a temple visiting guide, you should look for specialized books.

Will it feel remote if I haven't visited the temples in the book?

Not much. The book takes flowering seasons as its thread and conveys feelings through writing, so geographical details are not a prerequisite for reading. Readers can treat it as a paper journey, following the author's words to feel the atmosphere of flowers and temples; those who have visited one of these places will have the added pleasure of comparison.

Is it suitable as a gift for a friend who loves flowers and plants?

It can be considered. The book belongs to the "Weiming · Elegant Life" series, takes flowers and plants and temples as its subject, and is written with composure—suitable for friends who love plants, essays, or a slow life. But if the recipient needs practical flower-growing guidance, the book does not meet that need.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

程然 Author

Cheng Ran is a Chinese writer about whom little public information is available; her birth year, native place and career history are not clearly recorded. Six works can currently be confirmed, including The Lotus Blooms in Succession, Brewing Tea with Wholehearted Devotion, Times Not to Be Trifled With, A Window Beneath the Moon, Knowing the Dharma Like a Film and The Realm of Flowers, most of which fall into the categories of prose and cultural writing. Judging by these titles and classifications, her writing dwells on tea, flowers, plants, time and states of mind in everyday life. Her tone is quiet and delicate, often moving from concrete objects to observations on life and human nature, with an Eastern aesthetic and an introspective quality. Rather than grand narrative, she works through small experiences, making her books suited to slow, attentive reading. Given the limited material, her biography, creative development and broader influence cannot be described in detail; readers may begin with the works above to sense her style and concerns.