The Unwavering
生生不息

“Endurance in nature’s quiet resilience and persistence.
山河无声，自有永恒。”

oil on canvas
46x61cm

The river meanders gently along the shore, gleaming with sunlight and moonlight.

For thousands of years, it nourished life. It provided fresh water to drink for the population living near it. Along its banks, crops thrived in the sun, fed by the steady current.

If you looked closely, you could even see rainbow-coloured schools of fish, of all kinds, swimming underneath the clear surface. Fishermen cast their nets with quiet reverence, drawing from the river’s bounty. Boats glided along its length, carrying dreams and goods between distant lands, with the river offering safe passage and sustenance without complaint. 

Beside it, stood the rocks, equally quiet, firm and unshaken.

Then came the pollution. Factories rose along the banks. Wastewater, oil and chemical sludge poured into the clear, glistening water. Once a mirror of the sky, the river grew dark and cloudy. Plastic bottles drifted where fish once swam.

The river, once a source of life, now bore the weight of human neglect. 

Still, the river flowed. Enduring through the seasons, scorching summers and harsh winters, the relentless march of industrialization, large scale efforts to clean it up. 

And beside it, the rocks remained – witnesses of change and sentinels of memory. They guarded the unwavering beauty of the river. A reminder that even in loss, nature endures – and waits, patiently – for its return.

Among all things, nature endures most. Despite human neglect, pollution and waste, nature still persists. This is a tribute: to the resilience of rivers, to the strength of landscapes, and a reminder for us that the endurance of the earth is inseparable from our own.