Those Known and Unknown Things

YANG Chengwen

I watch thrill movies a lot. The feeling of being sucked into a particular space attracts me every time. I like going deep into that world step by step and verify my guesses or get lost completely. Through these spiritual journeys, I gain the rejoicing when having the same view with the writer, the astonishment of unexpected and the wonder of unknown. The human nature is so charming to me: quiet but wild; sweet but evil; kind but cruel; looking for hope in the darkness but corrupting into mist in the brightness; forget the eternal vow in a flash; walk toward death with happiness…Like an angel falls from heaven, the radiance dissipates, only the solid ring remains. Is it sorrowful, wonderful or even both? I have no answer but guesses.

Years ago, I went to a small town in Xinjiang for inspiration. One day, I decided to put down my brush and took a joy walk down town. There are ten alleys in total, alongside each starts with several residential buildings, then leads to rural farmhouses on the hill. The people live in the buildings like plant flowers on their balconies. Walking down the alley, the blacktop blended into dirt road and patches of corns and sunflowers came into sight. Before I knew it, the madding crowd was already behind me. Then I saw a door blocked the way not far ahead. I thought maybe I reached the end of the road, but couldn't help walking even closer and suddenly a new path which was narrower than one meter appeared at the corner. I kept walking through the path, and the dazzling brightness greeted me not far away. Along with the brightness of sunshine was a vast graveyard. The snow white tombstones were simple but beautiful. Now I nearly reached the top of the hill, still clouds were hanging above the horizon. I kept climbing, and saw a China Mobile routing tower on the higher crest. I should thank it for enable us to contact between distant, but had to commit that its appearance has no sense of beauty at all. Like many tombs, the tower was also surrounded by bricks. I climbed up this artificial slope, felt getting even closer to the sky. The view here was fantastic, I decided to have a rest here, enjoyed the glorious sunshine and soft breeze. Looking back at the houses and graveyard just passed by, I was moved by how harmonious they are with the nature. Not until walking down the slope I realized the slope is pretty steep. I could not stop and started to run. At the beginning, I was scared a little, but then I burst into laugh and let the reasonless happiness drove me all along the way to the place I came. The sunflowers were so dazzling under the back light, with the heroic spirit and blooming like gold. That picture dissipated into dust and spread out in my thought. This moment was so lively, quiet and surprisingly real.