Kangqiao's Heart Lamp

With its distinctive dual narrative, The Heart Lamp of Cambridge weaves poetry tightly together with reality, sounding a stirring song in defense of marine ecology.

While studying in Cambridge, contemporary young writer Xu Man is researching a surviving fragment of Xu Zhimo's manuscript The Heart Lamp of Cambridge when she unexpectedly opens a dialogue spanning a century with the spirit of Kangqiao, a young woman from the Republican era. Unable to pass on after witnessing modern ocean pollution, Kangqiao warns Xu Man about the ecological crisis and leads her on a journey to investigate it.

On the coast of St Andrews in Scotland, Xu Man witnesses the devastation of marine pollution firsthand: salmon migrating upstream suffer genetic mutations due to microplastics, sea turtles are ensnared in discarded fishing nets, and seabirds plunge into the sea slicked with oil. Working with an old boatman named Duncan, she investigates the problem, but faces one setback after another when an illegal fishing gang sabotages their research and steals an artificial coral reef.

Xu Man refuses to give up. She joins forces with experts to devise a comprehensive conservation plan, conduct experiments using microorganisms to clean seawater, and prepare to build artificial reefs. She also spreads awareness, urging people from all walks of life to take marine conservation seriously. Through everyone's efforts, the first signs of recovery appear in the marine ecosystem.

The book blends the romantic style of Xu Zhimo with the starkness of contemporary ecological literature. Through Xu Man's experiences, it lays bare the marine ecological crisis and conveys the urgent need to protect the oceans, prompting readers to reflect deeply on the relationship between humanity and nature.