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During their seven-hundred-year rule from the eighth to the fifteenth century AD, the Arabs created brilliant cultural miracles in Spain. The city of Ocher, located in the city of Granada, is a symbol of this miracle. Zhe (zhě) City means "Red Castle", transliterated as Alhambra, which is also the "Great Food Palace" written by Washington Irving. Zhecheng is not only a real historical site, but also a city of words and imagination. From Hugo, Byron, Andersen, to Mozart, Debussy... Generations of writers and artists have praised and lamented for it, and they have created the immortal image of Ocher City. Tian Xiaofei, a professor of Chinese literature at Harvard University, took a journey that ended in the city of Ocher and connected the three pearls of the Andalucia plain in Spain - Cordoba, Sevilla, and Granada. These three Spanish cities, which are deeply influenced by Arab culture, are like three beautiful gray carved windows, revealing a splendid, mysterious and profound ancient kingdom. This is a journey of civilization as well as a journey of literature.

This book is a collection of Tian Xiaofei's self-selected papers, including a total of 11 papers published by Professor Tian Xiaofei in recent years. The content covers many aspects such as Bieji, Leishu, Zishu, historicist interpretation of medieval and late Qing literature, material culture, etc. The research method is eclectic and the research perspective is novel and unique. It is a highly enlightening academic research work.

Tian Xiaofei, a professor in the Department of East Asian Languages ​​and Civilizations at Harvard University, used "Qifa" as a title to interpret seven writers and their classic works, including Tao Yuanming, Xiao Gang, Xie Lingyun, Tang Xianzu and Yu Dafu, taking into account different themes and connecting different eras - from poetry, drama to novels, from the literature of the Six Dynasties to modern literature, the essence is repeated and the insights are profound.

"Yunxia fills the paper", Yuan Hongdao praised "Jin Ping Mei" in his letter to Dong Qichang. In the more than 400 years since "Jin Ping Mei" came out, it has been cherished and copied by countless writers and scholars. From Li Yu and Cao Xueqin to Hu Shi and Zhang Ailing... All of them have drawn nourishment from "Jin Ping Mei". "Jin Ping Mei" is not only a book about boudoir affairs, but also a book about "crime and punishment" that deeply understands human nature: all the characters in the book are drowned in the sea of ​​desire, tossed by the huge waves of greed, anger, jealousy, and infatuation. The author of "The Plum in the Golden Vase" has the power to penetrate into the unfathomable parts of human nature, revealing the complexity of the human heart without any sadness or sentimentality. A reader must have a strong spleen and stomach, a sound spirit, and a mature mind to truly appreciate and understand "The Plum in the Golden Vase" and face the particularly thrilling violence in it due to its extreme realism.

This collection of Tian Xiaofei's works includes the following three works: "Blank Space: Qiu Shuitang on the Plum in the Golden Vase" and "The clouds fill the paper." Yuan Hongdao praised "The Plum in the Golden Vase" in his letter to Dong Qichang. In the more than 400 years since "Jin Ping Mei" came out, it has been cherished and copied by countless writers and scholars. From Li Yu and Cao Xueqin to Hu Shi and Zhang Ailing... All of them have drawn nourishment from "Jin Ping Mei". "Blank Space: Essays on the Culture of Qiu Shuitang" contains twelve articles on literary reading and cultural criticism by Tian Xiaofei, a professor of Chinese literature at Harvard University. In "Blank Space", Professor Tian Xiaofei also embarks on a reading journey: from classical literature such as "A Dream of Red Mansions", "Jin Ping Mei", "The Peony Pavilion" and "The Decameron", to Jin Yong's martial arts novels, Eco's historical novels, as well as film works such as "Journey to the West" and "Frida" as textual insights. "Ocher City: A Literary Journey in Andalusia" Ocher City is not only a real historical site, but also a city of words and imagination. From Hugo, Byron, Andersen, to Mozart, Debussy... Generations of writers and artists have praised and lamented for it, and they have created the immortal image of Ocher City.

"Blank Space: Essays on the Culture of Qiu Shuitang" contains twelve articles on literary reading and cultural criticism by Tian Xiaofei, a professor of Chinese literature at Harvard University. Dante's journey in "The Divine Comedy" is a symbol of reading; Dante's guide is the predecessor poet Virgil. In "Blank Space", Professor Tian Xiaofei also embarks on a reading journey: from classical literature such as "A Dream of Red Mansions", "Jin Ping Mei", "The Peony Pavilion" and "The Decameron", to Jin Yong's martial arts novels, Eco's historical novels, as well as film works such as "Journey to the West" and "Frida" as textual insights. Every article in "Blank Space" is a product of reading, conveying the author's care and thinking about the current social culture and reality.