秋华 Early autumn on my trail 一场雨，秋就悄悄地走远了, 好像还没到鼎盛，就凋谢了, 不过秋还是带来很多野趣。每星期都要爬上爬下的小径早已被枯叶点缀着，雨后散发出只属于它的香。都说秋是生命的最后季节，但这里气候温和，一场雨后，路边的小草便油油地吐出新绿来，湿漉漉的带着露珠，好像早春似的，给人一种幻觉，让你忍不住要把它的清新吸如肺腑。在小径上能看见各种各样的树的果实，秋天的小野花，还有凋零的叶子，红的，黄的，棕色的... 兔子，松鼠，小鸟，鹿是常见的朋友，还见过一条长长的蛇... 挺有趣的，都收在影集里了... 松鼠和小鸟的照片还要耐心等等，每次我的相机一对准他们，就给惊跑吓飞了。
秋实 Autumn fruits on my trail The weather in my area is mild, it's in late autumn now. Season's change is amazing, although we don't have a sea of spectacular red and yellow in autumn here, I do see colorful changes, autumn flowers and tree fruits... on my trails there are plenty of interesting things that make my hiking very enjoyable and I collected some of them here, including a snake hope you enjoy as much as I do.
林语堂出生于基督教家庭，接受西方教育，但通晓国学，他翻译的老子，孔子，庄子已成为经典。他对中西方文化的差异有着深刻而细致的观察，能以恬淡的笔调，不太复杂的英语讲述中国的故事和哲理。他的《京华烟云》原作是英文，叫MOMENT in PEKING, 最近我终于找到了此书的英文原版。 林语堂在75年曾因此书获诺贝尔文学奖提名。
Thinking of autumn in Beijing when writing my last post, I remembered Lin Yutang's historical novel Moment in Peking. Although I have read the book in Chinese I couldn't find its English version until now. Lin wrote Moment in Peking in English originally for American readers in 1938 (it was translated into Chinese later by others), and he was nominated for Nobel Literature Prize for this book in 1975. Lin Yutang was not only a writer but also a sinologist, his translations of Laozi, Confucius and Zhuangzi have become classical in the west. There are many interesting things about his life and his works, but this is how he started Moment in Peking:
What is a novel but "a little talk," as the name hsiaoshu (i.e. 小说, xiaoshuo) implies? So, reader, listen to this little talk awhile when you have nothing better to do. This novel is neither an apology for contemporary Chinese life nor an exposé of it, as so many recent Chinese "dark curtain" novels purport to be. It is neither a glorification of the old way of life nor a defense of the new. It is merely a story of how men and women in the contemporary era grow up and learn to live with one another, how they love and hate and quarrel and forgive and suffer and enjoy, how certain habits of living and ways of thinking are formed, and how, above all, they adjust themselves to the circumstances in this earthly life where men strive but the gods rule. - L. Y. T.
That's the preface Lin Yutang wrote for Moment in Peking, following it Time magazine had an introduction article about the book in 1939, titled Big "Little Talk" -- An Introduction of Lin Yutang's Book MOMENT IN PEKING. Here I copied the article and added a few pictures from a Chinese TV series based on the book, plus links to the book.
北京 香山 秋 Autumn on Fragrant Hills, Beijing Nature is very much in Chinese philosophies, religions and literature, in Chinese life and culture. Chinese have special words for enjoying and appreciating different seasons. For example, 踏青， meaning stepping on tender grasses in early spring; 赏秋， meaning appreciating autumn etc., enjoying nature is also often accompanied by ancient poems or stories.
Since many ancient religious temples were built in beautiful seclusive mountains or areas, some have become cultural heritage sites, visiting these sites is often part of enjoying nature. Imagine yourself in the picture above, how beautiful and humble you would feel when quietly walking up the steps under the old trees. Chinese often call nature 大自然， meaning GREAT NATURE, reminding us that nature is much larger than the lives of human being.
This is not a war movie but a history drama, about the War of Liberation and the founding of The People's Republic of China, "with the best cinema technology in China and the best Chinese actors/actresses including those from Hong Kong" according to the media. It has been released in mainland China, will be released in Hong Kong on Oct. 1, and may be in Taiwan in Oct. It will also be released internationally with English subtitle. For those who are unfamiliar with modern Chinese history this movie will be a good introduction, for those familiar with Chinese history of 1945-1949 he/she would find it fascinating because every story in this film has a true story behind in history. Here is a trailer:
hope you enjoy as much as I do. 
WIDGETIZE