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🇰🇷 South Korea /Health & Science

Scientist's treetop research wins Taiwan's top literary prize

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • Scientist Lan Yun-xiang won Taiwan's prestigious Golden Prize for Literature for her book "Traveling the Treetops," detailing her two decades of research in forest canopies.
  • The book chronicles her experiences climbing trees, observing forest ecosystems, and understanding the interconnectedness of life from a unique, elevated perspective.
  • Her work emphasizes how observing from above leads to a deeper appreciation of the ground-level ecosystem and the cycles of life and death within a forest.

For two decades, scientist Lan Yun-xiang has ascended into the canopies of Taiwan's forests, not merely climbing trees but immersing herself in the very climate and terrain they inhabit. Her unique perspective, gained from suspended ropes amidst ancient cypress trees, allows her to read the forest's intricate life from a vantage point few ever experience.

If you can climb a tree, you can do anything!

— Lan Yun-xiangExpressing her initial enthusiasm and the transformative power of climbing trees for her research.

This profound connection with the arboreal world has now earned her Taiwan's highest literary honor, the Golden Prize for Literature, for her book "Traveling the Treetops." The award celebrates her "unique life experience" documented through rigorous fieldwork and academic study. Lan's journey began unexpectedly in 2005 when a chance encounter led her to her first climb, initiating a 20-year quest to understand the forest's upper reaches.

Her research involves meticulous observation, from collecting needles of Taiwan red cypress to analyzing the age, carbon, and nutrient content of leaves. By repeatedly visiting the same branches, she developed a deep, embodied understanding of a single tree. This intimate knowledge expanded when she studied in Oregon, where she encountered relatives of the Taiwan red cypress, broadening her perspective to encompass glacial periods, coastlines, and the evolutionary adaptations of trees across vast distances.

the neck of a tree that has lived and breathed for hundreds of years

— Lan Yun-xiangDescribing her deep physical and emotional connection with ancient trees.

"Traveling the Treetops" is more than a scientific account; it's a record of learning to observe deeply and return with new insights. Lan describes the exhilaration of "tree surfing" and the profound connection felt when embracing "the neck of a tree that has lived and breathed for hundreds of years." Yet, her elevated viewpoint also reveals the forest's vulnerabilities, such as the "screams of trees" after typhoons and the slow work of fungi decomposing fallen giants, making way for new life.

the screams of trees after a typhoon

— Lan Yun-xiangIllustrating the vulnerability and dramatic events that trees endure.

Ultimately, Lan's elevated perspective leads her to a deeper understanding of the ground below. She realizes that in her pursuit of the canopy's secrets, she had overlooked the forest floor's intricate ecology. It is only upon returning to the ground, after experiencing the cycles of life, death, and renewal from above, that she can truly appreciate the forest anew. This slow, almost imperceptible process, akin to the formation of tree rings within her own being, reshapes her perception of the mountains she calls home.

It is only upon returning to the ground, after experiencing the cycles of life, death, and renewal from above, that she can truly appreciate the forest anew.

— Perspective on Lan Yun-xiang's workSummarizing the core insight gained from her elevated research perspective.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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