This is an important and special album for Lin Di. Its music purports not history or truth, but invites you into the imagined universe of The Gossypium Era. In that space and time, people live as described in ancient inscriptions. They stroll through landscape paintings indefinitely arrested in time, spontaneously airing out sounds unheard of, spreading rays of the most exquisite and auspicious scents. 棉草纪 The Gossypium Era 1.旱木 Dry Wood 2.裂帛 Torn Silks 3.金石女 The Bronze Girl 4.飞尘逐鹿 Hunting 5.嬉戏 Playing 6.圈耕 The Cycle of Tillage 7.血祭 The Sacrifice 8.求欢 Courting 9.陶彩 The Color of Pottery 10.盘地 Territorism 11.捣米 Pounding Rice 旱木 Dry Wood 烈日燎原 草木干枯 烟生鹗喙 是为火种 Sun scorches vast lands Weeds and bushes wither Smoke rises as the osprey shrieks It is the spark of fire 裂帛 Torn Silks 轻舒卷轴 帛贵纸贱 公子泼墨 侍婢裂帛 Gently stretch the scroll Silk's precious, paper cheap The lord splatters ink The maid tores the silk 金石女 The Bronze Girl 蕴山川美 凝日月辉 有女音妙 清如金石 Vying mountains for beauty Arresting the radiance of sun and moon There's a girl with a delightful voice Bright as tapping a bronze 飞尘逐鹿 Hunting 六辔在手 公子出游 奉时辰牡 舍拔则获 The six reins are in hand The lord goes out hunting The male animals of the season are made to present themselves He lets go his arrow and hits 嬉戏 Playing 有子垂髫 绕膝堂前 春扑粉蝶 秋耍促织 A child dangles around Clutches to his parent's knees Catch butterflies in spring Toy with crickets in autumn 圈耕 The Cycle of Tillage 日出而作 日入而息 凿井而饮 耕田而食 Work when the sun rises Rest when the sun sets Drink after digging a well Eat after plowing the land 血祭 The Sacrifice 除地为墠 司巫诵咒 牲血灌地 五谷丰登 Assign land for rituals Shamans recite spells Animal blood spills over the ground Next year a bumper harvest 求欢 Courting 男女群舞 讴歌互答 有洽于心 即夜奔之 Men and women dance together Singing celebrations in call and response When their minds resonate They hit it off in the night 陶彩 The Color of Pottery 和水与土 浴火成型 五色绘神 万物重生 Mix water and earth A fire bath brings them into shape Five colors to paint the spirit A myriad things come to life 盘地 Territorism 水田丰饶 祸起觊觎 兵戎相见 划界封域 Luscious fields yield wealth Famine gives rise to envy Neighbors arm and clash Borders seal their worlds off 捣米 Pounding Rice 谷实丰收 轻吟缓歌 以木舂缸 乐在其中 A good harvest of rice Gentle chanting and warm singing Along the wooden mortar and pestle Enjoy the moment Compositions: LinDi Production: LiuXing Recording: ZhangJie Mixer: SuQian Percussion: LiJia GuZheng: YuanLi Chinese Flute/Xun: LiuYi Double Bass: ZhuShunHua Ruan/Pipa: LinDi Vocals: LinDi, SuYong, LiJia, LiuXing, LaoQian, LinHong, XiaoJian, LaoWang, SangNi etc. Words & Illustration: LinDi Cover Design: HuangQiong Translation: Jeroen Groenewegen