[2008.06.27] 记者日记：传统带来的震撼－丽江

South-west China
中国西南

Tradition’s rock
传统带来的震撼

Jun 27th 2008
From Economist.com

THE town of Lijiang lies northwest of Kunming. Snow-capped mountains loom in the distance while smaller hills tumble down towards the town, criss-crossed by paths and nibbled away by quarries at their bases. Wide, flat valleys provide more wheat than rice in this part of Yunnan province.
丽江位居昆明的西北部。在远处的皑皑雪峰隐约出现之时，规模较小的群山则向古城倒来。丽江城内，阡陌纵横，但底部正受采石厂蚕食。在云南这部分地区，宽阔平坦的谷地生产的小麦要远远多于水稻。

As I drive into town I notice that the buildings look older than in other areas I’ve visited. People are not as well-dressed, and huge lorries barrel down the roads, belching clouds of noxious black fumes over the children walking along the highways’ shoulders.
在驱车进城时，我留意到：此处的建筑物比我在其他城市所走访的更为古老。当地人衣着随便。巨型货车飞速驶出路面，并向行走公路之上的儿童喷出股股有毒的黑烟。

Frankly, Lijiang makes a poor first impression: it seems sprawling, modern and charmless. But a 15-minute walk from the hotel takes us into the town’s medieval centre (pictured), which is a UNESCO world-heritage site full of narrow lanes, red lanterns and roofs curling up at the corners with wooden tendrils reaching into the sky. Canals-some clean enough to sustain fish-wend their way through this charming cityscape. 坦白地说，丽江给人的第一印象并不很好：此座古城看似在向四处延伸，富有现代气息但毫无魅力。从酒店出发，步行15分钟到达古城中世纪的建筑中心（如图）。此地四处布满着狭窄巷道，悬挂大红灯笼和在角落处屋顶卷曲，木本卷须伸向到天空。目前，已被联合国教科文组织评为世界遗产遗址。运河–有些清澈得足以养鱼–蜿蜒穿过这副迷人的城市景观。

Shops and bars throng much of the northern part of the old town, but the invasion has so far spared the south. Instead, a huge sprawling market sells every type of food imaginable: fruit, vegetables, spices, and meat both butchered and alive. Chickens, ducks and dogs are squashed unhappily into cages in one area, while around the corner live fish flop around in shallow pools between their more unfortunate cousins who have already gone belly-up.
商店和酒吧涌向北部的大多地区，但截至目前南方尚”幸免于难”。相反，一个庞大但散乱地延伸的集市在出售任何可以想象得到的食物：水果，蔬菜，香料，和肉类（屠宰的和活着的）。鸡，鸭，狗很不愉快地被堆压在某处鸡笼里，而在周围的角落，活鱼在浅水池中毫无生气地游走，他们更为不幸的表兄弟则已是翻肚归西。

Lijiang is home to the Naxi people, an ethnic group related to Tibetans who have lived in the Yunnan foothills for centuries. While Han Chinese comprise more than 90% of the country’s population, there are another 55 “official” ethnic groups in the country, and many more that lack state recognition. Members of those 55 groups account for more than 30% of Yunnan’s population. In some prefectures they are in the clear majority-Daquin, for instance, is 80% Tibetan.
丽江是纳西族的家园。纳西族是一个同曾住在云南山麓数世纪的藏人有所亲戚关系的少数民族。汉人占这个国家人口总数的90%以上，另外还有55 个”官方认可”的少数民族，许多则尚未获得到国家的认可。55个少数民族的人数要占云南人口的30％以上。在有些县区，他们明显就可构成一个多数群体– 如德钦县（Daquin）的80％人口都是藏族。

Three hours south of Lijiang is another world-heritage site-an ancient walled city called Dali, where the Bai people live. Dali is duller than Lijiang, but as I stroll around its streets, the sound of strange music draws me down a narrow lane. An odd spectacle confronts me: hundreds of school children standing in ranks swinging their arms and legs, clapping and turning, all in time to a teacher’s commands. School exercise, Chinese style.
离丽江以南三小时的路程是另一世界文化遗址–有围墙的大理古城，白族人生活的地方。同丽江相比，大理则是更为单调。但在我四处溜逛古城街道的时候，不同寻常的的音乐之声将我吸引到一个狭窄小巷。一个奇怪的场景展现在我面前：数百名学童排列有序地站立着。在一名教师的指令下，他们同时摆动手脚，鼓掌和转体。中国式的学生体操。

I try to follow the old tea-trading route back to Lijiang. It will lead me off the modern-day main road and through another ancient Bai village called Shaxi.
我尝试按照茶马古道回到丽江。古道将让我原离现代的主干道，并还通往另一古老的白族村落–沙溪。

On the map the road looks straight enough; in reality it proves trickier to follow. My taxi driver claims, implausibly, never to have heard of Shaxi. I stop and ask directions several times, receiving blank stares in response. On one occasion a man and a woman both cross their index fingers into an X to tell me not to go. The man reinforces the message by making one hand into the shape of a pistol, as if to say it was dangerous-exactly why is left unsaid. My driver, whose response to any minor mishap during the day has been infectious laughter, appears perfectly happy to give up and head home, but I want to press on.
在地图上，道路看起来是十分笔直;在现实中，遵循所绘路线则更为麻烦。令人难以置信地是，雇佣的出租车司机声称从未从未听说过沙溪。我停了下来，并多次向路人询问方向，他们满脸的茫然便是给我的回答。一次，一名男子和一名女子都横其食指摆成一个X形告诉我不要前往。那名男子为证实以上信息的真实，把一支手握成枪的形状，仿佛在警告我那里危险–至于为何，则无说明。对白天发生的任何轻微事故都笑得富有感染力的司机看似完全乐意放弃并返回，但我想加紧前行。

After a long, tortuous drive we arrive in Shaxi, which has neither obvious signs of danger nor appeal, despite its colourful market. We turn down an old cobbled street that looks like it might once have been the city’s main road. Ancient houses, temples and statues crowd peacefully around a shaded square. Local women walk home from the market wearing long skirts with ringed by bright hoops. I’m glad I ignored the X.
经过漫长的，曲折的行驶，我们终于到达了沙溪。除了多姿多彩的集市以外，那里既无危险的迹象，也无诱人之处。我们走向一条铺着鹅卵石的古老街道，此路看起来曾经一直都是这座城市的主要道路。古老的房舍，寺庙和雕像祥和地拥挤在一个林荫遮蔽的广场周围。当地妇女穿着长裙从集市徒步回家，明亮的裙环叮当作响。我很庆幸我没在乎关于X的警告。

译者：captain21   http://www.ecocn.org/forum/viewthread.php?tid=12590&extra=page%3D1