In Chinese it is said that to be truly knowledgable, you have to “read ten thousand books and walk ten thousand miles (du wanjuan shu, xing wanli lu 讀萬卷書，行萬里路).” This blog is a part of my own effort to live up to that maxim. It’s not that I feel a particular need to do so, but rather that I always have done so. Reading and travel have always been my greatest pleasures. Reading books is relatively easy to accomplish these days, and my library–electronic and print–bears witness to my obsession. Traveling, however, though far easier than it used to be (even in my lifetime), remains relatively expensive and absolutely time-consuming. I’ve been unable, despite my ever-lengthening years, to even come close to satisfying my ambition to see the world.

One of those unforeseeable turns that life takes has landed me back in Asia–in Chengdu 成都, my favorite Chinese city. Chengdu was the first city I lived in in China, in Asia, or anywhere outside of the U.S. It’s always felt like my second home. I want to take this chance to deepen the writer and traveler in me, and see where he takes me.

Since I wrote the paragraph above, life has taken me on many interesting journeys. The desire to “deepen the writer” in me has grown and evolved in ways I did not foresee–though much of that evolution was anticipated in this blog. As a result, I’m changing the sub-titile of this blog and expanding its purpose. “Ten Thousand Li: A Journal of Travel, Exploration, and Art” will now also serve as a place for me to share some of my own creations–mostly short short stories (flash fiction), snippets of writing, and poetry–and when I am able, the creations of my friends. It has already been serving this purpose, so really, I’m just embracing what I was already doing unawares.

I continue to hope that you will enjoy what you find here. Feel free to contact me through the comments.

Yours,
Stephen