Travels and Revelations

Travels and Revelations: 23 Essays by Zhang Chengzhi is about cultures which the author knows intimately. With sophisticated sensibility, he describes the tangible cultures of Beijing, Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Ningxia and Xinjiang in recent decades – the landscapes and cityscapes, the roads and waterways, the rural and urban dwellings, the working and living habits, and the outstanding symbols and totems. 

Like a traveller pausing before stunning scenery – the Mongolian grasslands, the yellow-earth plateaus, the Yellow River’s mighty gorges – he reflects on the intangible cultures that have made the Han, the Hui, the Mongolian and the Uyghur peoples who they are, and contemplates on their language usages, socio-political dilemmas, philosophical traditions, beliefs and biases and their religious aspirations.

These essays show how deeply Zhang Chengzhi understands modern China’s painful evolution through war and revolution and how deeply he is attached to his Hui–Muslim roots. They also show his broad knowledge of cultures transmitted across Eurasia, manifested in the muqam, the flamenco, and the Madâyah. Above all, by addressing the issue about Japan and by denouncing unrighteous hegemonism and voicing sympathy for the weak and oppressed in occupied Palestine, they reflect his intellectual integrity which Chinese readers highly value.

Zhang Chengzhi (張承志), a Chinese writer living in Beijing, has authored nine novels and over twelve anthologies of literary essays. 

Diana Yue (余丹) is an honorary associate professor in the School of Chinese at the University of Hong Kong. Her translation works include Xi Xi’s Flying Carpet: A Tale of Fertillia (Hong Kong University Press, 2000) and Wei Liangfu, Wang Jide, Shen Chongsui, Xu Dachun: Theories of Kun Qu Singing (Oxford University Press, Hong Kong, 2005).

‘This fine collection of essays by Zhang Chengzhi brings to the English reader not only keen observations of Muslim culture in China, but also soul-searching reflections on universal themes of humanity: family and friendship, faith and sacrifice, the sorrows of separation, and the gulf between the self and the other.’

—Thomas Hun-tak Lee, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

‘This collection marks the first English translation of Zhang Chengzhi’s essays, featuring 23 thoughtfully selected pieces that are both unique and representative. It captures Zhang's personal experiences and profound reflections on life and culture. Known for its emotional depth, intellectual rigor and distinctive voice, Zhang’s writing prompts readers to reconsider their own beliefs and experiences.’

—Geng Song, The University of Hong Kong