On Anyi

Shao Yinglan （editor-in-chief）

Jiangxi Science and Technology Publishing House Co.， Ltd.

July 2021

68.00 （CNY）

Situated in the northwestern area of Jiangxi， Anyi County has a very long history and rich cultural heritage， with the phrase “peaceful and righteous” being commonly used to praise it. This book contains seven passages， which are named “Character of Anyi，” “Customs of Anyi，” “Culture of Anyi，” “Scenery of Anyi，” “Glory of Anyi，” “Practices of Anyi，” and “Elegance of Anyi.” Written in prose and in the style of a non-fiction novel， the book not only displays every aspect of Anyi’s history and its geographic specialties， but also records all its development and charm through the years.

Shao Yinglan

As a graduate of the ChineseFaculty of Jiangxi Normal University， Shao Yinglan once served the Anyi County Party committee as a member of the standing committee and the head of the publicity division， among others. Currently， he is a member of the standing committee of the Donghu District Party committee， secretary of the district discipline committee， and chairman of the supervisory committee.

A few years ago， I "had to go to Anyi almost every spring for work. I visited several villages there， namely Guotian， Zhaxia， Laoxia， and Jiangxia.

And it’s only down in the countryside where one can see the best that spring has to offer. Around mid-March every year， before Qingming Festival， the countryside of Anyi， which is located in the south of China， is filled with huge plots of growing rapeseed plants. These plants stick straight out of the ground， thin but resilient and calm; they are stuck firmly to the ground as if they rely solely on the soil and water to breathe. The sun gives this countryside a dazzling yellow sheen and lights up the entire stretch of land， along with every corner of our hearts. That deep yellow color comes from spring itself and is almost ridiculously rich. Looking at the fertile soil， I felt like I was visiting an old friend， as the rapeseed plants were now expressing their most vibrant colors. This gave me a sudden understanding of a line in one of Wang Yangming’s poems， which says， “Flowering rapeseed plants are gold.” This ancient poem uses “gold” as a metaphor to explain the vast number of flowers that bloom from rapeseed plants， making spring a season where gold can be found too. These “golden flowers” also hold within them the life of the countryside.

The winds travel across the vast lands toward the patches of golden flowers. And when it arrives at the flowers， waves start traveling through the plots with a sense of maturity like the waves in the sea. This wind brings with it a sense of nostalgia. Instead of saying the flowers are dancing in the wind， it seems more appropriate to say that it’s the wind that brings the sea of gold， which is thriving， profound， and masking the mess of the world. Carpeting the countryside， the flowers seem to be life itself waving at us， getting us to go over and relive our memories. Every petal makes its own soft sound， while the flowers themselves depict spring with their colors. Quiet down and listen intently to the voices of the countryside.

Everyone has a bright and vast stretch of rapeseed plants in our hearts， which hides our childish memories， and there is a secret path in the plants that can lead us to our past. Walking down the path， we see those memories， like the time we fell in love and the songs we used to listen to. It’s like reliving our childhood in a dream， where we can meet ourselves and our mothers working in the field. This field of gold transcends time， as one can only think of running freely while in it. Freedom is very important to humans， and to let free with the passing wind and relive the freedom one felt as a child seems to be the only way to be sure that you can still be yourself.

Today， we are all wanderers in cities and love using various types of flowers to decorate our living spaces， of which the rapeseed flower is not one of them. It is only when one revisits the countryside and sees the fields of flowers and bunches of gold altogether that one will realize that the countryside isn’t silent. The soil gives off the fragrance of the flowers while the flowers decorate the earth itself. This beauty is truly magnificent， vast， and mighty. Though many other types of flowers have become pretentious， the rapeseed flower has not， as it is neither a poor man’s flower nor a rich man’s flower and can go anywhere. It is a plant worthy of preserving， as their personalities， like gold， carry the very essence of the countryside. We are not always down in the countryside while they are.

The countryside has its way of loving us， as in the golden shine of spring， we seemed to have entered the heart of the countryside， where the heart of every person returning is beating away. No matter what occupation one has， stepping back here means returning home. The fields of flowers are a representation of that home and can jolt memories of the things we miss. Stepping back home also fills us with the exuberance of knowing that we are finally back after leaving and growing. The countryside is no longer deserted and withered. Instead， it is now a dazzling stage where people can immerse in the joy of reuniting with their loved ones and enjoying spring together. That magnificent and strong beam of yellow， that beam of golden spring， is like a burning hot golden business card from the earth itself， clear for everyone revisiting the countryside to see.

The golden flowers give us a sense of belonging. These flowers are also representative of the Chinese countryside in art and thus carry the meaning of home， with that bright "awakening of color many memories we hold dearly. Many have once grown mentally in one of these vast fields， and thus these fields hold many of our first impressions of the world， such as the perception of color and romance， inspirations of poetry， and love， which we all did not understand back then. This is what spring truly looks like. This is home. Even though we may just be a shadow in the field， never staying for long， the flowers stay and wait for our return.

The golden flowers carry a lot of history and culture; they are the culture and the beauty of our countryside. In recent years， Anyi has begun planting rapeseed plants once again. Those colorful flowers are a vivid vision of a bright future.