個人簡介:
Name :?Upul
姓名:Upul
Country of Origin :?Sri Lanka
國籍:斯里蘭卡
Occupation :?Journalist
職業(yè):記者
How did I begin my journey in China??
你的中國之旅是怎樣開始的?
I can still remember watching a TV program on China and Chinese culture about 20 years ago when I was still very small. In the background, I heard melodious strains of Chinese music and I can still remember how the program featured key places of Chinese cultural interest and famous Chinese icons like The Great Wall. As I was just nine years old, this program formed such a deep impression in my mind that the longing to visit China one day was a longing that was present in my subconscious mind from that day onwards. I still remember 3 years ago; my editor called me into his room and asked me whether I would like to undertake a visit to China. He also added that the visit would last 10 months. I couldn’t believe what I heard. I was overjoyed. I could only mutter ‘yes sir’ because I was still suffering from the shock of having my childhood dream of going to China coming true.
我還記得大約 20 年前,那時候我還很小,看過一個電視節(jié)目,是關(guān)于中國和中國文化的,背景音樂是悠揚的中國傳統(tǒng)音樂。我仍然記得這個節(jié)目介紹了中國的文化名勝和標志性建筑,如長城。那時我才 9 歲,但這個節(jié)目已經(jīng)在我腦海中留下了深刻的印象。有朝一日我要去中國,這種渴望,自那天起便成為我潛意識的一部分。我還記得 3 年前,編輯把我叫到他的房間,問我是否愿意去中國。他還補充說,這次旅程將持續(xù) 10 個月。我簡直不敢相信我的耳朵,欣喜若狂。因為兒時的夢想終于要成真了,我激動得話都說不出來,只能咕噥一聲“是的,我愿意”。
Everything started in Beijing?
一切要從北京說起
It was a day in February. The weather was so cold in Beijing. I landed at Beijing airport for the first time in my life. I didn’t know more about Beijing or China. But I was gradually getting to know about the country. As a journalist, I started a new journey in China. I wanted to be crazy for a while on my first foreign visit and as such, I explored my surroundings and smiled at people. I was asked by many Chinese people “Ni shi na guo ren” 你是哪國人 I replied to them “wo shi sli lanka ren” 我是斯里蘭卡人. As our first arrangement, I could attend the Two Sessions at Great Hall in Beijing. Then I got an opportunity to visit The Great Wall.
那是二月的一天,北京的天氣真是太冷了。我第一次降落在北京機場,那時的我對北京,甚至對中國都知之甚少,但我開始漸漸了解這個國家。作為一名記者,我開始了在中國的新征程。這是我第一次出國,我想“瘋”一段時間,因此我不斷探尋周邊的事物,以微笑待人。很多中國人問我“Ni shi na guo ren”(你是哪國人),我回答他們“wo shi sli lanka ren”(我是斯里蘭卡人)。我在中國參加的第一場活動就是在北京人民大會堂舉行的兩會,之后我還游覽了長城。
Becoming a Bridegroom in Hubei province
在湖北過了一把“新郎癮”
Then the journey had begun. It was early October when we landed at the Wuhan airport it was about 2:30 pm. We had a special tour planned for the next morning of Sanxia, a nearby village. The next day, we arrived in Sanxia and it was beautiful. The whole environment was green and there was a nice breeze which made us feel happy. The villagers who were dressing in traditional clothes had welcomed us. I trekked around and I had a feeling that a ceremony was going to be held by villagers for us. Ohh God, it was a wedding ceremony. A traditional wedding ceremony. It is called “Tu Jia Hun Jia” After few seconds the elder villagers appeared in front of us and played some traditional Chinese music instruments. Then we all were ordered to sit properly and a beautiful Chinese girl who was dressed in traditional clothes appeared before us. There was a small ball in her hand. She had to choose a boy among us as her future husband. We all were advised to have our hands up and we followed the order. Then it was her turn and she had to be thrown the ball to a boy. I could not believe my own eyes. She threw the ball to me and I got a chance to be her husband. Then I dressed in traditional wedding clothes and “married” her. It was an unforgettable memory in my life. Before getting married in my country I could get married in China.
我的中國之旅開始了。十月初的某天,我們降落在武漢機場,時間大概是下午2:30。我們計劃第二天早上去附近的三峽人家體驗一次特別的旅行。第二天,我們到達了三峽人家,那里的景色很美,周圍被綠色覆蓋,微風(fēng)徐來,涼爽愜意。身著傳統(tǒng)服飾的村民熱情地歡迎了我們。我在村子里逛了一圈,我有一種預(yù)感,那就是村民們要為我們舉行一個儀式。天哪,他們要舉辦一場傳統(tǒng)婚禮,叫“土家婚嫁”。幾秒鐘后,較年長的村民出現(xiàn)在我們面前,用中國傳統(tǒng)樂器演奏了幾首樂曲。然后他們讓我們坐好,一個穿著傳統(tǒng)服裝的漂亮女孩出現(xiàn)在我們面前,手里拿著一個小球。她得在我們中間選一個未來的丈夫。她讓我們舉起雙手,我們就照做了。然后她拋出手里的球,球向我們之中的一位飛來。我簡直不敢相信自己的眼睛,這個人就是我,她想讓我做她的丈夫。然后我穿上傳統(tǒng)的禮服迎娶她。那是我一生難忘的回憶。我竟然在中國,而不是在斯里蘭卡過了一回“新郎癮”。
Got a new name from a little girl
小女孩給我取了一個新名字
During my stay in China, I visited about 15 provinces and closely touched the events of the vast and diverse Chinese culture. When I was in Beijing, I used to go to Ritan park twice per day. Once I was studying Chinese at the park a little girl came to me and tried to talk with me in her broken English. She came to Beijing with her mother for medical treatments. She helped me to study Chinese and I helped her to study English. The most important thing was that she gave me a new name such as “Davei” (David). After I was expressing this incident to our Chinese teacher then she also called me Davei until I returned to my home country.
The Visit to Xiamen
廈門之行
A visit to Fujian province was also another milestone in my China life. As I heard the Fujian province had an important role in the ancient Silk Road. Also, Fujian has four UNESCO world heritage sites such as ‘Wuyi Mountain’, “Earthen houses(Tulou)”, “Kulangsu” and “Danxia”. Fortunately, I got a chance to visit Kulangsu island from Xiamen.
福建之行也是我中國之旅中的另一個里程碑。我聽說福建省在古代絲綢之路上扮演著重要的角色。福建有“武夷山”、“土樓”、“鼓浪嶼”、“丹霞”等4處聯(lián)合國教科文組織世界遺產(chǎn)。幸運的是,我有機會到廈門鼓浪嶼看一看。
我要感謝中國政府,中國國際新聞交流中心亞太分中心 (CAPPC) 主任俞雷先生及其全體工作人員,以及中國人民大學(xué),還有推薦我關(guān)注這次征文比賽的妮妮女士。
作者:Upul 翻譯:潘澤彬
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