““So what are you trying to do here?†“I’m trying to retreat from the fenza shiwu, the complex affairs of the world.†“And what do you think of all this development all around you? This crazy development in modern China?†“Development is good. We can’t regret development. But too much development damages nature. It is a little extreme at the moment. Certainly there is too much running after money.†“What about computer science? What about electronic information engineering?†“Believing in science is okay. Science is the most natural thing. The only reason we have science is because, thousands of years ago, our ancestors talked about nature.†I ask him about the massive power plant just beside Hua Shan, which to me looks like a monstrosity. “Science is progress. Progress is good. But science cannot depart from metaphysics. If development goes against nature, it is not progress but regress. If you need electricity, then you must build electricity plants. If you don’t need it, and it’s excessive, then it’s not right.†Support for coal-burning power plants. That’s not quite what I was expecting. “So what about modern Chinese people, and their mind-set generally?†“They strive for a modern lifestyle, but they have lost their roots. They should return to simplicity and truth.†Gifford, Rob. China Road (p. 129). Random House Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. Gifford, Rob. China Road (p. 129). Random House Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. Gifford, Rob. China Road (p. 129). Random House Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. ”
