初读扬州First Impressions of Yangzhou

来扬州不过半月余，便生出一些感慨。

慕名来扬州，多半为的是“烟花三月”1的扬州、“二分明月”2的扬州和大运河畔商贾云集的扬州，当然还有隋炀帝、琼花、扬州八怪3……自然还少不了我的同乡史可法（同为开封人）。

Having been for just over half a month in Yangzhou， I am inspired to think and reflect.

People mainly travel to Yangzhou so they can enjoy its natural beauty during early spring described in the poem “For River Town when willow-down and flowers reign” by Li Bai， its moonlit nights delineated in the poem “Of all the beautiful moonlit nights in the world， it seems that 2/3 of them can be found， like it or not， in Yangzhou.” by Xu Ning， and its lively scene of merchants situated along the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. They also move here because of an allusion to Emperor Yang of Sui Dynasty， the Jade flower， Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou and so forth. The hero Shi Kefa is surely never forgotten. He came from present-day Kaifeng， the city where I was born.

扬州是个矛盾体。扬州看似南方，却地处江北；从语音上便可觅到佐证，譬如同为xiang音，有时音变为h，与南方之音相同，符合舌后音向舌面音的转变规律，扬州人就把“小巷子”读如xiao hang zi，与南音和古音同，而“香港”（xiang gang）之x仍为此音，却非南方之h音。再从食品的味道上看，南方尚甜，北方尚咸，然则扬州食品之甜却不及一江之隔的苏州。由此可见，扬州属南北渐地无疑。

Yangzhou is a city of contradictions. It is considered a southern Chinese city but is actually located north of the Yangtze River. If we pay attention to Yangzhou residents’ pronunciation， we might notice that it exemplifies these qualities. For example， when southern Chinese people say the word “xiang”， they sometimes pronounce the “x” sound as “h”， which reflects a switch in the tongue’s position at the back of the mouth （when saying “x”） to the front （when saying “h”）. For instance， they say “xiao xiang zi” as “xiao hang zi”—the same as its ancient pronunciation. However， the pronunciation of “xiang gang” （Hong Kong） remains unchanged. Yangzhou residents’ culinary preferences also seem contradictory. Most northern Chinese people prefer salty food， while those in the South prefer sweet-tasting dishes. Yangzhou residents do not like sweet food as much as those from Suzhou， which is located on the opposite bank of the Yangtze. Therefore， Yangzhou is undoubtedly a city where Northern and Southern lifestyles converge.

扬州因地理位置所限，较好地保留了大多古代的文明，譬如淮扬菜肴4与传统技艺；长久的封闭，使人仿佛置身于桃花源5中，“不知有汉，无论魏晋”，自得其乐，颐养天年，沉浸在自给自足的小农意识里，生生不息。常闻扬州宜养老，生活节奏慢。扬州人熟谙养生之道，什么“皮包水”6，什么“水包皮”7，红灯笼里寻觅暖意，颇有清明上河之景、东京梦华之遗韵。此本无可厚非，但终难与“源”外的世界奏响和弦。

Geographical constraints have enabled Yangzhou to effectively preserve most of the remnants of its ancient civilization， such as Huaiyang cuisine and various traditional craftsmanships. It could be said that Yangzhou has been closed off from the outside world for such a long time that its people tend to feel as if they were in the Shangri-La， “They had not heard of the Han Dynasty （206B.C.—220A.D.）， not to speak of the Wei and Jin Period （220—420A.D.）” （a sentence in the Wonderful Land of Peach Blossoms written by Tao Yuanming）. People in Yangzhou appear very happy and contented， living a peaceful life. Their self-sustaining lifestyle ensures continuity of a small-scale peasant economy. Yangzhou， with its slow pace of life， is known as a suitable city for retired people. Residents of Yangzhou are familiar with wellness methods ranging from “water wrapped in wrappers” to “skin immersed in water”. People here live a comfortable life， seeking warmth in places decorated with Chinese lanterns. The scene is similar to the painting Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival， and with a kind of classical charm described in the book Reminiscences of the Eastern Capital. That seems to be a matter of course. Yangzhou has its own cozy atmosphere8， but its relaxed approach would cause its development to lag behind that of other Chinese cities.

我爱将扬州与杭州相比。难怪吗，《白蛇传》的个别情节生在杭州、镇江，几近扬州，近水楼台已先得月；扬州人也曾以前所未有的勇气将保障河改造成了瘦西湖而使之名震寰宇，欲与杭州西湖试比高。但杭州人从钱塘江潮水的狂涌中似乎得到了更多的启示，将杭州建成了现代化的文明城市，中国第一河扬子江却在扬州人面前显得有些乏力，倒是平稳如镜、波澜不惊的大运河平添给人们太多的温顺。

Previously， I compared Yangzhou with Hangzhou. For instance， some parts of the Chinese tale Legend of the White Snake are set in Hangzhou and Zhenjiang， which are adjacent to Yangzhou. People in Yangzhou have reconstructed the Baozhang River into what we now call “Slender West Lake” with unprecedented grit and made it big enough to vie with the West Lake in Hangzhou. People from Hangzhou were enlightened when witnessing the billowing tides of the Qiantang River. It has inspired them to build Hangzhou into a modern and civilized city. However， the Yangtze River as it flows through Yangzhou has less of an impact on Yangzhou people’s mentality than the tranquil canal， which endows them with a gentle personality.

我们因扬州的“浪漫”而举家来到了扬州。我们努力寻找着扬州的每一处闪光点以自慰：小河边垂柳依依、婀娜多姿，只是大街两旁少见市树的踪迹；空气清新，少了风沙，虽也不乏污垢垃圾……。我们愿成为建设扬州的一员，但愿可爱的扬州人多一些长江的启迪，让后浪紧推前浪，好让现代人也心悦诚服地发出“天下三分明月夜，无赖二分是扬州”的感叹，而非不时吟咏古人的诗句，沉湎于昔日扬州的辉煌。

My whole family moved to Yangzhou for its romantic aspects. We have happily found “plus points” that make the city sparkle. Alongside the river are willows in demure and elegant figure， but they are scarcely visible along Yangzhou’s streets. The clear air sends over breaths of fragrance， and wind-blown sand and dust is rare. However， it is not without littered areas. We are willing to participate in the development of Yangzhou. Hopefully， the residents can gain more inspiration from the mighty Yangtze. As the waves behind push on those before， each new generation exceeds the previous one. Hence， people nowadays will be wowed by what the city has achieved in reality， instead of indulging in the bygone glory described in ancient poetry lines， such as “Of all the beautiful moonlit nights in the world， it seems that 2/3 of them can be found， like it or not， in Yangzhou.”

瞧！敝宅旁的江阳路正在拆房倒屋，虽然增添了尘土，然而喜在心里，毕竟为美化扬州已然挥锹破土。扬州人如是描绘着扬州的蓝图：扬州正在建设润扬大桥，苏北变苏南，天堑变通途；“润扬”铁路也在施工，将使扬州连通西东，连机场也在规划之中。新的交通枢纽就要架起。待看明日扬州，定如“天际”之“流”，披荆斩棘，无往而不胜。

Jiangyang Road， near my home， is being completely renovated， with dust in air yet gratification in our minds. After all， the city has already been sprucing up itself. Its residents are envisioning a bright future： Runyang （the name consists of two Chinese characters， literally meaning that development empowers Yangzhou to flourish） Bridge is now under construction， which can promote the city’s development. This will connect Yangzhou to southern Jiangsu， providing people with a more convenient travel route. With this ongoing project and the blueprint of a new airport， Yangzhou will become a valuable transportation hub and expand its influence throughout Jiangsu Province. In the future， Yangzhou can overcome all potential difficulties， just like a mighty river raging towards the distant horizon.

润扬之日，正是我们奋起之时！

With the positive outlook of the bridge project， Yangzhou people strive to intensify their collective effort dedicated towards creating a more prosperous city.

* 周领顺，博士，二级教授，博导，中国英汉语比较研究会副会长，“译者行为批评”理论创建者。

1“烟花三月”出自唐朝诗人李白名篇《黄鹤楼送孟浩然之广陵》（“烟花三月下扬州”句），因此该处增译了完整诗句和作者名。根据文意，游客是因烟花三月之美景来到扬州，故而也翻译出了诗句中呈现的景色。  2“二分明月”出自唐朝诗人徐凝的《忆扬州》（“天下三分明月夜，二分无赖是扬州”句）。翻译处理同注释1。  3扬州八怪，清康熙中期至乾隆末年活跃于扬州地区的一批风格相近的书画家的总称。

4淮扬菜肴，中国传统四大菜系之一，发源于扬州、淮安。  5桃花源，指东晋文学家陶渊明代表作《桃花源记》中描述的“世外安乐地”。英文中没有直接对应的文化意象，此处译文采用了类似的Shangri-la（香格里拉）来对译。香格里拉是一个虚构秘境，最早出现在1933年英国小说家詹姆斯·希尔顿的小说《消失的地平线》中，后来这个名称被当成人间天堂、理想乡与乌托邦的同义词。  6皮包水，指扬州人喜欢喝茶、爱泡茶馆的一种情形，是长期的安逸生活沿袭下来的一种生活习惯。  7水包皮，指扬州人的搓澡习俗，是老扬州人对洗澡的生动描述。