Qing Qing's Island, Island Records, Alaska, Alaska, Slow Train, Wilds, The Road Home

This is not a record of daring adventures. Instead, it is how I, an ordinary person, perceive and sense this world through the eyes of my soul. It is precisely because our perceptions differ, and because each person lives their life in their own way, that words become so important. In this vibrant and brilliant world, transforming personal experiences into words allows them to transcend the individual, becoming a genuine reflection of the world, inviting other lives to participate. This is the meaning behind my writing of the Island Records. ⛰️ Why Alaska? Ask Naoki Miyazawa, ask Christopher McCandless (the subject of "Into the Wild"), why Alaska? Because, it's Alaska! I completely understand why Christopher viewed Alaska as the endpoint of his journey of pursuit. Because, in the wilderness of Alaska, life is simply life; humans are simply humans. He wasn't a top university student, not Christopher McCandless. Standing alone there, he was merely a tiny life existing on a vast land. In Alaska, there, all existence is pure. In that wilderness, no life is born to serve anything. Every life is born purely; lives purely; exists purely; dies purely. After Earth entered the so-called "Anthropocene," how could one not be moved by seeing such purity? Among all the wilderness I have ever reached, Alaska possesses the most spiritual essence. This is because human intrusion is highly limited here. The climate, terrain, and wildlife... have always only touched the periphery of the wilderness, and I have never truly stepped into it. Here, I feel a primal fear that threatens survival. And this is precisely what makes the land of Alaska most precious. Since the first Island Record was published, we have now reached the sixth volume. This spans a decade in time, and my thoughts and reflections on the world have naturally evolved with age... Yet, the one thing that has remained unchanged is that our planet is always vast and brilliant. This is not a record of adventure, but how I, an ordinary person, perceive and sense this world through the eyes of my soul. Thank you, readers, for accompanying me on this playful journey to various corners of this blue planet. This time, I present to you Alaska – distant and solitary, yet incredibly gentle. I hope you enjoy it. ⛰️ The Island Records reach their sixth volume. This time, I have arrived in faraway Alaska. With my bag on my back, taking the slow train, venturing into the wilderness, I finally found the winding road home in my heart. Presenting to you the scenery of the distant Great North. ⛰️ Alaska Alaska Wilds, Slow Train, The Road Home 61°8'31"N 149°52'49"W The land of midnight sun The last frontier An Appointment with the Wilderness Vast silence envelops the night, cold winds sway the spruce branches, a grizzly bear ambles through a deserted valley. The Yukon River flows towards the horizon, moose drink by the riverbank, their large antlers reflecting the starlight. The aurora returns to the north, illuminating the deepest corner of the wilderness. The ancient earth cradles rolling mountains, the first snow of autumn quietly falls on the peaks, smoothing the tracks of all beings and officially announcing the arrival of the season of silent rule. "Reindeer traverse under the curtain of the polar night..." Thousands of kilometers away, on a subtropical island, a child opens a book at a desk. The words seem to open another dimension for him, gradually constructing a world beyond civilization in his warm, comfortable room, word by word—that distant, desolate, and wild Great North, named "Alaska." "Alaska, Alaska..." He finds the place name beautiful, so beautiful. The child murmurs the words, as if chanting an ancient spell. In the Alaskan wilderness constructed by words, the primal purity of life reveals to his soul a soul-stirring, wild beauty he has never experienced... As the child closes the book, he silently makes a decision in his heart—"One day, I too will reach that wilderness." Yes, the wilderness is calling. One day, I will keep my appointment with the wilderness. ⛰️ From the day we arrive on the planet And blinking step into the sun There's more to see than can ever be seen More to do than can ever be done There's far too much to take in here More to find than can ever be found ——《Circle of Life》 Yes, every time we journey afar, what the soul feels is like the first moment of stepping into the sunlight after birth. Because of the sunrises and sunsets; because of the tides; Because the mountains are there; because the waves ceaselessly roar. Because the wilderness is boundless. To be human is to want to cross desolate lands, to see what the ends of the world look like. This is as natural as can be. ⛰️ "Yes, perfection is not a sunny day, nor a rainy day. Perfection is not when everything is in its expected place. True perfection is when I feel it is perfect, then it is perfect." / Table of Contents: An Appointment with the Wilderness The Homeland of the Soul One Day, It Is Today – First Arrival in Alaska The Polar Express Denali Journal Fairbanks Journal Karen's List Anchorage Journal Postscript: The Scenery Along the Way is a Gift for a Lifetime Postscript: "Want to go to Alaska together?" Connection with the Distant – My Alaska Reading List Appendix: Two Months Later, I Went to Egypt Final Chapter: What Kind of Life Do You Want to Live? / Alaska: Slow Train, Wilds, The Road Home 144 pages Made in Taiwan Price: NT$400