Grand Canal, Great River: The Travel Diary of a Twelfth-Century Chinese Poet hbk

Grand Canal, Great River: The Travel Diary of a Twelfth-Century Chinese Poet.Translated with a commentary by Philip WatsonBrand new, unread book.In July 1170, a Chinese poet, politician and historian made a journey from east to west China. Lu You (pronounced 'loo yo') kept a daily record of his experiences: the people he met, the unfolding landscape and the famous historical sites he visited. What emerges is a detailed panorama of 12th-century China, an exotic mixture of travelogue, literature and politics.This new modern translation by Philip Watson of the whole of the diary makes the entirety of this fascinating work of literature accessible to the general reader for the first time, and his detailed commentary fills in all the essential background information. The journey, first via the Grand Canal and then up the Yangzi River, takes three months. As a highly educated person (necessary to pass the exam to become an official), the author includes a vast number of literary references and allusions in the text describing a profusion of temples and galleries and viewing points.Reviewers have commented that the translated text would be almost totally inaccessible without the notes of the translator interspersed with the original text. The detail contained in the travelogue is impressive in reinforcing the sense of continuous high culture in China over millennia. Contemporary paintings and other artworks, together with photographs of the places described, complete this beautifully produced book, which brings the world of Lu You dramatically to life.