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Title details for South of the Clouds by Bill Porter - Available

South of the Clouds

by Bill Porter
ebook
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While flipping through the atlas of Chang Ch'i–yun, one of China's most famous geographers, distinguished translator Bill Porter (Red Pine) developed a curiosity about the southwestern province of China. Dubbed Yun–nan, "South of the Clouds," this was the last area modern China to come under Chinese control. Originally conquered by the Mongols and eventually introduced to foreigners as a vibrant setting for trade, Yun–nan became a critical crossroad connecting East and West.
In 1992, Porter left his home in Hong Kong to tour the small towns and major cities of Yun–nan, studying each of their local cultures and larger impacts on the trajectory of Chinese history. Here, he shares his encyclopedic knowledge of the nation's beautiful legacy while introducing new insight about the province's landscapes, people, and recent state of affairs. He visited Bulang Mountain, where the local people had no written language of their own, so they sent their children to live as monks in nearby Tai temples to learn Tai script. He saw women in Lijiang who wore traditional sheepskin jackets that bore seven frogeyes without clear explanation. In Dali, a small town turned urban center, he recalls a massive museum built to show off the city's new wealth, only to have half of its halls left empty and unvisited.
The first of a series of three China travel memoirs to be published by Soft Skull, Bill Porter's book tells the incredible story of a spread of land with a thousand years of human history. His remarkable insight and unparalleled understanding of China place this book at the forefront of East Asian travel literature.
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Publisher: Catapult

Kindle Book

  • Release date: November 1, 2015

OverDrive Read

  • ISBN: 9781619026667
  • File size: 25295 KB
  • Release date: November 1, 2015

EPUB ebook

  • ISBN: 9781619026667
  • File size: 25295 KB
  • Release date: November 1, 2015
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Kindle Book
OverDrive Read
EPUB ebook

subjects

Travel Nonfiction

Languages

English

While flipping through the atlas of Chang Ch'i–yun, one of China's most famous geographers, distinguished translator Bill Porter (Red Pine) developed a curiosity about the southwestern province of China. Dubbed Yun–nan, "South of the Clouds," this was the last area modern China to come under Chinese control. Originally conquered by the Mongols and eventually introduced to foreigners as a vibrant setting for trade, Yun–nan became a critical crossroad connecting East and West.
In 1992, Porter left his home in Hong Kong to tour the small towns and major cities of Yun–nan, studying each of their local cultures and larger impacts on the trajectory of Chinese history. Here, he shares his encyclopedic knowledge of the nation's beautiful legacy while introducing new insight about the province's landscapes, people, and recent state of affairs. He visited Bulang Mountain, where the local people had no written language of their own, so they sent their children to live as monks in nearby Tai temples to learn Tai script. He saw women in Lijiang who wore traditional sheepskin jackets that bore seven frogeyes without clear explanation. In Dali, a small town turned urban center, he recalls a massive museum built to show off the city's new wealth, only to have half of its halls left empty and unvisited.
The first of a series of three China travel memoirs to be published by Soft Skull, Bill Porter's book tells the incredible story of a spread of land with a thousand years of human history. His remarkable insight and unparalleled understanding of China place this book at the forefront of East Asian travel literature.
Expand title description text
Travel Nonfiction
  • Details

    Publisher:
    Catapult

    Kindle Book
    Release date: November 1, 2015

    OverDrive Read
    ISBN: 9781619026667
    File size: 25295 KB
    Release date: November 1, 2015

    EPUB ebook
    ISBN: 9781619026667
    File size: 25295 KB
    Release date: November 1, 2015

  • Creators
  • Formats
    Kindle Book
    OverDrive Read
    EPUB ebook
  • Languages
    English
  • Reviews
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