When publishing a book, the first one is the most difficult, because the publisher is not sure whether your book will be popular or whether it will make money or lose money.
But for the second book, especially the second one after the book sells well, it is very simple to publish it.
Moreover, unlike online books, travel books are not subject to timeliness, and there are no too stringent reviews. As long as they are submitted for review, they will basically pass.
Even ten or twenty years from now, well-known travel books will be able to sell well.
The most famous one should be Xu Xiake's Travel Notes. It has successfully transformed from a travel note into a literary masterpiece. Even in modern times, many scholars buy it and study it every year.
Chen Xing does not expect his book to reach this point, as long as someone can get help from his book and someone likes it.
After completing the signing of the two books, Chen Xing set off for Suzhou.
The last time he came to Jiangsu was because he wanted to see the ancient towns in the south of the Yangtze River. At that time, he was quite ambitious. Because he had just published a travelogue, he wanted to visit a hundred domestic ancient towns at once and then write a book.
But because there are indeed many reasons for homogeneity in ancient towns nowadays, the travel plan for this hundred-hundred-year-old town is no longer possible after the first twenty, so we can only give up and go back to rest.
Now I am invited by the Chinese Photography Association to give a lecture. It is also in an ancient town called Luzhi and Lunianlu. It is so unknown that most people may not know how to read it.
Luzhi is located in Suzhou and was developed early, around the same time as the birth of Suzhou Ancient Town. It has a history of more than 2,500 years.
At the beginning, this place was not called Luzhi, but Fuli.
In the Qing Dynasty, there was Zhigang on the east side of the ancient town. Three horizontal and three vertical rivers led to six places and merged with the Wusong River. From a high altitude, the river looked very similar to Luzhi, so it was renamed Luzhi.
Chen Xing didn't know much about this place. He only knew that it was a typical ancient town in the south of the Yangtze River, with small bridges and flowing water. The information was all found in the information when he traveled to the south of the Yangtze River.
As soon as he got off the plane, Chen Xing was picked up by people from the association.
The person holding the pick-up sign was a girl in her twenties. She was 1.6 meters tall and wore round-rimmed glasses. She looked very quiet. When she saw Chen Xing coming out of the airport, she started waving the sign.
Of course she knew Chen Xing. With his temperament and height, it would be hard to forget him just once.
Since he was only on a business trip for a few days, Chen Xing didn't even bring a suitcase, so he just carried a bag.
The temperature in Suzhou is similar to that in Chengdu, but the air is a little drier and not so cold. As soon as you step out of the airport, you are greeted by the sun, which gives you a warm feeling on your body.
Chen Xing looked at the big bright light bulb in the sky for a moment, and said with emotion: "It's been a long time since I've been exposed to the sun."
The girl who picked her up at the airport asked: "Teacher Chen is from Sichuan Province, right? Is there no sun in Sichuan Province?"
"Yeah, but it's not none, just a little less."
The Sichuan Basin is a very peculiar place. People all over the country may know how hot it is in summer, and it is famous as one of the top ten furnaces. However, many people may not understand how cold it is in winter.
Because it is a basin and there is a plateau to the west, the clouds and fog in the sky are very heavy, so the sun is basically invisible in winter.
Moreover, the air is still humid. Winter in the north and south is very dry. When the air humidity is only 20 or 30, it is conceivable that the humidity in Chengdu can reach 75.
The quilt is always cold, and thick clothes rarely dry after being washed. Therefore, on sunny days, no matter how lazy and homebound people in Chengdu are, they will still wash their clothes or go out to bask in the sun.
The glasses assistant listened to the story the whole time. She had never been to Sichuan Province and was quite yearning for this place.
"I was also thinking of asking you to introduce some scenic spots. I want to go there in a few days."
"The fun places in Chengdu are all explained clearly on the Internet. Kuanzhai is a commercial street. Just go and see it. If you want to eat or buy some souvenirs, you can find them everywhere on any street..."
Soon we got to the car, and the driver was also listening to Chen Xing.
People who have written travelogues tell the story of a city very clearly, and this is a city that Chen Xing is very familiar with. He has walked to many places in the city just to sweep the streets.
Especially old cities and old communities.
His shooting style makes him dislike buildings that are too modern. He prefers the stories that happen in these old cities, so unless he is out to take pictures of beautiful women, he rarely goes to places that are too commercialized.
After shopping more and meeting more people, he knew more stories about old Chengdu than some people who had lived in Chengdu for decades.
When we arrived in Luzhi, it was just getting dark and it was dinner time in Suzhou, but there were quite a few people greeting him.
There were about ten people, including middle-aged and young people. The leader was a man in his forties or fifties, with a temperament that could tell you that he was a leader. He took Chen Xing's hand and shook it vigorously.
"You are young and you are promising. You are young and you are promising. Teacher Chen has made a name for himself in the international market at such a young age, and has also paved a new way for our new generation of domestic photographers."
"You are too polite. Are you Teacher Liu?"
"Yes, it's me. I'm Liu Hui, the vice chairman of the Suzhou Photography Association and the editor-in-chief of the China Photography Network. I'm very happy that Teacher Chen can come to Suzhou to participate in our training."
He took Chen Xing to the hotel, and many people on the road looked this way.
This is a garden-style hotel, which is consistent with Chen Xing's impression of Jiangnan. Each building is an antique building, and there are various rockeries and flowing water on both sides of the road.
Even if you don’t go outside to take pictures in the ancient town, you can probably take some very good photos just inside this hotel.
On the way, Liu Hui was still introducing the training to Chen Xing.
"This is the twelfth national youth photographers training class. For half a month, we took the students to various places in Suzhou to collect photos, and then invited some famous teachers to give lectures. I am really happy that Teacher Chen can come this time.
"
Not everyone can enter this training class. First, priority is given to training young members of the Chinese Photography Association, followed by recommendations from photography associations in various places and provinces.
More than 60 people were selected from countless photographers across the country to form a half-month training class. It is also a very important qualification after graduation, and it will be easier to find relevant jobs.
Secondly, this is a place to develop connections.
More than 60 excellent photographers can get to know each other. When traveling to various places in the future, they will be able to find local friends, and then they can also get to know many boss-level lecturers.
Take Chen Xing, for example, an international photographer who is usually either abroad or in Chengdu. The whole world is pursuing his photography style, and he is still young, only 23 years old.
This kind of person will probably be an insurmountable mountain in the Chinese photography circle even in five years time.