Beautiful color photographs of scholars’ rocks and other Chinese scholars’ objects accompany a series of essays.
What Stood Out
Literally meaning “without action,” [the Daoist doctrine of] wuwei is best interpreted not as doing nothing but rather acting spontaneously, in accordance with one’s nature. A tree for example, was not seen as “trying to grow,” it simply grew because it was natural to do so. Likewise, Song literati attempted to incorporate this quality in both their lives and their aesthetic judgments. (2)
Oddly, this reminds me of Now, Discover Your Strengths, a book that says people should spend more time doing the things they are particularly good at (the things that come naturally).
When and Why I Read It
My husband bought several books by Kemin Hu to learn more about Chinese scholar’s rocks. I’m interested in them, too.
Genre: Non-fiction (Asian history)
Date started / date finished: 9-Aug-16 to 13-Aug-16
Length: 148 pages
ISBN: 9781891640612 (hardcover)
Originally published in: 2011
Amazon link: The Romance of Scholars’ Stones
Related Books
- Modern Chinese Scholars’ Rocks by Kemin Hu
- Spirit Stones by Kemin Hu
- Scholars’ Rocks in Ancient China by Kemin Hu
…and someone is selling scholars’ rocks on Amazon.
