Parisians Go to the Countryside

Text and images by Chen Chi-Hsiang. Going to the countryside implies living in a metropolis; if you live in the countryside, there is no need to "go" there, only to go up to the city. Living in Nantou, Taiwan, or in a garden city, removes the meaning of "going to the countryside," leaving only going up mountains or down to sea. Thus, "going to the countryside" is a relative term. Since I have returned to Paris, leaving Paris means going to the provinces or to the countryside. So, taking a flight is traveling, but when I return from Taiwan to Paris, is that also travel? Today, going out is called traveling, returning home or to one’s hometown is traveling, and going to the countryside is certainly so too.

It has been exactly one week since my return to Paris. At a friend’s invitation, on Sunday I accompanied him to transport items to his country house. It was rare to walk through the French countryside in this spring when the earth awakens and all things renew. Driving south from Paris onto the highway, leaving the city behind, a broad view opened up before me. Finally seeing the distant horizon, stretching infinitely, are patches of emerald pastoral landscapes. This winter was particularly long (it is still very cold morning and evening, with large temperature differences between day and night); most forests are still in hibernation dreams. The treetops are full of energy, buds ready to bloom, some subtly revealing delicate emerald leaves. Natural life slowly unfolds at the end of winter.

Arriving again in the Yonne countryside, vast emerald wheat fields stretch out one after another, dancing along with the rolling hills. In front of us, small villages are dotted with rows of blooming, bewitching cherry blossoms and emerald shrubs. Lawns are covered with small wildflowers full of natural vitality. On the distant emerald hills, rows of colorful and brilliant cherry blossom fields create a kaleidoscope of changes within the forest. Spring plays in unison the most beautiful and majestic symphony of nature, unfolding the earth's infinite energy. It is too beautiful to describe, conveyed entirely in silence. Going to the countryside breathes in a joyful spring atmosphere and energy, awakening the sleeping body and mind, experiencing seasonal consciousness, and praising life amidst the renewal of all things.