2018-08-20
【Aiden in English】
Mixed between the constant ingestion of food and sweating, this summer trip was sprinkled with visits to friends in China. Friends typically meant old college folks Mom hadn't seen in three decades, so most of the time, I felt detached from the conversation, hence the time to write these journal entries. Each friend often gave long, elaborate hellos, which were cut short by my mom to fit within the time slot of a busy week. Regardless, they talk a bit, catching up on some face-to-face time. There I stood, staying silent, smiling, and nodding for the next 10 minutes as my mother wandered about everything from Grandma's condition to the terrible dog days. Eventually, the conversation grinds to a halt, and they realize I'm standing in the corner of their vision. They ask the general queries: "How old are you? What grade are you in? What do you want to do?" I answer with the least number of words possible. Besides, I justified my actions by giving Mom more time to reacquaint with old friends. This typically leads to a meal, followed by a trip to a local attraction. Today's attraction isn't as regional as its popularity might suggest; the dubbed 'local attraction' has garnered enough popularity to earn it the title of UNESCO Heritage. By now, that means nothing about its importance (the world is a whole of heritage and shouldn't be labeled), but wherever that title goes, so do people. Purple Mountain Scenic Area wasn't as crowded as the city, but the crowd at the temple was relatively small. Buddhist temples are among the quieter places in China, mainly because their sacred aspects limit the loud shouting. The places we visited today were a part of the scenic complex, Sun Yat-Sen Mausoleum, the Ming Filial Mausoleum, the Spirit Valley Temple, and a string of temples dedicated to critical Buddhist figures, such as Tripitaka (Tang Monk) and Bodhisattva (Guanyin). While I may not know much about Buddhism, my childhood was filled with enough 'Journey to the West' to understand the red mat placed in neat rows before the Buddha and God as prayer mats. No one prayed, but many people took pictures, which in today's world is a symbol of respect. I'm not going to lie; this journey through the temples was quite strenuous. One of the notable aspects of ancient Chinese monuments was that the emperors' ordering their construction always had a large workforce available. Therefore, everything can be scaled to enormous proportions without an excessive amount of time, as seen in European projects. Examples of these massive projects completed in short periods include the Great Wall, the Terra-cotta Warriors, the Forbidden City, and many more, such as the Ming Filial Mausoleum, a huge grave for a single person. In addition to the spectacular decoration featuring balusters, civil officers, and generals along the Wengzhong Path, animals were also used as protectors. Lions, horses, unicorns, Xiezhi, elephants, and camels became popular on the Stone Elephant Road. A large ring around a garden brings us to the focus: the first emperor's grave. Compared to the rest of the area, it seemed a bit small. Essentially, the tomb layer behind a moderately sized shrine is empty of decor yet filled with people. Behind lay a mound of grass, and underneath, some decomposed pile of dirt previously known as the "Tomb of Emperor Ming Taizhu Here." That officially marked the end of the historical section of today; the rest was for friends and food, which, as the days pass, this China visit is growing closer and closer. Later, we met another friend. And another. One of them used to be an old neighbor from my grandma's younger years, which seems impossibly unfathomable. A few hellos and painful gift-giving ceremonies later, Mom and I stepped back into the hotel room, and as usual, we were sweaty and dehydrated. As for tomorrow, more of the same. Friends, family, a banquet, and a bit of history await. 【红霞译】
暑假藉回国之际我们走亲访友，既然参加聚会必定湖吃海喝，只要赶赴饭局终将大汗淋漓，而到场的朋友一般都是妈妈学生时代并且久违卅年的老同学，因此多数情况下，甭管他们谈论什么我都插不上嘴接不上岔，只能粗略地划拉几笔流水账。大家凑在一起往往有说不完的话聊不完的天，妈妈争分夺秒，将仅有的一周行程安排得满满登登，这样总算在故乡逗留期间亲自拜见各位父老乡亲。
我站在旁边一言不发，接下来十分钟里，时而咧嘴微笑，时而点头致意，妈妈则打开话匣子，从外婆的身体状况到离谱的三伏天气，好不容易收住谈话，这时他们方才注意到我依旧站在眼皮底下，进而聊起家常话：“多大喽？上几年级啦？想干什么呀？”
我尽量简略作答，以便省出时间让妈妈多跟老朋友唠唠嗑，通常总会狠搓一顿，酒足饭饱之后再满世界转悠。今天的景点当地人并不稀罕，但因其名声在外而被认定“联合国教科文组织世界遗产所在地”，其实没啥值得大惊小怪的，殊不知如今世界遗产遍地开花，但“花赶春潮人逐梦，絮追风信棹随波”，凡是名胜古迹的地方常常人满为患。
紫金山风景区没有南京城拥挤，正巧寺庙本身也容不下过多民众，中国的佛教圣地都比较安静，主要因为庙内严禁喧哗。今个儿我们的目的地位于景区内，诸如中山陵、明孝陵及灵谷寺及一系列供奉唐僧玄藏与观世音菩萨这类著名佛祖的庙宇，尽管我并不了解佛教，但童年时代看过无数遍电视片《西游记》，多少对佛尊神祗前排列整齐的祷告红垫略知一二。前来膜拜的教徒有限，现场照相的游客屈指可数，表明人们怀揣敬仰之意。
论真格的，参观寺庙非常消耗体力，要知道中国历代古迹都是基于皇帝指令全民老少齐上阵的结果，因此兴建任何玩艺毋需像欧洲那样花费很长时间，短期完工的例子不胜枚举，譬如长城、兵马俑、故宫等等，明孝陵同样也不例外。偌大的墓地竟是为一个人所建，里面除了装饰翁仲路神道两侧的望柱、文臣、武将之外，动物也被搬出来充当护驾。石像路上狮子、骏马、麒麟、獬豸、大象、骆驼等姿态威武，花园周围有一条主道直捣腹地：明朝朱元璋坟地。坦率地说，与整个陵园相比，陵墓显得小了点；从本质上讲，墓地位于面积适中的神殿背后，平淡无奇的过道上挤满了人群，后院有一个长满青草的土包，土包下方石块上刻有“此山明太祖之墓”。至此，我们今天的出游正式宣告结束，剩下的时间便用来与朋友吃喝玩乐，日月如梭光阴似箭，这趟回国之旅逐渐接近尾声。 稍后不久，我们与一拨又一拨的朋友见面，其中有一家先前曾是外婆前后院的老邻居，简直不可思议。寒暄了几句并赠送阔别礼物之后，我和妈妈返回酒店，跟往常一样，浑身汗流浃背几近虚脱。明天将是今天的翻版，朋友、家人、宴会、历史文化正呼唤着我们。 Today in History(历史上的今天):
2018: Nanjing Ming Filial Mausoleum, China(南京明孝陵) 2018: Nanjing Spirit Valley Temple, China(南京灵谷寺) 2017: Speyer—2027 Years of Glory, DE(德国尖塔城—二千零廿七年颂歌)
2017: Speyer the Emperor Burial Place, DEU(德国尖塔城—皇陵圣地) 2017: Speyer Cathedral, Germany(德国尖塔城大教堂) 2017: Mannheim—UNESCO City of Music, DEU(德国沼泽地市—联合国科教文之音乐城)
2017: Ludwigshafen—BASF SE, DEU(德国名将港—世界最大的化学公司巴斯夫总部) 2017: Heidelberg the University Town, DEU(德国荒山市—大学城) 2017: Heidelberg—UNESCO City of Literature, DEU(德国荒山市—联合国科教文之文学城)
2017: Heidelberg Castle, Germany(德国荒山市城堡) 2017: Heidelberg the Dandy Horse, Germany(德国荒山市—骏马之城) 2015: Garden Expo Park, Beijing(北京园博园) 2014: Scrimmage in Soccer Practice(足球训练中的混战)  Xuanwu Lake, the "Pearl of Jinling" & the Largest Imperial Garden South of the Yangtze River
(玄武湖·“金陵明珠”，长江以南最大的皇家园林 02-23-1986)  Gateway to Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum
(中山陵·牌坊 08-20-2018)  Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum, the Grand Final Resting Place of the "Forerunner of the Revolution"
(中山陵·“中国近代之父”和“革命先驱”孙中山先生的安息之地)  Tablet Pavilion, Symbolizing the "Bell of Freedom" for China's Democratic Revolution @ Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum
(中山陵碑亭·象征着中国民主革命的“自由之钟” 08-20-2018) 
Tablet of Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum (中山陵·墓碑)  Xiaojing Tripod, a Bronze Tripod Incense Burner Symbolizing Reverence @ Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum
(中山陵孝经鼎·象征着崇敬之情的青铜三脚香炉)  Ming Filial Mausoleum, the Tomb of the Hongwu Emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang, Founder of the Ming Dynasty, Added to the UNESCO Heritage Sites in 2000
(明孝陵·明朝缔造者洪武皇帝朱元璋之陵，2000年被联合国教科文组织纳入《世界遗产名录》 08-20-2018)  Central Stadium, the Former Site for the Central Stadium of Nanjing Sport Institute
(南京体育学院·中央体育场旧址 08-20-2018)  Famous Oriental Sycamore of Nanjing Sport Institute
(南京体育学院网红树·东方梧桐 08-20-2018)  Great Lawn of Nanjing Sport Institute, a "Cradle of World Champions" in China
(南京体育学院大草坪·中国的“世界冠军摇篮” 08-20-2018)  Post Museum in Republic of China, the Place Song Mei-ling, Wife of Chiang Kai-Shek, Used to Mail Her Letters in the 1930s
(民国邮政博物馆·蒋介石夫人宋美龄在20世纪30年代寄信的地方 08-20-2018) 
Linggu Pagoda, Commemorating over 30,000 Soldiers from the Nationalist Army's Northern Expedition between 1926 & 1928 (灵谷塔·纪念1926—1928年间国民党军队北伐战争中阵亡的3万多名士兵 08-20-2018)  Wuliang Dian or Beamless Hall, Built Entirely of Brick & Stone w/o Any Wooden Beams or Nails
(无梁殿·完全由砖石砌成，没有使用任何木梁或钉子 08-20-2018)  Pine Wind Pavilion in the Style of a Revolving Lantern Tower @ Spirit Valley Temple, the Best Buddhist Shrine in the World
(灵谷寺·世上最好的佛教寺庙 | 松风阁·仿走马楼式建筑 08-20-2018)  Convent of Spirit Valley Temple
(灵谷寺·尼姑庵 08-20-2018)  Tang Monk Hall Honoring the Famous Tang Dynasty Monk Xuanzang Traveled to India for Buddhist Scriptures @ Spirit Valley Temple
(灵谷寺玄奘殿·为纪念曾前往印度寻找佛教经文的唐代著名圣人 08-20-2018)  Stone Xiezhi or Unicorns, Symbolizing the Emperor's Majesty, on Stone Elephant Rd
(石象路神道·獬豸象征着皇帝的威严 08-20-2018)  Vegetarian of Hope Valley Museum
(灵谷素斋馆 08-20-2018)  Jianyan Restaurant (江宴人家 08-20-2018)
 A Riot of Color (万紫千红 08-20-2018)
 Engraving Arts (版画艺术 08-20-2018)
Crosslinks(相关博文):
China(出游中国) 9th Grade(高中一年级) |
