Rating: 
Summary: Road to . . . another road!
Review: Bill Porter is all talk and walk. We are glad he had so much fun hiking around China - it is something not many of us get the opportunity to do. We are glad he found a purpose for his wandering - most people know that purposeless wandering can cause a miriad of emotional and mental diseases. We are glad he takes an interest in the lives of those singular people who live in solitude in an environment that is politically, physically, mentally and spiritually challenging. However, Porter seems to be the kind of person who is the first to arrive for a party and the last to leave - he is the dreaded one who spends the entire party boring the other guests to near-mortification with endless stories that somehow all have a common thread - himself!! Please, Bill, keep walking! You need a few more roads under your belt before you will get the true essence of what these hermits are living for into your heart. Now the essence is lost in the crowded vault of your brain, which is too full of words, events, and ego to catch and communicate the subtlty of these lives. We want to know more about the fascinating hermits, and less about your rather predictable cogitations while you walk the roads to their huts.
Rating: 
Summary: Uniquely Beautiful and Insightful...
Review: Bill Porter's account of his forays in the mountains of China is simply wonderful. It is a perfect blend of travelogue, local history, and interviews with hermits of the region (who are making a comeback in numbers after the Cultural Revolution). If you are looking for this sort of blend, rather than simply one of these focuses, then this is the book for you. Porter writes with an informed and deep appreciation for his subject. The real jewel of this book, however (and in my own opinion,) is the collection of interviews with people you would only meet if you went there. Hermits tend not to travel. And their insights into the spiritual life are very, very deep--even if they sound simple on the surface. This is *the* book I would take with me if I knew I'd be stranded on a desert island. And I work in a bookstore.
Rating:
Summary: Uniquely Beautiful and Insightful...
Review: Bill Porter's account of his forays in the mountains of China is simply wonderful. It is a perfect blend of travelogue, local history, and interviews with hermits of the region (who are making a comeback in numbers after the Cultural Revolution). If you are looking for this sort of blend, rather than simply one of these focuses, then this is the book for you. Porter writes with an informed and deep appreciation for his subject. The real jewel of this book, however (and in my own opinion,) is the collection of interviews with people you would only meet if you went there. Hermits tend not to travel. And their insights into the spiritual life are very, very deep--even if they sound simple on the surface. This is *the* book I would take with me if I knew I'd be stranded on a desert island. And I work in a bookstore.
Rating:
Summary: Startling and hopeful
Review: Bill Porter,a.k.a. Red Pine is a wonderful tranlator of poetry. His collected songs of Cold mOuntain and Stone House are cherished companions. When I came upon this book, it intrigued me: hermits STILL living in China? Well Red Pine and his friend Steven Johnson go forth into some extraordinary parts of China{including a heavily fortified area near the main nuclear works of China} to find some astonishing people. Some of the temples were still functioning,most had been decimated by Maos cadres during the Cultural revolution. Still the air of hope is there. Old Taoists' lving alone for years upon years,almost completely disassocaited from the turbulence of the past 50 years. Mostly it is a remarkable story of hope,of faith and belief held together through some of the most horrific suffering ever inflicted on a civilization. The cover Photograph , of an aged nun praying is haunting and quite beautiful, as are most of the photos which accompany the text. Bill Porter lets these remakable people do the talking, and does not posture or place himself unduly into the stories{which is refreshing in and of itself} Highly recommneded!
Rating:
Summary: Startling and hopeful
Review: Bill Porter,a.k.a. Red Pine is a wonderful tranlator of poetry. His collected songs of Cold mOuntain and Stone House are cherished companions. When I came upon this book, it intrigued me: hermits STILL living in China? Well Red Pine and his friend Steven Johnson go forth into some extraordinary parts of China{including a heavily fortified area near the main nuclear works of China} to find some astonishing people. Some of the temples were still functioning,most had been decimated by Maos cadres during the Cultural revolution. Still the air of hope is there. Old Taoists' lving alone for years upon years,almost completely disassocaited from the turbulence of the past 50 years. Mostly it is a remarkable story of hope,of faith and belief held together through some of the most horrific suffering ever inflicted on a civilization. The cover Photograph , of an aged nun praying is haunting and quite beautiful, as are most of the photos which accompany the text. Bill Porter lets these remakable people do the talking, and does not posture or place himself unduly into the stories{which is refreshing in and of itself} Highly recommneded!
Rating: 
Summary: Very interesting examination of Chinese hermits
Review: For the most part I found this book to be an excellent rendition of the author's and photographer's trips through China, visiting with Taoist and Buddhist monks. The photographs blend in well with the text, and the two combine to give quite a good sense of the places and the people encountered. My only complaint was that the narrative seemed a bit rushed at time, almost as if the author had a quota of hermits to hook up with in a certain number of days - so no time to hang around. I think an in depth examination of the lives of 2 or 3 hermits might be another approach that could possibly yield more depth, as opposed to the greater breadth of this book. Anyway - a very enjoyable read. I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in religion, China, Buddhism, or Taoism.
Rating:
Summary: Very interesting examination of Chinese hermits
Review: For the most part I found this book to be an excellent rendition of the author's and photographer's trips through China, visiting with Taoist and Buddhist monks. The photographs blend in well with the text, and the two combine to give quite a good sense of the places and the people encountered. My only complaint was that the narrative seemed a bit rushed at time, almost as if the author had a quota of hermits to hook up with in a certain number of days - so no time to hang around. I think an in depth examination of the lives of 2 or 3 hermits might be another approach that could possibly yield more depth, as opposed to the greater breadth of this book. Anyway - a very enjoyable read. I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in religion, China, Buddhism, or Taoism.
Rating:
Summary: A book unlike any other
Review: I read this book over the fall of 2002. I read it very slowly to match the books own pace.I am rereading it now and again find it to be one of the most enjoyable books ever. I love Bill Porter's translations of Stonehouse et al and I think we owe a lot to these guys in Port Townsend and other obscure places for taking the time to share this quiet wabi-sabi stuff with us. In this book Bill ventures into the remote Chung-nan mountains looking for any left-over Buddhist and Taoist hermits from the Cultural revolution of Mao tse tung and he finds a surprisingly resiliant culture indeed. His talks,shared cigars& koolaid teas with the assorted hermits are a delight to hear about. All of us Taoist Zen afficianados wonder if any of these guys suvived and they have. This book was written in the late eighties early ninties however and now I wonder if they still do as many were quite old.
Anyway again all praise to Bill Porter.
Rating:
Summary: A wondeful blend of history, travelogue, Dharma and poetry.
Review: I seem to disagree with the opinions of others here. This is a wonderful book worthy of a rare five star rating. The book achieves a very enjoyable and instructive blend of Buddhist and Toaist dharma mixed with history, fascinating travelogue, and a touch of poetry. I think the interviews are particularly moving and informative. Perhaps it is just my love of retreat, and the fact that I married into the culture and traipsed around the landscape over there years ago, but this is one of the few books in recent years that read just as enjoyably the second time through, and which I plan to read yet again.
Rating: 
Summary: Long winded, yet interesting.
Review: I thought Porter's encounters with the Chinese military and what he found that the Chinese government was doing to Taoist and Confusious temples was interesting. Although he told several tales about the importance of places he went, there seemed to be no general order to where he went, or why! The reader would almost have to be a Chinese history major or have a strong background in the area to fully understand what he was talking about. The topic matter was, however, unique and thought provoking.
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