Mountain Window Sketch

"Mountain Window Sketch" is a collection of prose essays written by the famous popular literature master Zhang Henshui while he was living in seclusion in a valley cottage in the southern suburbs of Chongqing during the Anti-Japanese War. This work uses a "mountain window" that "faces the mountain as a window" in the author's apartment as a unique perspective. Through more than forty concise and meaningful chapters (such as "Short Case", "Dry Stream", "Bamboo and Chicken", "Wild Flowers in Vase", "Pulling Nails from the Mud", "Waiting for a Breakfast", "Autumn Fireflies", "Chess", etc.), This work delicately depicts the insights and deep insights of rural life during the war. Under the seemingly leisurely style of writing, the author's deep feelings are hidden. He was at ease in the chaos of "Short Case", took pleasure in the misery amidst the sound of rain leaking in "Waiting for Leak", used the dim light of "Autumn Firefly" to express the tenacity of the literati, and used the play of "Chess" to relive the old dream of his old capital. The lines reveal deep nostalgia for life in Peking, hidden concerns about the war-torn situation, sympathy for the suffering of the people, as well as the feelings of a literary man who persists in his character in hardship and seeks spiritual comfort through the mountains and rivers. The work truly records the material deprivation (such as soaring prices and leaky houses) and spiritual perseverance of intellectuals in the rear areas of the Anti-Japanese War. It also reflects the living conditions of ordinary villagers and provides valuable first-hand information for understanding the social landscape and literati mentality of the special historical period.