The experience I had at the Ankang Pingli Field Camp in 2019 is something I still bring up often. As a child who grew up at the foot of the Qin Mountains, it was my first time truly pausing to feel and understand the Qin Mountains, its people, plants, folklore, ecology, and livelihoods. During this field camp, the anthropological perspective expanded my senses. It made me pay extra attention to and reflect on nature, to feel the sound of flowing water. It was here that I first plucked tea leaves, kneaded them, and fried them, while listening to locals explain how they turn these plants from the mountains into products that are sold nationwide and even globally. In the evenings, I would sit on swings and discuss our discoveries with classmates and teachers from various places and backgrounds.

These conversations, set against the sound of flowing water, along with the fascinating anthropological theories I learned, still resonate with me today. Whenever I travel to different places, I occasionally think back to the theories and anecdotes I heard there. They help me better understand and feel the world.

Now, when I am surrounded by city life and face electronic screens, I always look forward to the opportunity to once again pause, listen, observe, and touch nature.