Written in a documentary, essayistic style, this book provides a detailed record of the urban and rural changes, local customs and folkways, and idyllic rural life in the Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture of Western Hunan in the early twenty-first century. Through the coming-of-age journey of an ordinary Tujia boy from Western Hunan, it showcases the region’s unique charm and the clash between tradition and modernity, the contrast between a slow-paced and a fast-paced life, the tension between social conservatism and change, and reflections on an ordinary life of striving. The boy is full of conviction, deeply loves his hometown, cares for nature, and ultimately follows a path toward transcendence.
