A tree in bloom

This book contains forty-one essays written by Fang Mei between 2001 and 2021, divided into three collections.

The first volume, "A Breeze Passing the County," describes past events, the scenery, and people of the hometown; the second volume, "A Feast for the Children," moves back in time to the author's childhood, describing his family and his upbringing. Both volumes were written in North Borneo, in the author's hometown of Sabah.

In the third volume, “Island Flowing Lights”, time and space have passed, and the author has now migrated to Penang. His writing has also been pulled back from looking back, focusing more on the daily life in reality, writing about the present and the events, and writing about what he has seen and heard, as well as human feelings.

Zhang Jinzhong:

Fang Mei's prose is plain, clear, and uniquely emotional, leaving readers with a lasting impression. Her prose displays a uniquely subtle sentimentality and nostalgia, reflecting on the passing of time with a melancholy rather than a sorrowful one, a sense of loss without exaggeration. Her writing is consistently concise and unrestrained, casual and relaxed, yet profoundly meaningful.

Fangmei

Originally named Xiao Meifang, she is from Sabah, East Malaysia. She holds a Master of Chinese Literature from Nanjing University and works as a marriage registrar and a part-time lecturer at Hanjiang Chuan.

Lecturer in the Chinese Department at the Media University College. Second Vice Chairman of the Northern Malaysia (Penang, Kelapa) Branch of the Malaysian Writers Association, and Honorary Director of the Malaysian Children's Literature Association.

He has written the essay collections "Batik Summer" (1997) and "Listening to the River" (2007), as well as several children's novels.

Preface 01: A chipped cigarette jar and an unchipped ashtray
—— Reading Fangmei Prose Selections ◎ Zhang Jinzhong 6
Preface 02 ∕ Wait until the grass grows and the orioles fly, wait until the flowers bloom ◎ Liu Zheng 10
Preface 03: Earth and Islands, Collision and Fusion
—— Fang Mei writes about North Borneo and Penang ◎ Zhuang Xie 14

Volume 1: A Triumphant Wind Passes the County
01/Blue Sand Waves Afternoon 18
02/My Neighbor Big Bird 20
03/Encounter with the Priestess 23
04/Forgotten Mab 26
05∕Screaming Bridge 28
06∕Big Grass Flower Series 30
07∕Sleeping Plate 34
08∕Explanation of Asclepiadaceae 37
09∕Folded House 43
10/Children who want to fly 45
11/The Night is Still Dark 48
12∕Mata Gaya 52
13∕Sun Tribe 59
14/Gray has been to 63
15/Some books I have read 72
16/The End of the World 75
17/Usurpation and Savagery 81
18∕Let’s hear who says 88
19∕Talk about Wutong 95
20/Missing Person Notice 98
21∕Return from the Abyss 103

Volume 2: The Banquet of the Children
01/My Territory 116
02/Bright Days 119
03∕ Encountering Cicada 130
04/Thinking of Father 136
05/Fuji Years 139
06∕Sibiluo148
07∕Memory Menu 153
08∕Waiting for the Warblers to Fly and the Grass to Grow 158

Volume 3: Island Streamer
01∕Cross-border Curiosity Hunter 166
02/Other People's Nautical Chart 168
03∕Bench on the Bench 171
04∕Bread Bird 173
05∕Watching the Silk Sleeves Flutter in the Wind175
06∕Port Location 178
07∕The So-called Pi Lane 180
08∕Mobile Barber 185
09∕Wash your eyes 187
10/Miscellaneous Talks on Copper Pots 191
11∕Suja Qingxiang 194
12∕The Spectator's Tree 198
13∕There is also music and singing 200
14∕Slender Imagination 204
15∕A Cluster of Strange Flowers 206
16/Eating code 213
17/I dreamed of 219
18∕Life Continues 224
19/Spring Village Tree 232
20∕ Bath Fun 238
21/Cabin Moment 250
22/Listener of Stealing Honey 254

Postscript: Let the flowers bloom and bear fragrant fruits 256

Chronology of Fang Mei 259