Hermits
In 1989, American author Bill Porter came to Zhongnan Mountains to look for modern Chinese hermits. He discovered that the 2000-year-old hermit tradition is still well-kept, as dozens of monks and nuns continued to lead solitary lives in quiet contemplation of their faith deep in the mountains. 4 years later, he published a book about his travel and discovery. In 2014, Bill Porter revisited Zhongnan Mountains… This documentary reveals the daily lives of Zhongnan hermits. It took the crew 3 years and 14 visits deep into the mountains to accomplish this film. The whole film was shot with prime lens and static camera positions. To avoid dramatic effects, the film has no zooming, no panning, no artificial lighting, no voice-over, no music. It was made as a low-budget film to reveal the simple and peaceful way of the hermit’s life.
An Interview with Bill Porter
A Biography of Entering Mountains
Aug 10
2022
I am delighted to share part one of an interview I recently conducted with author Bill Porter, whose translations appear under the name Red Pine. Bill has been such an important figure on my path through East Asian spiritual practice ever since I started reading his books in my mid-teens. As I’ve become increasingly interested in the craft of writing and translation, I’ve been inspired by his mix of academic rigour, linguistic beauty and how the fruit of practice shines through in his writing. It was a true pleasure having the chance to speak with him.
Our full conversation was too long to include in one piece, so I’ve broken it into three parts. Here in part one, you will find the fascinating story of Bill’s life and work. Having grown up in California and attended graduate school at Columbia, he spent over two decades living in East Asia and travelling extensively throughout China. He has published over 20 books of translation and travel writing, many of which cover classical Chinese poetry and texts related to Chan (Zen) Buddhism. Whilst continuing his translation work, Bill is now also setting up an aesthetically informed, non-denominational meditation centre, similar to the Rothko Chapel in Houston.
You can read part 2 here, and part 3 here.
Bill was born in Los Angeles, in 1943. His father had been a notorious bank robber who spent years in jail after a shootout in which all other members of his gang were killed. After his release, he entered the hotel business, became a multimillionaire and formed close connections with senior Democrat politicians. Although Bill was born into privilege, much of it disappeared after his parents divorced whilst he was young. After finishing high school, he served in the army for three years and took an undergraduate degree in anthropology at UC Santa Barbara. During this time, Bill spent a year abroad at the University of Göttingen in Germany, which is where Frederich Gauss invented the Bell Curve. Bill took a yearlong course in statistics and during this time experienced his first awakening.
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