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Because of Goya's paintings and Spain, Hota Zenei traveled to foreign countries in the 1970s and 1980s, and traveled all over the Iberian Peninsula: the historical city of Santiago de Compostela, located at the "extreme end of the earth"; Aragon, which witnessed the intersection and fusion of heterogeneous cultures; and the road to independence. The author also visited Andorra, which is jointly managed by France and Spain, the Basque Country, which has one of the oldest languages in Europe, and the Jewish settlement on the island of Majorca, which have long been neglected and marginalized groups. While appreciating the mountains and rivers of various places, Zenue Hotta narrates the historical process and social changes of Spain and surrounding areas over thousands of years in a free and natural style. In particular, his reflections on the cruelty of war and his understanding of the diversity of human civilization reflect the author's global vision and broad horizons that surpass those of his contemporaries.

This book is narrated in the voice of a Chinese named Chen Yingdi and is composed in the form of a diary. The background of the entire work is the tragic Nanjing Massacre caused by the Japanese army after they invaded Nanjing in December 1937. While the author truthfully and truly describes the Nanjing Massacre, he also provides people with more thoughts about human nature, war, Japan, China and the world. The author himself "dedicated his utmost vitality" to write such a long article out of his introspection and thinking about this unforgettable history in the modern history of China and Japan.