"The color of the mud varies—gray-black, black, light brown, and dark brown. It covers everything in sight, turning green leaves to brown, grass to brown, and the house to black. It’s a terrifying yet aesthetically pleasing transformation, almost like a sculpture. This mud came with the flood, carrying with it the fury of the Juma River, perhaps also the pain of the Yongding River, Baigou River, and Liuli River, leaving its mark in Zhuozhou. This mud is the only physical trace the flood left behind, the purest evidence of its presence."
(Originally published in Jiazazhi Magazine, September 2023)