hutong and siheyuan / 胡同和四合院

速寫是想念另一個城市的解藥。

Sketching is a cure for the nostalgia for another city.

Beautiful Architecture / 好的建築

攝於國家大劇院 / photo taken at National Grand Theater

攝於鳥巢 / photo taken in front of Bird's Nest

「好的建築，從哪的角度拍都是風景。」

“Excellent architecture offers beautiful scenery from every angle.”

The Great Wall / 長城

要去北京之前，我和小方說，我要去爬長城，他問那是哪裡，我說是一條很長很長的石階，是從月亮上看地球時，可以看到的唯一軌跡。

他說，那我在月亮上等妳。

Before traveling to Beijing, I told Von I am going to climb the Great Wall. He asked me what it is. I said it’s a super long stone path, also the only track visible to the human eye from the moon.

He replied, “I will wait for you on the moon.”

Trees in Beijing / 北京的樹

台北的樹 / trees in Taipei

攝於景山公園 / photo taken in Jing Shan Park

攝於十剎海 / photo taken in Shi Sha Hai Area

攝於北海公園 / photo taken in Bei Hai Park

攝於恭王府 / photo taken outside Prince Gong's Palace

攝於恭王府 / photo taken in Prince Gong's Palace

攝於頤和園 / photo taken in the Summer Palace, Y-he Yuan

相較於台灣樹的多彩，凜冷的冬天裡，北京的樹用單一的色調扭轉著身軀，眉飛色舞，製造出如水墨畫的強烈視覺效果。

Contrasted with the rich palette of Taiwanese trees, their counterparts in Beijing adopt only a single color twisting, dancing in freezing chilly winter. They create equally remarkable visual effects reminiscent of traditional Chinese mountain-and-water paintings.

Sun of Beijing / 北京的太陽

攝於北海公園 / photo taken in Beihai Park

攝於國家大劇院 / photo taken at National Grand Theater

攝於恭王府 / photo taken at Prince Gong's Palace

攝於天壇 / photo taken at Temple of Heaven

旅行前和旅行後，紛紛聽到去過的旅者和我說，北京的天空多麼灰濛濛，甚至會伸手不見五指。

Before and after the trip to Beijing, friends and acquaintances all mentioned the gray polluted sky in the city. Sometimes it got so smoggy that they didn’t even see their fingers.

可是我的目光一直都跟隨著太陽，看到的是紅通通的景色。

But my eyes followed the sun all the while, and for me, red became the key color of Beijing.

After Traveling / 旅行後

旅行之後，拖了一些時間整理行李，因為怕忘記另一個時空的空氣和味道，但總會走到得把一切歸位的時候。

I put off unpacking after traveling because I am afraid of forgetting the air and smell that belong to another world. But the moment arrives sooner or later when I have to move on.

旅行之後，我通常不閱讀，因為腦子和心太滿，得揮霍掉旅途中獲得的活力和熱情，等身體有些空隙時，我才能吸收新知識。

I usually put books aside after traveling because my brain and heart are brimmed with too much energy and passion accumulated along the way. I can’t afford to absorb more nutrients until there’s some empty space in me again.

可是這次旅行裡，我在圓明園拜訪了依麗莎白畢夏普詩中「令人無法看透的老舊石刻」，還有許許多多需要靠閱讀補齊史料的歷史古蹟，所以反而在旅行之後，我燃起了想要溫習歷史的慾望。

However, on this trip, I visited “some inexplicable old stonework” like in Elizabeth Bishop’s poem at the historic site of Yuanmingyuan and tons of ancient palaces with hundreds of years of history behind them. Thus, different from my previous experiences, this journey rekindled my interest in history and prompted me to do further reading.

到過圓明園現場，很難想像斷垣殘壁背後的慾望、權力、野心、掙扎、屈辱、暴力、破壞，我在四天之內讀了兩百年之久的故事，越到最後越感傷，紙上的旅行要結束，但是曾經偉大的帝國也會結束，從繁華到空白，甚麼都會走到盡頭，但走到盡頭不一定要如此絕對。

As a tourist who witnessed the remaining relics on the spot, it is difficult to imagine that this was once the sumptuous stage on which desire, power, ambition, struggle, humiliation, violence and destruction were played out. I read two hundred years of history within four days. When approaching the end, I couldn’t help feeling sentimental. My paper journey was over, so was the once-powerful empire. But there was a drastic contrast, from everything to nothing.

如今，風水輪流轉，世界的中心又轉回來，不過有智慧的人要永遠記得，只有太陽會每天升起落下，其他的永恆都不存在。

Now, the table has turned. The fallen empire is once again in the spotlight. Yet, wise people have to bear in mind, only the sun rises and falls, which is the only exception to this constantly changing world.

Answers of Travel / 旅行的答案

圖攝於北京，2010年春 / photos taken in Beijing, spring, 2010

「是因為缺乏想像力，所以我們來到想像中的境地，而不是待在家？」

“Is it lack of imagination that makes us come to imagined places, not just stay at home?”

依麗莎白畢夏普在「旅行之問」詩中，提出了這個問題。我讀這首詩十年了，讀了又忘，忘了又讀，沒辦法旅行的時候讀，旅行之後要回到地面上也讀，總是有不能領會的地方，可是隨著每次旅行，漸漸地越來越能夠投射個人經驗，因而對這首詩作我自己的詮釋。

Elizabeth Bishop came up with this question at the end of her poem—Questions of Travel. I’ve read the poem for ten years. I read and forget, forget and read. I read it when I can’t afford to travel. I also read it after coming back from a trip. I don’t always understand what Bishop was trying to say, but with every journey, I seem to be able to project my personal experiences onto the lines and bring forth my unique interpretation.

去了北京之後，我對其中的一段突然很有感觸：

After returning from Beijing, I found myself nodding my head like crazy when reading the following stanza:

想想回家的漫漫長路。
我們當初是不是應該待在家而不是想著這裡？
我們今天應該在哪裡呢？
我們在這最陌生的劇院裡看著台上表演的陌生人，
這樣對嗎？
當我們還有一口氣，我們卻堅決地趕到地球的另一端迎接太陽，
這算是幼稚嗎？
或著只為了看一眼世界上最迷你的蜂鳥？
或著只為了盯著某個我們無法了解的老舊石刻，
怎麼看都超過我們的理解力，
但是一看到總是，總是會讓我們心情美好？
我們可以作著夢，並且一邊實現它們嗎？
我們還有空間容納另一個折起來的暖暖的日落嗎？

Think of the long trip home.
Should we have stayed at home and thought of here?
Where should we be today?
Is it right to be watching strangers in a play
in this strangest of theatres?
What childishness is it that while there’s a breath of life
in our bodies, we are determined to rush
to see the sun the other way around?
The tiniest green hummingbird in the world?
To stare at some inexplicable old stonework,
inexplicable and impenetrable,
at any view,
instantly seen and always, always delightful?
Oh, must we dream our dreams
and have them, too?
And have we room,
for one more folded sunset, still quite warm?

在公車上讀這一段時，後面的小姐正好對她的同事描述某年夏天為了追逐雷鳥去到黑部立山的經驗，我一面讀著詩，一面想像載著她的巴士在山間蜿蜒，穿過黑暗的隧道，只為了親眼見識某種鳥類。

It was an amazing coincidence that while I was reading these charming words on the bus, the lady sitting behind me was recounting to her colleague how she traveled all the way to Kuroyon, Japan one summer just for a glimpse at a kind of bird. I read and envisioned a bus taking her on the meandering roads in the mountains, racing through dark tunnels, going higher and higher.

但如果我們沒有看到這條路旁的樹木，
被過度誇大的美，
沒看到他們像高貴的啞劇演員穿著粉紅色的戲服比手畫腳，
我們肯定會感到遺憾。

But surely it would have been a pity
not to have seen the trees along this road,
really exaggerated in their beauty,
not to have seen them gesturing
like noble pantomimists, robed in pink.

這幾句話立刻讓我想到下雪過後的北京街頭，巧克力色的樹枝上覆蓋著一層白色雪糕，當下看只是覺得很可口，旅行結束之後，回憶果然過度誇大它們的美麗，但我心甘情願地活在充滿光環的幻覺中。

These lines reminded me of the streets in Beijing after one snowy night. The dark brown trunks and branches were evenly covered with a layer of cream-colored snow. At first sight they looked like yummy chocolate and vanilla ice cream to me. Now when I think back, my memories do over-romanticize their looks. But you know what? I am more than willing to live in their exaggerated beauty.

經過了這麼多年的旅行，我覺得自己可以回答畢夏普的問題了，我不是因為缺乏想像力才出走。儘管我有想像力，我不能只住在一個人的世界裡，旅行提供各種思維的角度，讓我們知道，我們只是一小粒沙，但是我們可以選擇不同於旅行前的觀點，當一小粒快樂的沙。想像力可以帶人飛翔，卻也可能困住我們，可是旅行中我們不得不和各種人有交集，這是現實的挑戰，但每一步都真實地發生，所以如果出發前我的心浮浮躁躁的，旅途中我會沉澱下來；還有，旅行前的我太過高估我自己，把自己想得太了不起，可我不就是個凡人，離開一趟，我可以坦然地面對我的極限，心無芥蒂地放手。這些都不是想像力能替我解決的。

After having traveled for so many years, I think I am qualified to answer Bishop’s question: No, I do not travel because of lack of imagination. I am not totally without it, but I can’t live in my small abode. Traveling offers all perspectives, and it constantly gives us a reminder that we are just tiny specks of sands. However, if we choose a viewpoint different from the previous one, we can be happy specks of sands. Imagination equips us with wings, but it might trap us if we fail to find a way out of the twists and turns. In comparison, we are forced to interact more or less with real people on a journey, which is a very realistic challenge. But the good thing is that every step is a true story. Therefore, if I leave in an impetuous mood, I’ll get to cool down along the way. Most important of all, I tend to overestimate myself before departing, believing I am capable of changing others’ life. Staying away for a while humbles me so that I can face my limits with an understanding attitude and eventually let go. Imagination cannot do these for me.

下次若聽到我對你說：去旅行吧！不是我在敷衍，而是人和人之間有時需要點距離，我們和生活也是如此。

Next time if I say to you, “Go on a trip!”, I am not being perfunctory. It’s just that sometimes distance is necessary not only between people but also between us and our lives.

Traveling with MY class to Beijing / 和善二在北京

這幾天看到子涵總忍不住問：你還好嗎？感性的子涵把第一次出國旅行的回憶深刻地崁入心底了，所以很容易觸景傷情。我的護照裡有超過四十枚的出入境證明，表面上好像是我在安慰著子涵，可是問她好不好的同時，我也依靠著她，安慰著我自己，這是團體旅行的療效。

These days I’ve developed a new routine—asking how Emily is doing. Emily took her first trip abroad to Beijing, so compared with us, the sentimental girl is deeply attached to numerous stories that took place along the way. I am an experienced traveler with more than 40 inked stamps in my passport. I appear to be the one that comforts Emily, but I know I am actually relying on her when I ask her if everything is fine. This is the magical therapy of group traveling.

從搭飛機的第一刻開始，我因為子涵重新溫習飛行的步驟，說著說著，也慢慢感受到被遺忘很久的新鮮感。在旅行的途中，白天我混在人群裡，晚上我過著一人生活，大家很有默契地、或者是因為搞不清楚我的房號，讓我享受靜默；寂寞的時候就排不同時段請人來吃水果。我喜歡玩些不引人注意的小遊戲，女孩們也認真地配合我。

Thanks to Emily, I reviewed every step of taking the airplane, something I’d so taken for granted. While I was explaining to her the whole process, I retrieved the long-lost thrill of flying. On the journey, I mingled with the kids in the daytime, but they left me to my silent meditation after returning to the hotel. I don’t know if we obtained a mutual understanding or it’s just because they never got my room number right, I was able to enjoy the quiet moments at night. When I felt lonely, I’d arrange different people to come to eat fruits. It’s my inveterate habit to play secret games, and girls willingly worked with me.

轉眼間我們已經走到二下了，旅行中的某天單飛到孔廟時，小于兒說，明年再和同學來這裡吧！我突然想到，明年她們就離開我了。下一次再去的北京就是一個人或兩個人，或是新的一群人，所以我要牢牢記住這次旅行的片段，和善二好好生活，在每一刻裡認真地一起旅行。

In a blink of an eye, we’ve gone more than halfway. One day when we traveled to the Temple of Confucius without girls, the tour guide Ms. Yu said, “Come here with the girls next year!” It occurred to me that they will no longer be in my life then. Next time when I travel to Beijing, it will be with myself, someone else, or a new group of students. Though I can’t keep the girls, I want to bear the memories of this trip in mind, cherish every moment with my class, and travel together with them through every minute from now on.

Traveling in Snowy Beijing / 踏過下雪的北京

2009年夏天，我們在炎熱的西班牙一邊旅行，一邊唱著「旅行的意義」，中途覺得歌詞有些悲傷，旅行是為了要向我自己證明，那些愛我的人在我心中有多重要，而不是為了要逃避沉重的感情，於是我們在巴士上，胡亂改了歌詞，還寄了個手抄版回台灣。

In summer 2009, we sang the song “Meaning of Traveling” again and again on our three-week-long journey across Spain. Then it occurred to us that the lyrics were rather sad. To me, traveling away for a while always makes me realize how important my family and friends are. I hardly travel to get away from someone I don’t love anymore as a way to escape. Thus, we rewrote certain parts of the song. I even sent the new version back to Dee in Taiwan.

改了一些字，卻沒有更動「踏過下雪的北京」，當時完全沒有想到，在數個月之後，我居然實現了這首歌裡的歌詞，怎麼說都有種不可思議的感覺，聽到小妞們說要在大陸同學面前唱這首歌時，我整個人興奮到不行，出發的前一晚還趴在床上把歌詞從西班牙的札記本謄寫到北京的新溜溜的記事本上。

However, I didn’t change the part about “trotting through snowy Beijing.” At that time, the line didn’t mean anything to me except a romantic image. I couldn’t imagine that several months later, I would live out the words. The whole thing felt more than surreal. When I heard that the girls were about to perform the song in front of their Mainland counterparts, I got carried away by excitement. The night before the trip, I copied the lyrics from my Spain journal book to a brand-new sketchbook meant for Beijing.

待在北京的八天裡冷不哆嗦的，抵擋冷風和冰雪的最好辦法就是把隨時雙手放在口袋裡，所以帶去的札記本又原封不動地帶回來，不過旅行的魔力在於，就是當下不留任何記錄，那些情緒卻從四面八方滲透到心裡，我們像喝醉酒，每天輕飄飄的，美好的心情難以言喻。

The eight days we spent in Beijing were freezing. The best way to beat the cold was hiding my two fragile hands in the warm pockets of the goose-down overcoat. So I came home with an empty book. Nonetheless, there is a kind of magic about traveling. Even if we leave no record at the moment, the influence will seep into our hearts from all directions. We float in the air like hopeless drunkards, held up by a very beautiful and positive feeling beyond description.

旅行回來的後一天，我為沒有去北京的同學畫下腦海裡的影像，關於旅行，沒有去的人不會知道有多可惜，但去的人會說：我很高興去了這趟旅行，因為看到的世界太大太廣，紀念品和明信片只能聊表心意，因為要是自己走過的路，才算是深深切切的體驗。

On the day after we returned, I drew the vivid images that existed in my brain for those who didn’t make it to the charming capital with so much historical heritage and modern development. For those who opt not to travel, they won’t have any clue what a grand world they have missed, but for those who take the chance, they will say, “I am glad I went there.” We’ve seen too vast and too deep a city for souvenirs and postcards to depict. The only way to experience it is to travel there in person.