In the forty-fifth year of Wanli, Shen Nian was born under a 300-year-old willow tree in Shenjia Village, Suzhou. His mother died of illness after childbirth. She has been with willow trees since she was a child, learning calligraphy and reading at her father's knees. As war approached in the late Ming Dynasty, her father cut off willow trees as a farewell gift and sent her away from home. In the next sixty years, she lived in Nanjing, suffered the destruction of her country and family, went into exile in Huguang, and opened a school, recording the memories of an era with her pen. She never served as an official in the Qing Dynasty, but with a book, a willow tree, and a "willow planting hall", she maintained the roots of civilization in the darkest moments. There is no word "catkin" in the whole book, but the meaning of catkin is everywhere - it breaks off its branches when the wind blows, and takes root wherever it falls to the ground.
Reader comments
This is the true spirit of troubled times!
Shen Nian spent sixty years of hard work and wrote an "unyielding history book." She did not serve in the Qing Dynasty and did not lose her integrity. She used her pen as a lamp and her school as her field. In the smoke and dust of the destruction of her country and her family, she maintained the roots of civilization.
What struck me the most was that there was no word "catkin" in the book, but the vitality of catkins was everywhere - even if it was blown away by fate, there could still be hope in a desperate situation! "Looking Willow" is really worth reading for everyone who likes the theme of perseverance in troubled times!
The writing is very beautiful and exciting
The writing is plain but powerful.
This novel is okay
The heroine has been wandering around all her life, but she always sticks to her true heart, opens a school, and the pattern of preserving the cultural context suddenly opens up.
Putting aside love and focusing on the times and inheritance is very special among similar ancient sayings.
A willow tree connects the ups and downs of half a life, and the story of the troubled times in the late Ming Dynasty is particularly immersive.
There is no dramatic plot, but the details are full of warmth and stubbornness in troubled times.
This is the true spirit of troubled times! Shen Nian spent sixty years of hard work and wrote an "unyielding history book." She did not serve in the Qing Dynasty and did not lose her integrity. She used her pen as a lamp and her school as her field. In the smoke and dust of the destruction of her country and her family, she maintained the roots of civilization. What struck me the most was that there was no word "catkin" in the book, but the vitality of catkins was everywhere - even if it was blown away by fate, there could still be hope in a desperate situation! "Looking Willow" is really worth reading for everyone who likes the theme of perseverance in troubled times!
The writing is very beautiful and exciting
The writing is plain but powerful.
This novel is okay
The heroine has been wandering around all her life, but she always sticks to her true heart, opens a school, and the pattern of preserving the cultural context suddenly opens up.
Putting aside love and focusing on the times and inheritance is very special among similar ancient sayings.
A willow tree connects the ups and downs of half a life, and the story of the troubled times in the late Ming Dynasty is particularly immersive.
There is no dramatic plot, but the details are full of warmth and stubbornness in troubled times.