On the Way

Name: On the Way
ISBN: 9787567534070

庞培East China Normal University Press · ChinaJul 2016

4.0

Word count: 19K words
Chapters: 7
ISBN: 9787567534070

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Summary

One hundred years ago, the French diplomat and poet Victor Segalen came to China three times. He wrote the internationally influential classics Stèles and René Leys; his letters to his wife during his stay in China are also precious documents in literary history. The contemporary poet Pang Pei takes this as an occasion to return to the Chinese time and space of the early Republic, fictionalizing and imitating the letter writer’s emotions, tone, and wondrous gaze upon first encountering the East, recovering lost bygone events for readers like a tombstone of time. This is an interesting text with rich content and an ingenious conception that has shaped a distinctive style of contemporary new poetry.

Editor's review

On the Way is an essay collection that is easily underestimated. Pang Pei, an important practitioner of contemporary Chinese prose, explores the relationship between language and memory in depth in this work. The book takes the Jiangnan water towns as its geographical coordinates yet breaks free of conventional regional writing, forging personal memory, historical fragments, and natural scenery into a distinctive perception of time and space. Pang Pei's prose has the density and rhythm of poetry; the rivers, wharves, and old houses he depicts are not merely physical presences but dark passages leading into the depths of memory.

From a professional reading perspective, what most merits attention is the book's expansion of the prose form. Pang Pei abandons linear narrative in favor of a fragmentary,跳跃 structure, and this sense of brokenness corresponds precisely to the discontinuity of memory itself. His attention to detail is almost exacting—the grain of bluestone slabs, the sound of raindrops on roof tiles, the subtle shifts of dusk light—and these fine observations form the textural foundation of the writing. At the same time, the author maintains a clear modern consciousness within his nostalgia, avoiding the trap of sentimentalism.

The reading value lies in three aspects: first, it offers new aesthetic possibilities for contemporary Chinese prose; second, its record of a disappearing Jiangnan has anthropological significance; third, the text itself is an exquisite practice of linguistic art. Pang Pei's writing reminds us that true travel is not spatial displacement but spiritual wandering in the depths of time. This "on the way" state is both geographical and existential.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Literary readers interested in innovative forms of contemporary prose
Readers who favor poetic language and delicate sensory description
Observers concerned with cultural change in the Jiangnan region
Readers seeking a slow-reading experience and savoring textual texture

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting coherent stories and clear plots
Readers who prefer practical, knowledge-based prose

Reading tips

Slow your reading pace and attend to the rhythm and texture of the language itself
Read alongside visual materials of Jiangnan water towns to enhance spatial perception
Best read in segments in a quiet environment, with time between pieces to digest

About the publisher

East China Normal University Press China · Founded in 1957

Adhering to the publishing purpose of "broad education," East China Normal University Press extends beyond its three main areas of textbooks, academic works and general-interest books, and its catalogue clearly reflects a vision that bridges Chinese and foreign humanities and social sciences. In foreign literature it offers classics such as Yasunari Kawabata's Snow Country and The Old Capital (translated by Chen Dewen), Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, and Rilke's annotated edition of The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge (translated by Chen Zao); in architecture, Chen Congzhou's two-volume Appreciation Dictionary of Chinese Gardens; in social psychology, The Social Animal: 12th Edition; and it also includes philosophy titles, traditional-culture works such as the six-volume Paintings for the Protection of Life, and education books. Its authors include renowned Chinese and foreign writers and skilled translators, showing a publishing profile that balances classic translation, scholarly accumulation and public reading. Public information is limited; the above is based only on the books in the catalogue.

版权信息
途中
附录
给黄蓓的信
庞培的《途中——谢阁兰中国书简》：人们如何彼此看见？
读庞培《途中——谢阁兰中国书简》
后记

FAQ

Is this a travelogue or a memoir?

Neither in the traditional sense. It is a reconstruction of memory along geographical lines, with the shell of a travelogue wrapping philosophical reflection on time and existence.

Is the writing style obscure or difficult?

The language itself is clear and beautiful, but the structure is跳跃 and the imagery dense; readers need to let go of expectations of linear narrative and immerse themselves in the atmosphere the language creates.

How is it different from other works about Jiangnan?

Unlike nostalgic depictions of local color, Pang Pei focuses on the unreliability of memory, the disappearance of a sense of place, and how individuals maintain connection with the past amid change.

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About the author

庞培 Author

Pang Pei is an author whose works are included in a Chinese book database. The available records show only two titles under this name: On the Way and Pure: Bowls and Alms Bowls. Public information is limited, and his nationality, dates of birth and death, and English name cannot be confirmed. Within the database his writing is classified under documentary literature and miscellaneous prose, suggesting that his texts move between first-hand reportage and personal reflective essays. The title On the Way hints at travel and the experience of the road, evoking documentary writing organized around a journey, while Pure: Bowls and Alms Bowls turns its attention to everyday objects and reflects the essayistic pleasure of finding feeling in ordinary things. Taken together, the two works sketch a writer attentive both to real journeys and to the small details of daily life. Since no further verifiable biographical material is available, no extended speculation is offered here; readers may instead approach his style and concerns directly through these two works.