Ningshan, Shaanxi

Ningshan, nestled within the ecological folds of the southern Qinling Mountains, serves as more than a mere sanctuary for rare species like the Crested Ibis, Giant Panda, and Golden Takin. It is a vibrant convergence point of "non-human intelligence." As a primary cradle of China’s mushroom culture, the local populace has developed a sophisticated system of Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK) through long-term forest practices. Here, the forest is not a geographical barrier or a mere resource bank, but a living network teeming with semiotic exchange and emotional resonance.

From an anthropological perspective, the forest culture of Ningshan vividly responds to the ontological challenge posed by Philippe Descola in Beyond Nature and Culture. Within the experiential world of the Qinling communities, mushrooms and wildlife are not mere "objects," but "multi-species actors" endowed with interiority. The bodily perception of seasonal shifts and the olfactory recognition of fungal growth constitute a dialogue between "naturalism" and "analogism," challenging Western binary traditions and redefining nature as an inherent participant in communal life.

This wisdom of "living with uncertainty" finds a profound resonance in Anna Tsing’s The Mushroom at the End of the World. The mountains of Ningshan are not just sites of production under capitalist logic; they represent the "possibility of life in capitalist ruins" as described by Tsing. Fungal foraging transcends economic exchange; it is a cultural practice involving ecological sensing, intergenerational contracts, and "collaborative survival." Beneath the canopy of the Qinling, people learn to pick up life’s signals within an unpredictable ecosystem—a resilience that serves as a vital reference for humanity in facing global crises.

Furthermore, the theory of "Anthroposemiosis" (beyond-human semiotics) proposed by Eduardo Kohn in How Forests Think provides a philosophical foundation for understanding the interaction between Ningshan’s people and the forest. Through rituals of mountain worship, logging taboos, and the tracking of animal traces, the forest is recognized as a "thinking subject." The forest ceases to be a scrutinized landscape and becomes a thinking system. Through ritual restraint and heightened perception, locals engage in a cross-species dialogue, reflecting a deep respect for the thinking boundaries of non-human life.

This season’s theme, "Echoes of the Forest," aims to guide students into the heart of the Ningshan field sites. Utilizing methods of ethnography, multi-species investigation, and participant observation, we will explore:

• Tracking Non-human Subjectivity: Applying Kohn’s theory to discern how the forest acts as a "thinking subject" in the construction of local social meaning.
• The Cultural Logic of Symbiosis: Drawing on Anna Tsing’s perspective to investigate the survival wisdom behind mushroom foraging and its overflow beyond capitalist logic.
• Translating Ecological Ethics: Within Descola’s framework, rethinking the boundaries between "human and nature" in protected areas to explore a future path that integrates local knowledge with modern conservation.

This is not merely a research trek through the folds of the Qinling Mountains; it is a philosophical meditation on how humanity might rediscover the wisdom of survival within a modern forest where "all things think."