This anthology of modern Chinese poetry takes you on a breathtaking journey along China's Yellow and Yangtze Rivers-the nation's vital arteries and ancient dragon symbols-from their origin in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to Bohai and East China Sea. Along the way, you will meet poets from the riverbanks, including major figures like Bei Dao, Jidimajia, Xi Chuan, Yu Jian, Zhai Yongming, Mo Fei, Huang Fan, and exciting new voices from Tibet, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, Yunnan, Sichuan, and the river deltas. In their work, these poets sing their sorrows and joys, sharing their profound passion for life. By the journey's end, you will understand why this civilization has endured as long as the rivers, stood as tall as the Himalayas, and created poetry as beautiful as a painting. Wang Ping was born in Shanghai, graduated from Beijing University before moving to the United States in 1985, and earned her PhD in Comparative Literature from NYU. In 1988, she began writing and translating poetry with Allen Ginsberg, Gary Snyder, Ron Padgett, Ann Waldman, Lewis Warsh, and other American poets. She is the author of fifteen award-winning books of poetry, prose, and translation. Since 1998, she has traveled along China's dragon rivers, meeting local poets, translating their work, and photographing the water and land.

The poems and photographs in this anthology are a living history of China, captured over these transformative years. The introduction is co-authored by Gary Snyder and Wang Ping.