Deep in the Mountains, a Home on the Ridge

Linhe County, in Lingeda, Songshan Province, is a forestry town deep in the primeval forests of Northeast China. Yang Liu was born here. In the 1960s, her father fled famine in his hometown in Shandong and came to the Northeast, where he became a forestry worker and put down roots. As the times changed and the forest region developed, Yang Liu and the people around her lived, worked, and loved here over the course of decades. The county may not have many residents, but there’s no shortage of interesting stories. Winters are bitterly cold, with snow blanketing the land, yet people’s hearts are warm, burning with bright red flames that can sometimes scorch you, sometimes set you alight. In summer, the mountains are lush with greenery, azaleas, and white birch trees beneath a clear blue sky. The air is rich in negative ions, and one deep breath can leave you intoxicated. The people, too, have taken on the mountains’ verdant spirit, with a fresh, hearty exuberance. The story of Yang Liu and Chunfeng will take us deep into the mountains, then carry us beyond their towering ridges and off into the distance.