作者簡(jiǎn)介

我來(lái)自西班牙，在歐洲馬德里學(xué)院獲得新聞學(xué)位后在比利時(shí)攻讀國(guó)際關(guān)系。一年半前來(lái)到中國(guó)學(xué)習(xí)中文，現(xiàn)在正在北京中醫(yī)藥大學(xué)研究中醫(yī)文化。我很喜歡中國(guó)，尤其是中國(guó)的古文化，它的博大精深遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)超出我的想象，我很享受現(xiàn)在的學(xué)習(xí)生活，也認(rèn)識(shí)了很多朋友。在業(yè)余時(shí)間里我喜歡讀書，當(dāng)然，還有旅行。

For most foreigners， China is a far-away， exotic country. If you've never been to the Middle Kingdom， and have only ever seen it on TV， it's easy to get drawn into the use of clichés， like the ubiquitous \"all Chinese look alike\" (when， in fact， most westerners aren't able to differentiate between Asian people from several countries)， or \"the Chinese all eat rice and spring rolls\". To the uninitiated， China is a land of pagodas， dynastic architecture and fancy imperial clothing.

對(duì)于大多數(shù)外國(guó)人而言，中國(guó)是個(gè)遠(yuǎn)在千里的奇邦異域。如果你從沒去過(guò)中國(guó)，僅僅是在電視上見過(guò)，那么很可能你就輕信了那些老黃歷，比如到處都能聽見的“中國(guó)百人同臉”（實(shí)際上大多數(shù)西方人分不清亞洲各國(guó)的居民），或者“中國(guó)人只吃米飯和春卷”。對(duì)于菜鳥們來(lái)說(shuō)，中國(guó)到處都是寶塔、王朝建筑以及華麗的皇家服飾。

Yet after a couple of months of living in the country， especially if you live in big cities like Beijing or Shanghai， you start to notice and distinguish different facial features amongst the Chinese population. You discover the incredible diversity of Chinese cuisine (and utter lack of spring rolls)， and spend your days surrounded by modern glass-and-concrete architecture that towers over traffic-filled streets.

當(dāng)你在這個(gè)國(guó)家游玩尤其是居住在像北京上海這樣的大城市時(shí)，你會(huì)開始注意并分辨中國(guó)人千差萬(wàn)別的面容。你會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)驚人的、種類繁多的中國(guó)美食（絕對(duì)沒有春卷），整日流連于高聳在擁擠大街上的現(xiàn)代玻璃水泥建筑物之間。

All these predetermined thoughts that changed upon arrival to China get shaken once more when you get to Xishuangbanna， in southwest Yunnan province. There， the real Chinese diversity takes centre stage and you realize that the reality of the country is far beyond any of your expectations. For a foreigner willing to experience the multiple contrasts that a country like China offers， a trip to Xishuangbanna is the perfect choice.

這些既定的想法在踏上中國(guó)國(guó)土?xí)r就開始改變，尤其是在云南省西南部的西雙版納之行后會(huì)再次受到?jīng)_擊。中華民族的多樣性在那里紛紛展現(xiàn)，你開始見識(shí)到這個(gè)國(guó)度真實(shí)的一面，一切遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)超出你的預(yù)想。要來(lái)自歐洲或者美國(guó)的外國(guó)人來(lái)理解這樣一個(gè)大國(guó)的復(fù)雜多樣性可不是一件容易的事。而對(duì)于一個(gè)要體驗(yàn)中國(guó)這種巨大復(fù)雜差異性的外國(guó)人來(lái)說(shuō)，去西雙版納可是個(gè)不錯(cuò)的選擇。

I was lucky to experience it myself， to have the chance to participate in the cultural diversity - not only from a social perspective， but in many other ways as well. When I first arrived in Jinghong I found 4 things that set Xishuangbann apart from the rest of China: The people， the language， the landscape and the food.

我非常幸運(yùn)親自感受了這種差異，不僅從社會(huì)關(guān)系的視角，更從其它切入點(diǎn)來(lái)多方面體驗(yàn)了這種文化多樣性。當(dāng)我第一次來(lái)到景洪時(shí)，我發(fā)現(xiàn)它與中國(guó)其它地方有四個(gè)巨大的不同點(diǎn)：居民、語(yǔ)言、地貌以及食物。

Tanned Skin and Tribal Sounds

褐色皮膚和部落語(yǔ)言

If you are based in Jinghong， the capital of the prefecture， you've got plenty of opportunities to visit the multitude of ethnic settlements within a short distance of the town. It was the Dai Village， however， that I picked for my first exploration. The Dai， whose 2000-year-old society fuses Hinayana Buddhism with elements of Thai culture， represent the majority population in the area. Their physical differences (when compared to the Han) become obvious at a glance: a bit shorter， with tanned skin and facial features that appear more Thai than Chinese. The Dai minority live in characteristic bamboo double-layered buildings supported with wooden pillars， roofs made of tree leaves or thatch. Their colorful costumes， always bright under the near-incessant sun， are at their finest during the daily water-splashing ritual – both great fun and a way of cooling down under the sweltering tropical sun.

如果你位于西雙版納區(qū)的行政中心景洪，那么你就有很多機(jī)會(huì)去附近的各民族聚居區(qū)游覽。但我還是選擇了傣族村作為我的第一個(gè)旅行地。傣族是該地區(qū)人口偏多的大族，有2000多年的歷史，信仰南傳上座部佛教即小乘佛教，而他們的體貌（與漢族相比）有明顯差別，一眼就能分辨出來(lái)：個(gè)頭稍矮、黃褐色皮膚，以及與泰國(guó)人而非中國(guó)人相近的臉龐。傣族居住在以木柱為梁、茅草樹葉為頂?shù)碾p層竹樓里，他們?nèi)A麗的民族服裝在持續(xù)的陽(yáng)光下發(fā)出絢麗的色彩，尤其是在潑水儀式上——不僅是娛樂的好方式，更能夠趕走熱帶烈日的酷暑。

The next morning I took a trip to a street market in Menghai， 50 km from Jinghong. Here I discovered that my hard-earned language skills were quite useless when dealing with the people that come down from the mountains every Sunday to sell their beautiful ethnic craftwork and self grown food products – they all spoke their tribal language， making my putonghua redundant.

第二天早上，我來(lái)到距景洪五十公里的勐海縣的一個(gè)小集市，在和這些每個(gè)周末從深山里趕來(lái)出售自己美麗的民族工藝品以及自制的農(nóng)產(chǎn)品的村民們交易時(shí)，我發(fā)現(xiàn)自己努力學(xué)習(xí)的語(yǔ)言技巧完全無(wú)用武之地——因?yàn)樗麄兪褂玫氖亲约旱拿褡逭Z(yǔ)言，根本沒有普通話置喙的余地。

Land of Flora and Fauna

動(dòng)植物王國(guó)

Situated well within the boundaries of the Tropic of Cancer Sipsongpanna is home to the sole tropical rain forest in China. Watered by the Lancang River， the natural conditions provide a near-perfect environment in which plant life can grow in abundance. A climb up the slopes of one of the many evergreen-covered mountains offers a magnificent view. The landscape is littered with bamboo forests， allowing you to admire up to 50 different species of China's trademark grass， along with rubber plants and exuberant tropical fruit trees -mangoes， bananas， pineapples， lychees and durian fruit all grow in the humid tropical climate. This fertile land is also the home of the famous Pu'er tea， fields of which cover cleared mountain terraces.

西雙版納位于北回歸線上，是中國(guó)絕無(wú)僅有的熱帶雨林所在地。古老的瀾滄江潤(rùn)澤著這片神奇的土地，優(yōu)越的自然條件為植被的茂密生長(zhǎng)提供了幾乎完美的環(huán)境。爬上四季常青的山脈斜坡，景色壯美。星羅密布的竹林處處成景，你可以欣賞到中國(guó)50多種不同的特色植被，還有橡膠樹和熱帶水果樹——芒果、香蕉、菠蘿、荔枝還有榴蓮都適合潮濕的熱帶氣候。這片富饒之地還是名動(dòng)天下的普洱茶的故鄉(xiāng)，無(wú)垠的普洱茶園漫山遍野。

This amazing flora goes hand-in-hand with an incredible selection of fauna: Xishuangbanna counts among its' top attractions a \"wild elephant valley\" where visitors can sleep in a hotel built among the treetops and walk around the jungle， hanging out among giant lianas and looking for the herds of wild elephants that make this section of the jungle their home. Peacocks， monkeys and a wonderful butterfly garden with dozens of different colorful species complete the population of this great valley.

這個(gè)令人嘆為觀止的植被區(qū)同時(shí)也是一個(gè)神奇的動(dòng)物樂園：西雙版納最具吸引力的景點(diǎn)之一——野象谷，在那里游客可以寄宿在建在樹梢上的旅館，徜徉于叢林巨大的藤蔓植物中，尋找以叢林為家的野象的足跡。還有孔雀、猴子以及物種繁多、五彩繽紛的蝴蝶花園，都是這個(gè)美麗山谷的成員。

The Scent of the South

南韻

When the tropical rain arrives and you are forced to return home and look for shelter， the architectural landscape of Xishuangbanna provides yet another surprise. Used to the sharp yellow roofs and red walls of the imperial Beijing constructions， the Burmese-style shiny pagodas and reclining Buddhas surprised me. Buddhism is the area's main religion， represented here by a unique south Asiatic style. Like all important Chinese buildings， these temples are rich in detail and amazing in appearance. Bright white steles， gold ornaments and maroon walls decorate both the small shrines lost way up in the mountains， and the big temples that reign supreme in the middle of Jinghong.

當(dāng)熱帶雨降臨時(shí)，你被迫返回，四處尋找避雨的地方，而此時(shí)會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)西雙版納的建筑風(fēng)貌所給予的另一種驚喜。習(xí)慣了皇城北京建筑的明黃屋頂以及朱紅高墻，緬甸式明亮的寶塔和傾斜的佛像強(qiáng)烈地震撼了我的神經(jīng)。佛教是該地的主要宗教信仰，這點(diǎn)在獨(dú)特的南亞風(fēng)格上就能體現(xiàn)。和中國(guó)所有重要的建筑物一樣，這些寺廟在細(xì)節(jié)上富于變化，在外觀上則絢麗奪目。當(dāng)宏大的統(tǒng)治階級(jí)寺廟屹立在城區(qū)中心時(shí)，有著亮白柱子、明黃裝飾以及栗色墻壁的小神廟則隱藏在崇山峻嶺里。

The mere presence of hundreds of monks， often seen walking around the prefecture in their colorful robes， helps to give Xishuangbanna a Buddhist air. This exotic tapestry of culture and history is augmented by the taste of the local cuisine. Xichuanbannan dishes combine a lot of sour， spicy， and sweet flavors， making it more similar to Thai food than your average Chinese menu. Lemongrass， fresh fruit juices， coconut milk and banana flower are some of the tasty ingredients that make your palate just beg for more.

經(jīng)?？匆娫S多身著五彩長(zhǎng)袍的僧人在轄區(qū)內(nèi)行走，他們的出現(xiàn)給西雙版納平添了一股佛韻。當(dāng)?shù)氐娘嬍筹L(fēng)味擴(kuò)延了奇異的傣錦文化和歷史。西雙版納的食物不同于中國(guó)普通菜單上的菜肴，接近于泰國(guó)菜，更酸、更辣、更甜。檸檬香草、新鮮果汁、椰子汁以及香蕉花都用來(lái)制作調(diào)味料，讓你吃了還想再吃。

At the end of my trip， this mysterious Xishuangbanna， the \"twelve thousand rice fields\"， offered me a completely new and exciting experience - one that showed me a China as contrasting and culturally diverse as any other I know.

在旅途結(jié)束時(shí)，神秘的西雙版納——“十二千塊田”使我對(duì)中國(guó)有了一個(gè)全新的認(rèn)識(shí)，這個(gè)前所未有的有趣經(jīng)歷向我展現(xiàn)了聞所未聞的中國(guó)，一個(gè)文化差異多樣的神奇之邦。

And the best part: I know there's much more left.

西雙版納如此美麗，我知道還有更多神奇的地方在等著我前往。

Notes

1. cliché

It is a phrase， expression， or idea that has been overused to the point of losing its intended force or novelty。該詞來(lái)自法語(yǔ)，意為“陳詞濫調(diào)、陳腐思想”。

2. spring rolls

Spring rolls are fried pastries that can be found in several Asian countries， most notably China， Vietnam， the Philippines， and Indonesia.這是維基百科對(duì)春卷的解釋，而翻譯成英文也是直譯，不管怎樣，以前春卷在外國(guó)人中可是大名鼎鼎，幾乎成為對(duì)中國(guó)人飲食的第一印象。下面就列舉幾個(gè)有名的菜名：

饅頭Steamed buns；飯團(tuán)Rice and vegetable roll；豆?jié){Soybean milk；燒餅Clay oven rolls；油條Fried bread stick ；水餃 Boiled dumplings；臭豆腐 Stinky tofu （Smelly tofu）；雞蛋餅Egg cakes；紅燒牛肉Braised beef with brown sauce ；清燉豬蹄Stewed pig hoof in clean soup；魚香肉絲Fried shredded pork with Sweet and sour sauce 。

3. at a glance

意為“看一眼就……、立即、馬上”。

例句：I saw at a glance that he was a kind-hearted old man.

我一見就知道他是一位好心腸的老人。

4. Tropic of Cancer

意為“北回歸線”，南回歸線是Tropic of Carpricorn。

Links

1. Taboo民俗禁忌

在西雙版納尤其是傣族游玩時(shí)可是有很多民俗禁忌的，處理得不好會(huì)造成很多麻煩。

不能撫摸“小和尚”的頭部

西雙版納小乘教規(guī)定男人一生中要過(guò)一段脫離家庭的宗教生活，才能解除苦難，從降生到成人后才會(huì)有社會(huì)地位。凡是男孩在七、八歲時(shí)都要時(shí)佛寺里當(dāng)一段時(shí)期的和尚，稱為“小和尚”。在寺院修身時(shí)，不準(zhǔn)與女人談笑，不準(zhǔn)外人撫摸小和尚的頭，若被外人（特別是女性）摸過(guò)頭，被視為仇人?！靶『蜕小薄靶奚怼睍r(shí)間作廢，必須從頭開始。所以，外來(lái)游客，若到寺院參觀千萬(wàn)記住此習(xí)俗。

臥室禁忌

傣家住宅，都習(xí)慣住在樓上，而樓上臥室只有一塊隔板與客廳相隔，幾代人都住在里面，是用蚊帳分開。臥室是不容外人窺看的，過(guò)去的習(xí)俗規(guī)定，若主人發(fā)現(xiàn)外人窺看主人的臥室，男人就要做主人的上門女婿，或到主人家做三年苦工，即使是女客人也要到主人家服役三年。因此，游客無(wú)論到傣家參觀或做客，千萬(wàn)不要因神秘感而窺看主人的臥室，雖然現(xiàn)在打破了過(guò)去的俗規(guī)，但窺看傣家臥室始終是不受歡迎的。

客廳禁忌

傣家樓上客廳中有三根柱子。臥室中的兩根，靠外的叫“吉祥柱”可以靠著休息，靠里的一根是人死后用的，稱為“升天柱”，家中的人死了，家人把死去的人靠在這根柱子上（不分男女）沐浴、穿衣、裹尸體，等候火葬?；鹛吝叺囊桓墙^對(duì)不許靠的，那是傣家的“頂天柱”，若靠了柱子意味著不尊重主人。

上竹樓

進(jìn)佛寺必須脫鞋。進(jìn)門后要按照輩份大小、資歷深淺，依次而坐；傣族認(rèn)為門檻是人、鬼必經(jīng)之道；不能用凳子作枕頭，因?yàn)榈首又还┤俗?；不能用腳跨過(guò)火塘，不能隨意移動(dòng)火塘里支鍋用的鐵“三角架”。

2. Twelve Thousand Rice Fields十二千塊田

傣語(yǔ)，“十二千塊田”的意思，象征著西雙版納有12個(gè)行政區(qū)。傣家人說(shuō)西雙版納古時(shí)稱為“勐巴納西”，意思是“一塊神奇、美好的理想國(guó)土”。