Five li

The concept of beauty today was defined as “kalon” by the ancient Greeks. Kalon is a virtue that can be measured by the eye of the body and that of the mind. Italian philosopher Umberto Eco once explained that such a concept with a long history entertained and excited the ancient Greeks.

Something beautiful is obviously a good value. If it comes across as a universally beautiful quality to everyone, it becomes a joy of them. However, if only you find it incredibly beautiful, it is a different story. Dazzled fatally, you can never get it out of your mind, completely consumed by thoughts and longings for the beauty, while your obsessions do not let it go even if it is gone actually. If it is the case, you are not content with such a beautiful thing any more. The incredibly beautiful scenery in front of your eyes turns into sorrow and discouragement. We sometimes cry out if we find something painfully beautiful.

This poetry sounds like more of a heartbreaking story than a pleasantly attractive narrative. An unbelievably dazzling place is just five li, or around two kilometers, away. If we go further by five more li and continue by the same distance, we encounter spring. Sceneries of spring look deeply peaceful, distant and beautiful. Pausing and curiously looking at the phrase of a half-moon shaped grave, we keep walking additional five li with the author to meet the last person at the end of the stroll. The mother that we have missed more than spring awaits us. Peach blossoms, yeast scents, hometowns, spring, the sunshine and the mother. It couldn’t be better that everything we can describe good and beautiful is gathered up here. However, ironically, it makes us deeply saddened, which also leads us to appreciate the value of beauty.