Travel, Nature, and Life Consciousness: On Three Poems by Guofang Zhu

Abstract

This article examines three poems written by Guofang Zhu during his travels at the age of twenty-six: In Sertar, Hokkaido, and Lake Baikal. Focusing on geographical landscapes, existential consciousness, and emotional experience, it explores how the poems employ the religious imagery of Sertar, the tranquil scenery of Hokkaido, and the primal natural world of Lake Baikal. Together, the poems trace the poet’s movement from reflections on death, love, and time toward an affirmation of present life and nature’s essential truth. Through concise language, rich natural imagery, and fairy-tale-like imagination, Zhu creates a poetic space of resonance between humanity and nature, revealing a spiritual quest and existential meditation informed by the Chinese ideal of the unity of Heaven and humanity.