I am not Ximen Qing.

Xiao Ji is such an unlucky guy; it seems his life is the only reality. For a few hundred yuan, he often ventures into dangerous territory, always showing up wherever there's buzz, his camera his weapon. Lu Ban Liu's equipment is the most powerful, starting with a 5D. The others only have DV-level cameras; anyway, a few dozen seconds of video in high definition, processed with simple editing software, is enough to upload to the website.

Everyone else gets to enjoy food and drink wherever they go, but Xiao Ji is always beaten wherever he goes. Xiao Ji seems to have encountered Guanyin, Mahasthamaprapta, and Amitabha Buddha. Of course, Song Yu and Zhang Sheng frequently visit Mount Wutai seeking the wisdom of Manjushri; they seem to possess Manjushri's power. Xiao Di complains incessantly: factory strikes, scandals, building collapses, corruption—Xiao Ji never misses a chance to capitalize on any hot topic.

Actually, Xiao Ji should have gone to Libya, Iraq, or Syria to become a war correspondent; perhaps that would have changed his ordinary life.

Lu Ban Liu made quite a grand entrance. He had booked a Home Inn hotel in advance, and the private room he had reserved at the Home Inn in Jingdezhen became the venue for the event. Master Liu didn't seem tired at all after flying from Tianshui to Jingdezhen; he was in high spirits and full of energy. Moreover, having just won a major award, he was naturally very confident.

However, he remained humble towards Song Yu, because Song Yu was his mentor. In fact, Song Yu should have seen the "Disappearing Horizon" that Yangzi had given him. Yaoli Ancient Town, the ancient capital of blue and white porcelain hidden among mountains and rivers, Zhang Sheng had been to Kunming before, but had never been to Erhai Lake. He had only seen it from the air and thought it was just a lake. Moreover, he had heard from locals that Erhai Lake was no longer the Erhai Lake of the past.

The rivers and lakes seen from the train window are a mix of black, green, and red—rarely seen in China as unpolluted, a consequence of industrial development. Much like the West, China has experienced pollution followed by remediation. Only the rivers of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau seem to retain their pristine state, due to the high altitude and harsh environment of the snowy plateau, much like the fate of the great tree described by Zhuangzi, which survived for millennia due to its perceived insignificance. It would be wonderful if Shangri-La were like that, though it's no longer the Shangri-La of the vanished horizon. I once knew a film actress who, while traveling on a shoestring budget in Shangri-La, ran out of money for her return journey to Beijing. The Archbishop of Beijing helped her, and after returning, she frequently attended his activities and became a follower. Zhang Sheng also had a Bible given to him by the Archbishop after one of his sermons.

“I really like the Bible.” The archbishop was deeply moved by this statement. After giving him the Bible, he encouraged him to study it carefully. Zhang Sheng said he was an atheist and wanted to study the Bible as if it were history.

I don't know if that movie actor is still pursuing his dream or joined a Christian church; we've lost contact ever since.

"Are you going now?"

"What's the rush? We still have time to gather material here."

"What kind of folk art are you going to collect?"

"Of course, we should visit Jingdezhen and the Blue and White Porcelain Street."

Master Liu and Leonardo DiCaprio are quite familiar with each other; DiCaprio often consults Master Liu on many professional issues. Cinematography is truly a job that combines technique and art, and many directors start as cinematographers; it seems that cinematography is a fundamental skill for directors.

The streets are filled with blue and white porcelain, it feels like stepping into a world of antiques.

"Why is the blue and white porcelain here much better than the porcelain in the Dingling Mausoleum of Emperor Wanli?"

"Oh, you've even gone to the emperor's underground palace, you tomb raider."

“I went not just once, but three times.”

"Be careful, there's evil energy there."

"So many people go in every year, the yang energy is too strong, and any evil energy will be dispelled."

"In another ten thousand years, everything here will be antiques."

"I wonder if there were still any people on Earth at that time."

"I have a solution. You should become a Buddha first, and then descend to earth ten thousand years later. Wouldn't that work?"

Actually, once you visit Jingdezhen, you'll understand that blue and white porcelain is just like televisions, washing machines, computers, and mobile phones—things that humans produce. Blue and white porcelain is valuable because it can only be produced in China, hence its rarity.

"The world is governed by the law of cause and effect. During the Ming Dynasty, silver and gold from Europe came to China, but during the Opium War in the Qing Dynasty, the silver and gold returned to Europe."

"We still need to develop high technology. China's porcelain-making technology is far behind that of Japan."

"Kyocera Corporation specializes in high-tech research for porcelain making."

Xiao Li, Lu Ban Liu, and Xiao Ji had no time for conversation; their enthusiasm was entirely focused on capturing valuable footage with their cameras. Passing through the porcelain street, they entered a quaint, old-fashioned alley. Here, past glory still lingers, now somewhat dilapidated; nothing can escape the cycle of rise and fall. This was a workshop for handmade blue-and-white porcelain. Unlike the merchants on the porcelain street, those who persisted in handmade porcelain art weren't just doing it for money; they possessed the heart of an artisan, a genuine love for porcelain. The culture of blue-and-white porcelain must be passed down through the artisans themselves. In the workshop, only an elderly woman was painting a lifelike portrait of a beauty on Jin Yao's half-finished piece.

There's no way around it; China only has one novel, *Dream of the Red Chamber*, and the aunt's material comes from the Twelve Beauties of Jinling within it. The aunt didn't mind the intrusion; perhaps this place has been deserted for countless years. Even the aunt understands that even the finest blue-and-white porcelain artwork needs promotion.

Lu Ban Liu was quite professional. He first took close-up photos of the aunt and then interviewed her, asking her to talk about the history and culture of blue and white porcelain. The aunt was very excited and didn't hold back at all. She told her family's history of blue and white porcelain, saying that her generation of young people lacked the mindset of cherishing poverty and had all gone out to make quick money. The spirit of craftsmanship had almost become a joke. She was really worried that her porcelain-making skills would be lost.

"Auntie can let your son or daughter continue the great cause of blue and white porcelain."

"Don't even mention it, young people. You all have at least more enthusiasm than them. How about anyone who wants to learn can learn here?"

"Auntie, we can't draw."

"Just kidding. Young people don't have the patience to quietly paint day after day for ten years. That's really a bit difficult for you."

"Auntie, is what you painted really a portrait of a lady?"

"Take a guess. It's not easy for you to even think of the ladies in the painting. If you can figure out who they are, then my passion for blue and white porcelain will not have been in vain."

"Lin Daiyu, Xue Baochai, Wang Xifeng, Li Wan, Yuan Chun, Tan Chun, Xi Chun, Ying Chun, Qiao Jie, Xiang Ling, and Miao Yu."

"One more person is needed."

"Shi Xiangyun".

In fact, it's a waste not to read Dream of the Red Chamber in China. You can skip the Book of Songs, but Li Bai, Du Fu, Bai Juyi, and Su Dongpo are also tragedies of Chinese culture. Even older women can only draw inspiration from the last classic. In fact, Cao Zhi's Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River is also acceptable, as are Qu Yuan's Mountain Spirit, Song Yu's Rhapsody on the Lust of Deng Tu Zi, Wang Shifu's Romance of the Western Chamber, Tang Xianzu's Peony Pavilion, and Kong Shangren's Peach Blossom Fan.

"My expectation for literature is that modern people can write some stories about gods and women. Otherwise, it's all stuck in the past, a bit boring, and there's a lack of cultural and artistic innovation."

“You should all follow the example of King Huai of Chu.”

"It was King Xiang of Chu who dreamed of the goddess of Mount Wu."

"Forget about nostalgia or hometown, you should at least have some romantic fantasies about beautiful goddesses and write stories about goddesses. Don't just stay in the works of the ancients. Write some modern love stories about goddesses."

"There are no goddesses now, and if there were, they would be too unrestrained."

"Lu Ban Liu, don't film this part."

"Don't worry, what you're doing now is decadent and vulgar music."

"See? Still unable to break free from the constraints."

"Can we call her a girl? This could be modern, or a big model or a young model."

"Auntie, don't be angry, they're just a little crazy."

"Don't be crazy, young people. You can make some comics, as long as they are original. Otherwise, the world will be full of One Piece, Nobita, Crayon Shin-chan, Detective Conan, etc. Those are all Japanese copyrights. I have encountered copyright issues before, so I gave up some creative work and could only find inspiration in Chinese classics."

"Auntie, I won't disturb your work any longer."

"Not at all, it's not an intrusion. You're all artsy young people, and talking with you can help me find new directions."

Leaving the blue and white porcelain workshop, Lu Ban's artistic inspiration was fully unleashed. Xiao Ji and Xiao Li were naturally lively, though Xiao Li possessed a certain pedantry of a Confucian scholar, a refreshing change in this restless world of desires. They skipped and jumped through the quaint alleyways, their eyes fixed on a plaque that read "Blue and White Porcelain."

“A natural actor needs no guidance; he is born that way. It’s much more elegant than you playing Zhu Yingtai or Dong Shi. He’s a true gentleman.”

It turns out that although Xiao Li's photography studio was somewhat famous, its equipment limitations hindered its wedding photography business, resulting in a meager income. Perhaps it was Lu Ban Liu's suggestion that led him to explore advertising, but Xiao Li's funds were too limited to purchase expensive high-end photography equipment. However, the local police station often hired him to shoot documentaries, which was a significant source of income for him. This time, Song Yu sponsored his travel expenses and paid him an additional salary for the field trip.

Little Li boarded the train in Tai'an; I wonder if he'd read Confucius's saying, "Ascending Mount Tai, one sees the world as small." Mount Tai is the foremost of the Five Sacred Mountains, and emperors throughout history considered it an honor to ascend it for the Fengshan ceremony. Therefore, stones from Mount Tai are incredibly precious, just as Taihu stones are indispensable in gardens. Kunlun stones were often reserved for imperial use; according to etiquette, even generals and princes were not entitled to them. Like Mount Tai stones, the kaolin used extensively in the past has become increasingly precious for making blue-and-white porcelain. It's like this! Moutai and Wuliangye liquors can only be made with local water. The Japanese could steal the cloisonné enamel technique, but they could never brew Moutai and Wuliangye, because water cannot be stolen. The water in the dragon vein well in the noble mansion of Beijing is similarly remarkable; a single bucket costs over ten thousand yuan because the well water is living water from the dragon vein, ten thousand times purer than the spring water of Changbai Mountain.

The preciousness of blue and white porcelain is just like that, not only due to historical and cultural factors, but also because only the kaolin clay from Yaoli can be used to make the most civilized blue and white porcelain in the world.

Xu Xiake gave up his pursuit of fame and officialdom to create the historically significant travelogue, Xu Xiake Travelogue; similarly, Li Shizhen found hope amidst despair.

They sat in a Jinbei van, speechless. The historical and cultural significance of blue and white porcelain seemed to calm them; its beauty had deeply moved them. The hardships of life that had weighed on Xiao Ji's shoulders seemed to have faded considerably. He used his camera to capture his perception of the world. Song Yu, too, was filled with anguish; it was all a dream. The pain of unrequited love had led him to find solace in the world of blue and white porcelain.

It's late autumn in Beijing now, and you can feel the chill in the autumn wind. But in this world of blue and white porcelain, everything seems to be reviving, with spring flowers blooming. I wonder if you've heard the scene in *The Peony Pavilion* where Chunxiang and her mistress are longing for spring in the Xiuse Garden, "Spring, oh spring, oh spring." The bamboo grove and lotus pond in Zizhuyuan Park are famous. This garden, once the domain of a Ming Dynasty minister, is now just the ruins of Shuanglin Temple. If you want to appreciate bamboo in the heart of the capital, you must go to an ancient Zen temple that's a thousand years old. Bamboo is inherently elegant and pure; any bamboo grove that flourishes must be a place of auspicious geomancy, as Guo Pu described. The bamboo grove at Hongluo Temple is comparable to that of Zizhuyuan Park.

Now, on both sides of the road stretches an endless sea of ​​bamboo forests, the verdant bamboos swaying in the wind like undulating, boundless waves. A Jinbei van bumps along the rugged dirt road winding through the valley. Zhang Sheng thinks, how wonderful it would be to live here forever. At least there wouldn't be this desolate, tragic landscape. No matter the changing seasons, this place would remain eternally green. It's a path to liberation; after walking this path, there would be no more worries. The verdant paths, dyed in spring, undulate endlessly, an boundless sea of ​​bamboo. The Manchu princess—was it real or a lie? But Shangri-La is no longer the paradise it once was. Here, amidst the bamboo forests on both sides of the valley, Zhang Sheng recalls Annie's tumultuous love story. The scent of bamboo permeated their spirits and souls through the car windows. The driver fell silent, and the photographers in the car seemed to have stopped snapping photos indiscriminately. Perhaps they had exhausted themselves in Jingdezhen, the hometown of blue and white porcelain, where the world was filled with lush green bamboo leaves swaying gently in the wind.

They seem somewhat like the lines from the Book of Songs: "Look at the bend of the Qi River, the green bamboos are luxuriant. Look at the bend of the Qi River, the green bamboos are verdant. Look at the bend of the Qi River, the green bamboos are like a mat."

How wonderful it would be to be on a boat, with lush bamboo groves lining both sides of the river—it would be like a scene from a poem, a painting, or a calligraphy scroll. Su Shi was skilled at depicting bamboo. Little Li mentioned he'd just seen someone selling replica guns, and Lu Ban Liu jokingly remarked that replica guns are sold everywhere online now. Jiangxi is a land of talented scholars and outstanding figures, with countless historical figures. Wang Bo, Wang Anshi, and the modern historian Chen Yinque—Song Yu even wondered if he could see the corpse-driving masters of western Hunan.

Jiangxi has produced many Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), Hanlin scholars, and Zhuangyuan (top scholars in the imperial examinations) throughout the history of the Ming Dynasty. Song Yu's mood improved considerably. He had been having dreams lately, and it seemed that almost everyone dreams at some point in their lives. Zhang Sheng had no choice but to advise Song Yu to read Laozi and Zhuangzi's Butterfly Dream.

Dreams are merely the release of sleep when the objective world mistakenly enters the subjective world; neither truly real nor false, a world of truth and illusion, dreams are the best form of therapy. Song Yu said Zhang Sheng would be best suited to be his hypnotist, otherwise he wouldn't even easily enter a dream. It's strange, really; traveling from Beijing to here to admire the beautiful scenery, I still prefer the feeling of traveling by train, allowing me to better connect with the local atmosphere. When Zhang Sheng asked Song Yu what the difference was between this place and the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River with its misty rain, he said, "The sound of monkeys echoes in the bamboo groves on both banks." When asked whether it was "echoes" or "cries," the driver laughed. Little Li said, "Forget about ancient poetry; using cameras is what you all excel at."

Lu Ban Liu then told Xiao Li that his on-screen performance was too stiff, "I'm not stiff at all."

“I didn’t say you were rigid, but that you need to capture the spirit of nature. Poets can do that with the condensation of language, but we need to use the spirit of images to express the subjective artistic existence of the objective world.”

This is Lu Ban Liu Mingbai's understanding of the philosophical concept of beauty. "Alas, alas, alas."

"What are you doing again?"

"I said, could you capture something using Nietzsche?"

"I dare not say that Nietzsche was an artist who played with classical Greek mythology. We can't come here looking for the sun god and Dionysus from Metamorphosis, can we?"

"No, just the few of us, we'll entertain ourselves for three days."

"No, you'll need a guide."

"Male and female?"

"Of course it's the female guide, the local guide. She explains things to almost all the tourists. She's very experienced and has a good understanding of the local culture and history."

"I can rest assured that."

"Who's such a scoundrel?"

"Little Ji, Little Ji, doesn't have a girlfriend."

"Do you guys have girlfriends? Don't just talk about me."

Now everyone's mind is filled with thoughts of the female tour guide, leading them through the bamboo forest to the beautiful sacred land of Yaoli. The kaolin clay here, a rare metal unique to China, was used to create the famous blue and white porcelain, which was transported to Europe via sea routes. Only European royalty and nobility were entitled to enjoy this porcelain. Just as Apple plunders the world's silver and gold, Europe's silver and gold were looted from the Americas, and the gold and silver of the Maya. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, China's wealth was built solely on blue and white porcelain, silk, tea, silver, and gold. Chinese blue and white porcelain art was renowned worldwide during the Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties. Of course, the Yuan Empire primarily swept across Eurasia with its iron cavalry, and Genghis Khan's descendants divided up the European continent. Kublai Khan established Beijing as the Yuan capital, and Central Asia became a branch of his empire.

They arrived at Yaoli Ancient Town not too late, and after settling into their rooms, they didn't rest at the hotel but immediately went out to gather inspiration. Anything that could evoke a sense of transcendence in their minds was considered a source of poetic inspiration.

Modern people have long lost their ability to comprehend poetics. Works like *Wenxin Diaolong*, *Guwen Guanzhi*, *Renjian Cihua*, and *Shipin* are no longer as popular. Instead, the poetics of Aristotle, Plato's disciple from ancient Greece, are more beloved by contemporary Chinese.

Zhang Sheng always felt that Shangri-La, as described by British writers, at least retained the spirit of Chinese poetry.