rare english review here! reminded me of my trip in the Sichuan mountains last year - cannot imagine how life was like for her if I alrd felt so miserable with the spartan conditions in paid accomodations (though the scenery and company more than made up for it). also the freezing was extremely relatable, though i imagine it would've been much worse for her as (a) it was in spring, i went in summer (b) they weren't rly exerting themselves, so there wouldn't have been much heat to be generated. also at some point i realised why we stayed at a place called 两岔河 - i think its when there's a split in the road so people have to split from there on.
she writes in a vaguely humourous manner though I can't really put my finger on it - there's some parts where she's describing the camels and how they're extremely dumb even now and they will topple over; how 卡西 tries v hard to learn Chinese but still struggles w basic words so it leads to a funny exchange; how she said she shouldn't be too picky in these conditions, then she launches into an extended description of how 卡西 uses the pan they collect cow poop with to make 馕, and she'll watch in horror as the pan isn't even dusted off, or sometimes she will even tap the pan and some dirt comes off and falls into the baking pan. there's a lot of tenderness as well - her recollection of the lamb with the baby in a basket, how she describes Kazakh nomadic culture and how they always share their food, how she comes to realise why things are done a certain way (e.g. why 卡西 is the one herding the sheep while her brother has the arguably easier job of bringing the camels to the next location / why everyone is allocated a certain path to go to the next location, as overuse will damage the paths), 卡西's reunion with her sister.
v heartwarming book of her nomadic life with a Kazakh family, their respect and care for their livestock, the family bonds that tie them, their neighborliness, and the life that sustains them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.