The Classic of Poetry
The Classic of Poetry, also Shijing or Shih-ching, is the oldest existing collection of Chinese poetry, comprising 305 works dating from the 11th to 7th centuries BC. It is one of the "Five Classics" traditionally said to have been compiled by Confucius, and has been studied and memorized by scholars in China and neighboring countries over two millennia. It is also a rich source of chengyu (four-character classical idioms) that are still a part of learned discourse and even everyday language in modern Chinese. Since the Qing dynasty, its rhyme patterns have also been analyzed in the study of Old Chinese phonology.
The content of the Poetry can be divided into two main sections: the "Airs of the States", and the eulogies and hymns. The "Airs of the States" are record the voice of the common people. They often speak of love and courtship, longing for an absent lover, soldiers on campaign, farming and housework, and political satire and protest. On the other hand, songs in the two "Hymns" sections and the "Eulogies" section tend to used in sacrificial rites and songs used by the aristocracy in their sacrificial ceremonies or at banquets.
I was inspired by the romantic feelings of this book, this book shows a kind of living philosophy of ancient Chinese people--how could they get in touch with nature and god.
Tao Te Ching
”Man takes his law from the Earth; the Earth takes its law from Heaven;
Heaven takes its law from the Tao. The law of the Tao is it‘s being what it is“
（“人法地，地法天，天法道，道法自然” ）
The Tao Te Ching, along with the Zhuangzi, is a fundamental text for both philosophical and religious Taoism. It also strongly influenced other schools of Chinese philosophy and religion, including Legalism, Confucianism, and Buddhism, which was largely interpreted through the use of Taoist words and concepts when it was originally introduced to China. Its influence has spread widely outside East Asia and it is among the most translated works in world literature. I reckon this book could represent the common thinking and codes of conduct of most Asians, which may be a resource that I can dive into for a very long time.
The Invention of Nature
The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt's New World is a nonfiction book released in 2015, by the historian Andrea Wulf about the Prussian naturalist, explorer and geographer Alexander von Humboldt. The book follows Humboldt from his early childhood and travels through Europe as a young man to his journey through Latin America and his return to Europe. Wulf makes the case that Humboldt synthesized knowledge from many different fields to form a vision of nature as one interconnected system, that would go on to influence scientists, activists and the public.
Mark Fairnington introduced this book during the studio tour of him, on 21 November 2019. I found it really closed to my project but in different eyesight that I never knew, I am still working on it.
2001：A Space Odyssey (film)
2001: A Space Odyssey is a 1968 epic science fiction film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick. is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential films ever made. In 1991, it was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.
This is where I started to understand the beauty of the cosmos, time, and historical stories. I was touched by human intentions to explore the Outerspace--the unknown things.
The Wandering Earth (film)
The Wandering Earth is a 2019 Chinese science fiction film directed by Frant Gwo, loosely based on the 2000 novella of the same name by multi-award-winning author Liu Cixin. Set in the far future, The Wandering Earth follows a group of astronauts and rescue workers guiding the Earth away from an expanding Sun, while attempting to prevent a collision with Jupiter.
This movie shows a kind of typical ‘Oriental nostalgia’, the earth is dying, but we choose to find another galaxy with the earth rather than just leave it, we look forward to the day when the ice melts and future generations can still see the beautiful cities and Baikal.
Interstellar(film)
I want to discuss the music in the film. For a space science fiction film, the audience may not pay much attention to the music throughout the whole, in fact, the music can help us to construct the impression of the film.
In the case of Interstellar, you can't help but remember Hans Zimmer's masterpiece. Because of the physical nature of the universe, space is silent, and music and sound must be responsible.
The first thing that surprised me was the use of the organ, which changed the way people thought about the organ. The fact that an ancient musical instrument has been adapted into a science-fiction film is one of the highlights of this soundtrack, given Zimmer's bold innovation. The stereotypical sound that accompanies a science fiction film is techno and futuristic electronic music, which breaks with conventional wisdom and, conversely, what better way to represent the larger universe than a pipe organ?
The Holy Mountain(film)
People can only see what they want to see
The powerful point of "Holy Mountain" is not an absurdity, but to show various magical realities of the current society with artistic exaggeration.
What we have been done in the 1970s, why it become alarmingly cautious and timid thing for us now?
The only way to get rid of bitterness and happiness is to drop the pursuit of fame and wealth, to drop the pursuit of all things that can be called by name, to see the fun of their own behaviour, accept their own funny, and then separate themselves from it. Eternal life is the torment of eternal hell when one has not yet got rid of fame and fortune! If we can see through this, joy will naturally grow out of every dull moment of life.
Joy at all times, love without fear, why fear death? How can we pursue eternity? If so, can be far from reversing the dream.
At the end of the film, people can see that this is just a movie, which also makes people understand that the medium itself is also an illusion, a kind of cage. True liberation cannot be achieved by any force, by any form of expression. Movies, words, and all kinds of art are mediums that lead you to yourself. As the alchemist in the film says:
You are excrement. You can change yourself into gold.
