River Man: A Mountain Accident, Freeing Raging Water and the Direction of Life

Mountains, Rivers, Freedom, Longing
And everything that death brings us

Taipei International Book Exhibition Award Winner - Hu Mu-Ching's Latest Masterpiece
Listen to the lives that go to the mountains, and the voices the deceased leave to the world

"When suspended over ripples and reefs,
I did hear the sounds of the deceased lingering in the stream.
Although faint, it was very clear."
──Hu Mu-Ching
In May 2023, ten canyoners carrying ropes entered the waterfall of Feilong Gorge. Due to unexpected heavy rainfall and rising river levels, five of them died.

The water's barrier allowed them to face darkness, whirlpools, and rapids time and again, but also to embrace brightness, freedom, and lightness.
When blame, public opinion, and labels swept in, Hu Mu-Ching tried to lead readers beyond the singular question of "Why go?" to the people who actually tied ropes and equipped themselves, and those who waited on the shore.

Hu Mu-Ching began rock climbing due to a life farewell, personally experiencing the comfort and power of nature to dissociate grief. Through meticulous field research and interviews, she reconstructed the entire mountaineering accident from preparation, being trapped, to search and rescue, tracing the steps of the deceased before their lives: How did they fall in love with mountains and water? Why did they return to the canyon again and again?

This is a book about life and death, freedom and longing. Everyone who goes to the mountains and descends into the valleys has reasons that cannot be simplified into a single sentence. Although the shadow of death is never far away, humans continue to move towards borders and wilderness. And mountainous Taiwan continues to respond to this persistent call with its grandeur and unpredictability.