PREFACE·SEEKING NEW TERRITORY

Peng Zhixiang

Professor，Guanghua School of Stomatology，Sun Yat-Sen University

Every life is a long journey of pursuit and search.Someone，like Mr.Li Tiejun，did find some enlightenments in his own journey of pursuing.In the microscopic view of life under his microscope，Mr.Li Tiejun，a well-known professor of oral pathology at Peking University，has discovered a rare-traveled territory - a mysterious and all-embracing micro-world that is absolutely comparable with the macro universe we are living in.These microscopic scenes of life have amazed us all.

In fact，long before the microscopic beam，light of wisdom had shined both onto the macro and micro worlds.Zhuang Zi once said that all in all，there is nothing bigger than the tip of rabbit's hair，and nothing smaller than the Mount Tai.He also believed that we are born with the heaven and the earth，thus everything in the universe，including us humans，is harmonized as one.

Therefore，there is no wonder that when we zoom in on our own body and find out that there are such things as sun，moon and stars，mountains and oceans，fish，birds and beasts，even mythological epics，and so on.

Professor Li Tiejun，a medical expert and a micrographic artist，enjoys his cross-border journey between science and art.This reminds us to re-examine the relationship between the two.From the perspective of artifacts，scientific progress has undoubtedly contributed to the renovation of art.In the seventeenth century，a Dutch painter Vermeer，as a friend of a famous scientist Leeuwenhoek who is proficient in the microscope，can use a rare kind of black box technique at that time to capture the light and color，so his immortal paintings have a very unique sense of lighting in the images.From a spiritual point of view，those who board or approach the top of science must have also seen the light of art.In that historic morning，as Albert Einstein suddenly stopped walking and rushed to the piano and began to play it.In the bursting sound of the piano，the famous theory of relativity was born.

Therefore，science and art，in the highest creative moments，are mutually two-way breakthroughs，which are interpenetrated to each other.Like in Michelangelo's famous mural painting-Genesis，God and Adam both extended their hands with fingertips.Seeing it is touching each other，the creation is about to happen.Then，one may ask who created whom？ It is perhaps a question of disagreement.Or perhaps they created each other.If so，humanity and divinity may coexist in you and me，as Mencius said that everything in the world is harmonized in me.When human peek into the vast universe through astronomical telescopes and find the supernova's glorious outburst，some people may think that it is just a glimpse of God's look toward human beings； and when we explore the microscopic scene of life under the microscope，then it may well be that，God lends us his eyes，to let us discover the mysteries of the universe where God reveals himself.

Once a western philosopher said that life is merely just an imagination.It can break through any barrier in the world.When you see Professor Li Tiejun's micro-images of the world' s lives，the beauty breaks free from the frames and knows no limits and assumes abundant shapes.Desert autumn wind，southern apricot flower，fish shoal in shallow water，gulls skimming the sea wave，glaciers under moon light，lonely crane flying in sunset，ancient tombs paintings，snow mountain leopard，and so on.Through these scenes，you may imagine a medical scientist is stalking on the road of pursuing the true and beautiful world，just like Da Vinci，who studied human anatomy and was eager to discover whether there really is a little planet within human body that may operate in the same way as the universe.The pursuit of these people's discerning eyes has eventually widened our horizon.

Perhaps，the meaning of searching is not always the result.Crossing the mountains and the rivers，one might accomplish self-cultivation little by little during the journey.May everyone of us achieve nobility and dignity of human by looking for the beauty and the truth of this world.