High Valley, Encountering a Cloud Sea Spectacle
Original Scenery of Hometown - Music Journey (CD1)
It is surprising and sudden that joy comes in the world, so people are often at a loss for what to do.
I feel that when I happen to meet or encounter the clouds in the High Valley Forest District, or when I suddenly encounter a breathtaking view, it is like this – a state of near-disorder, a momentary lapse of composure. I immediately told the driver to stop, excitedly shouting as I grabbed my camera and jumped out of the car, rushing up a steep hillside to stand in the chilly, yellow soil, gazing at the wondrous cloud formations in the distance, shamelessly admiring the spectacle. After just a short while, I realized I should be taking pictures instead, fearing that this precious scene would vanish without a trace, filled with regret.
I never imagined I would see cloud formations in High Valley. In my opinion, this is an incredible thing, as if I were dreaming. I pinched my nose, felt a slight pain, it was real. At this moment, amidst the vast clouds, it was no longer the clear and romantic expanse depicted by Li Bai, but the rising sun over the mountains, bright spring colors shining with passionate waves. The clouds gave High Valley Forest District a unique and charming appearance, adding to its status as a natural oxygen bar with its lush greenery.
The scene in front of me seemed familiar, I thought of many place names, but I could never have imagined it would be here. Cloud formations exist in High Valley! Cloud formations exist in High Valley Forest District? This really surprised me. I've been to this place several times with my friends, perhaps it was a wrong timing, or some other reasons, anyway, I never thought there would be a morning like this, when I suddenly encountered such a spectacular sight.
—Oh, mysterious clouds! High Valley's clouds!
This time, when I met you here, I gave you a warm welcome. Whether it's cloud, or fog, it doesn't matter anymore. What matters is that you appeared here, quietly spreading out its myriad of delicate and tender appearances, welcoming the brilliant morning sunshine to wrap the vast mountains in a mysterious veil, gently, thinly, like a silken scarf, enveloping the heavy mountains, like a passionate man, adding infinite romance, leaving us to imagine. Yes, High Valley's clouds don't have the grandeur of Yellow Mountain's clouds, nor the magnificent beauty of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain clouds, even not the majestic power of the Qinling clouds, but it has its own unique appearance, its own momentum, and its own potential.
During this trip, my mission was to fight forest fires and support the daily work of the forest rangers. These beautiful sights – the lush forests, the magnificent clouds, and the sound of the pines rushing through the air – seemed like they could be easily overlooked. But I was deeply drawn to the clouds, and even though I was working, I would occasionally shift my camera to capture the stunning cloud formations in the distance.
At this time of year, it is early spring, without the stone path winding up the Snow Mountain. But under the clouds in the distance, there would be a rustic farmhouse family. In the white clouds, there are human dwellings, this is a fact. As the clouds gradually dissipated, they faded, and the farmhouse under the mountains appeared vaguely, like a fleeting dream. Asking the guardian about what was in the distance, he replied: 'It should be the after-Red Cliff residence.'.
Looking further, the clouds became light, and the mountains also became pale, changing from a deep blue to a light shade, as if they had just woken up from a dream. The names of those vague mountains became increasingly blurred – were they Song family Mountain, Yang family Mountain, or Gao family Mountain? Like the Five Sacred Mountains, they seemed vast and boundless, almost making me hesitate to confirm. Further on, the sky met the clouds, and the clouds stretched out endlessly, creating a sense of depth, as if it were a large-scale three-dimensional landscape painting, portraying the grand and majestic situation with brushstrokes, presenting a style reminiscent of traditional Chinese ink paintings.
In our usual understanding, the Yellow Soil Plateau, Yellow Sky Thick Earth, is always barren and ugly, with gullies and pits, and even fragmented. I used to think that this land was a wild frontier, a wasteland of the soul. Now, I no longer think so, I no longer despise it, I have long been deeply in love with its appearance, unable to articulate it, unable to express it – it's love, it's attachment to Shanxi, to the Yellow River, to the Plateau, even to the yellow soil itself. Even if it's not as magnificent as the Dragon's Spine, nor as grand as the Eastern Peak, nor as imposing as the Qinling Mountains or the Yellow River, I love it, without needing to say more.
In my heart, I have long recognized the importance of hometown and High Valley Forest District is my spiritual home. I admire the clouds in High Valley, because they can unexpectedly appear here, they are unique and real, not illusory dreams. I didn't want to just look at them in passing, I wanted to focus my eyes on them, to carve out their beauty with my gaze, to genuinely meet with them, to merge my soul with them. I realized that I wanted to spend a long time staring at these clouds, or I wanted to approach them, to feel their charm, to experience their mystery. I longed to find enlightenment in the clouds of my homeland, to receive the meaning of life in High Valley Forest District.
Wang Hai Rong's essay
“”“”
“”
“”
......
