Editor’s Word: Free Wandering

Upon a morning veiled in the mystery of antiquity—some 2,300 years ago—the colossal fish-turned-bird, known as Peng, stirred to life in the opening lines of Chuang Tzu’s fabled tale, Xiao Yao You (Free and Boundless Wandering). With wings vast as clouds draping the sky, it churned the waters for 3,000 miles. Catching the spiraling currents of the whirling wind, it rose to a height of 90,000 miles, embarking on its journey toward the Southern Ocean—the Celestial Lake.

In that moment of sublime ascent, the spirit of Xiao Yao— unbounded wandering through the cosmos—unfurled its wings within the heart of Eastern thought and aesthetic tradition.

With this timeless ethos of Xiao Yao as our muse, this edition’s styling production presents a visual symphony—where contemporary couture, ancestral silhouettes, and celestial beauty converge in a singular expression of boundless ease.

Amid the serenity of misty waters, a skirt sways in sync with the sweeping eaves of ancient pavilions—curves poised like Peng’s wings before flight. Beneath the thunder of crashing waterfalls, a dress twirls, alive with the heartbeat of Xiao Yao, as the great bird stirs the waters high. When the crescent moon gate—an exquisite arc of geometry and poetry—frames the drifting fabric like a brushstroke in motion midair, Xiao Yao reveals itself: the self dissolves into the greater rhythm of being.

Throughout history, art has been the most eloquent vessel for the soul’s longing to wander far. This edition invites you into two secluded private museums, where architecture itself becomes an invitation to Xiao Yao: not just a shelter of walls, but a sanctuary of presence and unfettered joy. One lies nestled at the foot of the Alps, where the architect carved away thousands of tons of rock, allowing the building to emerge as if born from the mountain’s own bone. Rough-hewn rock walls entwine with minimalist concrete, and the ruins of a monastery engage in a quiet, cross-temporal dialogue with sleek modern steel.

Far away in the East, the renowned Chinese-American architect I. M. Pei designed the Miho Museum, tucked into the deep mountains of Shigaraki—just an hour’s drive from Kyoto. Inspired by The Peach Blossom Spring, Tao Yuanming (365–427)’s timeless fable about a hidden Shangri-La, Pei has conceived the museum as a pilgrimage of wonder. As visitors pass through a winding tunnel and cross a suspension bridge, they are greeted by a striking glass-and-steel structure, where the surrounding ancient pines are mirrored in the glass, and the triangular roof resonates with the distant mountains. In this moment, each visitor becomes, in spirit, a modern-day fisherman who has stumbled upon the hidden, secluded Peach Blossom Village.

Escape the city’s hustle—just 25 kilometers from Berlin— and step into Schlossgut Schwante, an 18th-century Baroque estate that composes its own Prussian version of Xiao Yao. After two centuries of slumber, this castle has been reawakened by husband-and-wife collectors Dr. Loretta Würtenberger and Daniel Tümpel. This isn’t your typical art space—it’s a living retreat where sculptures breathe alongside the trees. “The works are not placed into nature; they are absorbed by it,” Dr. Würtenberger shared. Imagine mist swirling around a Christian Jankowski at dawn, or a George Rickey installation bathed in the glow of sunset. The estate becomes “a space for contemplation, silence, and perhaps, a sense of widening.”

This issue also takes your taste buds on a wild wander. Meet Stéphane Meyer—the culinary alchemist affectionately dubbed the “Druid of Paris” by the city’s gastronomic circles. At dawn, he disappears into the forest—no cookbook, no agenda—just a basket and an instinct attuned to the secret language of herbs. Surprisingly, part of his inspiration springs from Falun Dafa, an ancient Eastern practice rooted in self-cultivation.

Along the fragrant trail of Mountain Home Delicacies—a culinary classic from the Song Dynasty (960–1279)—we rediscover two seasonal dishes that transform every plate into a poem. Perfect for spring and summer, they are more than sustenance: they are visual feasts, artfully simple to prepare. Each bite invites you to pause, sense, and savor the spirit of Xiao Yao— a deliciously free wandering at your table.

From Chuang Tzu’s mythical Peng soaring 90,000 miles through the sky to the modern soul’s craving for free wandering amidst the concrete jungle, this issue is all about exploring the contemporary expressions of the Xiao Yao spirit through art, architecture, fashion, and gastronomy. Amid life’s whirlwind, I hope this edition begins your boundless Xiao Yao—a spirit of freedom within the chaos of life itself.