By Liu Dongli, Wang Yi’an Translation： Zhu Yaguang

Sino-French Wuhan Ecological Demonstration City—A Modern Tale of “Boya and Ziqi”

By Liu Dongli, Wang Yi’an Translation： Zhu Yaguang

In ancient China, there was a story about two dear friends that has been passed down through generations.

During the Spring and Autumn Period(770-476 BC), there was a man called Yu Boya who was a master of musical temperament and highly skilled in playing the guqin (Chinese zither). Though being a well-known guqin player at that time, he believed that no one could truly understand his music, so he was upset about it.

One Mid-Autumn Festival night, Yu Boya was boating alone on the Hanyang River for sightseeing. With the gentle breeze and bright moon as his only companions, myriads of thoughts crowded into his mind, and he couldn’t help but play the guqin that he was carrying. The melodious music became more and more beautiful when it suddenly wowed a man on the bank. The man was a woodcutter who happened to pass by. When the rhythm rose to a crescendo, the man said, “What a wonderful melody! It sounds as grand as a high mountain,” and when the rhythm became smooth and lively, the man said, “How delightful! Now it sounds like an endlessly flowing river.”

Yu Boya was extremely thrilled, as he always expressed his emotions through his music, yet no one could understand it. Now, in the middle of nowhere, he finally met the friend that he had been seeking for ages.

在中國(guó)古老的土地上，一則關(guān)于“高山流水遇知音”的故事流傳至今：

春秋時(shí)代，有個(gè)叫俞伯牙的人，精通音律，琴藝高超，是當(dāng)時(shí)著名的琴師，他卻認(rèn)為從沒有遇到過真正能聽懂他琴聲的人。為此，他十分苦悶。

一年八月十五中秋節(jié)的晚上，俞伯牙乘船游覽。面對(duì)清風(fēng)明月，他思緒萬千，不禁彈起琴來。琴聲悠揚(yáng)，漸入佳境，忽聽岸上有人叫絕，原來，是一個(gè)路過的打柴人在聽琴聲。當(dāng)他彈奏的琴聲音調(diào)高亢的時(shí)候，打柴人說：“美妙的琴聲啊，表達(dá)了高山的雄偉氣勢(shì)?！碑?dāng)琴聲變得清新流暢時(shí)，打柴人說：“美妙的琴聲啊，表達(dá)了流水的無窮無盡?！?/p>

俞伯牙驚喜萬分，自己用琴聲表達(dá)的心意，很少有人能聽懂，沒想到，在這野嶺之下，竟遇到自己久久尋覓的知音。

打柴人名叫鐘子期。俞伯牙與鐘子期相見恨晚，越談越投機(jī)，他倆結(jié)拜為兄弟，約定來年的中秋再到這里相會(huì)。

次年中秋，俞伯牙如約來到漢陽(yáng)江口，卻始終不見鐘子期的身影。經(jīng)打聽，原來鐘子期已不幸染病去世。臨終前，鐘子期留下遺言，要把墳?zāi)剐拊诮叄桨嗽率逑鄷?huì)時(shí)，好聽俞伯牙的琴聲。

俞伯牙十分悲痛。他來到鐘子期的墳前，凄楚地彈起自己創(chuàng)作的《高山流水》。彈罷，他長(zhǎng)嘆一聲，把心愛的瑤琴在青石上摔碎。他悲傷地說：“我唯一的知音已不在人世，這琴還彈給誰聽呢？”

俞伯牙和鐘子期的真摯友誼感動(dòng)著無數(shù)的后來人。這段曠世佳話的發(fā)源地，就位于今天的湖北武漢。如今，鐘子期的墓仍靜靜地躺在武漢市蔡甸區(qū)的馬鞍山上。這座美麗的城市，也因知音的故事有了更深厚的文化積淀。

The woodcutter was named Zhong Ziqi. The two hit it off and decided to become sworn brothers,and they promised to meet each other at the same place again the next Mid-Autumn day.

A year went by and Yu Boya came to Hanyang River as scheduled, but he saw no sign of Zhong Ziqi at all. After inquiring with some local people,he learned that Zhong Ziqi had died of illness.Before dying, Ziqi left a note that he wanted to be buried at the riverbank so that he could appreciate Boya’s music again on the next Mid-Autumn day.

Hearing this, Yu Boya became deeply grieved. He came to Zhong Ziqi’s tomb, and pathetically played the tune High Mountains and Flowing Rivers that he composed. When the tune ended, he let out a big sigh and smashed his favorite guqin on the slate. Boya said woefully, “The only one who truly understands my music has died, and to whom else can I play the guqin in the future?”

Many people in later generations were greatly touched by the sincere friendship between Boya and Ziqi. Wuhan City is the birthplace of the epic story. Today, Zhong Ziqi’s tomb is still located on the Ma’an Mountain of Caidian District in Wuhan.Because of the tale of “Boya and Ziqi,” the culture of the beautiful city has deepened after years of accumulation.

Paris and Wuhan are only 4 km away?!

How far is it from Wuhan, the city of “bosom friends,”to Paris, the city of romance? According to Wuhan natives, it is 4 kilometers!

That is true. In Wuhan City, over the Han River,there is a Sino-French Friendship Bridge stretching for 4.391 kilometers, which connects the Sino-French Wuhan Ecological Demonstration City at Caidian District and the departure station of China-Europe Train that goes directly to France.

It has been over one and a half centuries since the economic exchanges between Wuhan and France were established—over that time,people from the two places have developed a profound friendship. At the High-level Forum of International Bosom Friends Culture held on the 28th of September 2017, Yu Xi—the senior reporter and Associate Director of Wuhan Foreign Cultural Exchange Association—told some stories that mark the friendship between the Chinese and the French.

武漢與法國(guó)僅隔4公里

聞名天下的知音之城武漢，與享譽(yù)世界的時(shí)尚之都巴黎的距離有多遠(yuǎn)？武漢人給出的答案是：4公里！

是的，在漢江的武漢段，一座長(zhǎng)度為4.391公里的中法友誼大橋，一端連著武漢蔡甸中法武漢生態(tài)示范城，另一端連著中歐班列武漢始發(fā)站，可直達(dá)法國(guó)。

武漢與法國(guó)有150年的經(jīng)濟(jì)交往，與法國(guó)人民也有著深厚的情誼。2017年9月28日，在國(guó)際知音文化高層論壇上，武漢對(duì)外文化交流協(xié)會(huì)副會(huì)長(zhǎng)余熙，熱情地向大家講述了幾個(gè)關(guān)于中法人民友好的故事：

第一個(gè)打開中國(guó)現(xiàn)代服裝藝術(shù)大門的人，是法國(guó)知名的時(shí)裝設(shè)計(jì)大師皮爾·卡丹；

當(dāng)代中國(guó)標(biāo)志性建筑之一、中國(guó)國(guó)家大劇院的設(shè)計(jì)者，是法國(guó)建筑設(shè)計(jì)大師保羅·安德魯；

阿蘭·拉巴特，被稱為法國(guó)對(duì)華友好人士中最具組織能力的“鐵桿民間大使”。他將百余所法國(guó)中學(xué)與中國(guó)各地的中學(xué)聯(lián)系起來，開展校際合作，每年都互派師生進(jìn)行交流。其中，武漢市外國(guó)語學(xué)校與波爾多市蒙田中學(xué)結(jié)為友好學(xué)校。

索菲·特德斯基是法國(guó)巴黎的青年女畫家。她多次訪問武漢，曾在湖北美術(shù)學(xué)院、江漢大學(xué)、中國(guó)地質(zhì)大學(xué)、湖北民族大學(xué)等高校講學(xué)并舉辦畫展。她還從2011年起，連續(xù)六年在中國(guó)的農(nóng)歷春節(jié)之際，在報(bào)紙上刊載中國(guó)生肖年畫。她那一幅幅中西合璧的精彩繪畫，受到許多中國(guó)讀者的熱切歡迎。許多人說：“現(xiàn)在只要春節(jié)期間看報(bào)紙，就想看一看法國(guó)女畫家的新的生肖畫。”

……

關(guān)于中法友誼的故事太多太多，中法兩國(guó)的政治經(jīng)濟(jì)交流也日益頻繁。

The first ever person to open the door to China’s modern art of garments was Pierre Cardin, a wellknown French fashion designer.

The National Center for the Performing Arts, one of the landmark buildings in contemporary China was designed by Paul Andrew, a master architect from France.

Known as the Folk Ambassador who avidly promotes friendship between China and France,Alain Labat has excellent organizational skills and has helped hundreds of French secondary schools to connect with their counterparts in China so that they can build inter-school cooperation, and each year, those partner schools would send teachers and students to learn from each other. The Wuhan Foreign Language School and Lycée Montaigne Bordeaux are among those that have become sister schools.

Sophie Tedeschi, a young female artist from Paris, has paid multiple visits to Wuhan and has also lectured and held her art exhibitions at local colleges, including the Hubei Institute of Fine Arts, Jianghan University, the China University of Geosciences, and the Hubei University for Nationalities. Since 2011, local newspapers have published her Chinese zodiac paintings on their New Year issue six years in a row. Her excellent art works combine Chinese and Western elements, and have been favored by many Chinese readers. Some people even comment, “If I read newspapers during the Spring Festival, I would be curious to check out the new zodiac painting by that French artist.”

…

What’s more, the political and economic exchanges of the two countries have also become increasingly frequent.

On the 26th of March, 2014, President Xi Jinpin visited France. Witnessed by the leaders of the two countries, government representatives from China and France signed an MOU on building the Sino-French Wuhan Ecological Demonstration City in Wuhan. Later, the construction of a post-industrial urban area was kicked off in the Caidian District of Wuhan City, which became a sustainable eco-friendly demonstration city for China and France.

On the 23rd of February 2017, Bernard Cazeneuve, Prime Minister of France and Wang Xiaodong, the governor of Hubei Province, planted a gingko together at Houguan Lake National Wetland Park, which symbolized “a long lasting friendship marked by the co-constructed eco-city.”

With more and more exchanges at all levels between China and France, more people start to find their friends as in the tale of “Boya and Ziqi.”

When Chinese Opportunity meets with French Romance

In the hometown of “Boya and Ziqi,” the science,technology, and culture of China and France find a perfect meeting point.

At the foot of Ma’an Mountain, the landscape,city, and people are ready to embrace each other.

At the Sino-French Eco-city, romantic interactions are happening every now and then.

“With the opening of direct flights from Wuhan to Paris, the bond between the two cities has become deeper and deeper. Today, lots of Chinese faces from Wuhan can be seen in the streets of Paris, and likewise, many French people visit Wuhan to enjoy its cultural and historical landscapes and eco-friendly environment.” The Ambassador of France to China, Jean-Maurice Ripert, said on the Opening Ceremony of the 4th Cultural and Tourism Festival of the Sino-French Wuhan Ecological Demonstration City on September 26th.

Although this was his first visit to Wuhan and the Sino-French Wuhan Ecological Demonstration City since taking office, Mr. Ripert led a delegation of 40 French companies for inspection. It is thus clear that French companies have regarded Wuhan as an important city in China to develop their business.

They certainly had a rewarding trip. In order to optimize the investment environment for French companies, the Sino-French Ecological City has been a pioneer in China to promulgate the “16 Preferential Policies for French Companies,” which include the setting up of an industrial guidance fund of RMB 200 million yuan, a loan subsidy of up to 1 million yuan for each French firm, an incentive of up to 45 million yuan for French enterprise headquarters, and an incentive of 15 million yuan for the R&D centers established by French firms on the Fortune 500 list or industry leaders.

Favorable conditions will surely attract business and investment. On September 27th, themed by “Green, Open, and Innovative—Sharing New Chances in the Belt and Road Initiative,” the 4th Sino-French Urban Sustainable Development Forum was the site of signing ceremonies for 21 investment projects, including 10 French-invested projects in the fields of alternative power, with a total sum of investment reaching 126.2 billion yuan.

Will it damage the ecosystem or drain up resources, as traditional urban development does,to vigorously develop economy? Will it impose heavier burdens on the Earth, environment, or cities? As for the answers, according to urban planners, the planning of eco-cities is the role model for urban sustainable development. The Sino-French Eco-city is never meant to cut off from industrial chains, but to divert its development track and establish an eco-friendly industrial cluster, so as to make other enterprises realize that ecological protection is the general trend.

Therefore, at the initial planning stage of the Sino-French Eco-city, urban planners have adopted the concept of “counter-planning.” According to them, “Urban design should never go against the nature of a landscape. Overcorrection can never happen. The buildings,like a stone rolling down a hill, should be accidentally and harmoniously ‘dropped’at the foot of the hill or on the riverside.” In order to preserve the original appearance of the landscape, all the urban building facilities should gently blend with environment.

攝影/倪娜 Photos by Ni Na

2014年3月26日，習(xí)近平主席訪問法國(guó)。在兩國(guó)首腦共同見證下，中法雙方政府代表在巴黎簽署“在武漢市建設(shè)中法武漢生態(tài)示范城意向書”。從此，在湖北省武漢市蔡甸后官湖地區(qū)，一座后工業(yè)化時(shí)代城區(qū)拔地而起，成為兩國(guó)可持續(xù)發(fā)展的生態(tài)示范城。

2017年2月23日，法國(guó)總理卡澤納夫與湖北省長(zhǎng)王曉東在后官湖國(guó)家濕地公園共同植下一棵銀杏樹，寓“生態(tài)之城中法共建，友誼之林萬古長(zhǎng)青”之意。

兩國(guó)各層次交往的知音越來越多。

中國(guó)機(jī)遇與法國(guó)浪漫相遇

知音故里，中國(guó)、法國(guó)的科技文化“相遇”。

馬鞍山下，山水、城市與人的“相遇”。

在中法生態(tài)城，這樣一場(chǎng)浪漫的相遇時(shí)時(shí)刻刻在上演。

“武漢至巴黎航班的開通，兩個(gè)城市之間的聯(lián)系越來越緊密。巴黎街頭出現(xiàn)越來越多的武漢人，而很多法國(guó)人也向往來到武漢、來到蔡甸旅游，欣賞這里的優(yōu)美人文歷史景觀和生態(tài)環(huán)境?！?月26日，中法武漢生態(tài)示范城國(guó)際旅游文化節(jié)開幕式上，法國(guó)駐華大使黎想動(dòng)情地說。

這是他履新后第一次來漢，也第一次來到中法生態(tài)城，便帶領(lǐng)40多家法國(guó)企業(yè)來到這里，說明法國(guó)企業(yè)對(duì)中國(guó)武漢的重視。

事實(shí)也證明，他們不虛此行。為優(yōu)化法國(guó)企業(yè)的投資環(huán)境，中法生態(tài)城制定全國(guó)首個(gè)專門針對(duì)法資企業(yè)的優(yōu)惠政策“法企16條”，包括設(shè)立2億元的產(chǎn)業(yè)引導(dǎo)基金，最多可給予每家法資企業(yè)100萬元的貸款貼息；最高可獎(jiǎng)勵(lì)法資總部企業(yè)4500萬元，獎(jiǎng)勵(lì)法資世界500強(qiáng)企業(yè)和行業(yè)龍頭企業(yè)設(shè)立的研發(fā)中心1500萬元。

Ecological protection should not only be the guiding principle for urban planning, but also for economic development. In terms of industrial forms, the 21 signed projects are either smart industries or asset-light ones.

Zheng Yuanbao, Chairman of the People’s Electronic Appliance Group, was appointed as the Business Attraction Ambassador of the Sino-French Eco-city and signed an investment agreement on September 27th. According to Mr. Zheng, the natural resources in the eco-city are never meant to be consumed,as they are the breeding bed on which innovative or intelligent enterprises survive. If an enterprise wants to expand its business to the world,it must abandon the assetheavy approach that consumes resources and transition to high value-added and asset-light projects.

Mr. Zheng’s idea has gained recognition from many entrepreneurs. Quite a few enterprises on Fortune 500 list coming to the Eco-city have a common understanding: it is a lucrative business to “discuss ecological protection” nowadays.

…

As a Wuhan native, it is our responsibility to tell a great Chinese story, promote the culture of friendship, constantly enhance the global influence of Hubei, and show the world an open Caidian, a friendly Hubei and an inclusive China.As the Sino-French Ecological Demonstration City is being constructed step by step,Caidian District or even Hubei Province has gained more and more regional influence in the interaction between China and France.

In the past, there was the epic tale of Boya and Ziqi, and today,when the reform and opening up is taking place, Caidian of Hubei will continue to write a new chapter in the Sino-French friendship, and make it the modern version of Boya and Ziqi.◆

栽下梧桐樹，引得鳳凰來。在9月27日舉辦的“以綠色·開放·創(chuàng)新——共享一帶一路新機(jī)遇”為主題的第四屆中法城市可持續(xù)發(fā)展論壇上，現(xiàn)場(chǎng)簽署21個(gè)投資項(xiàng)目，投資總額達(dá)1262億元，其中包括發(fā)過電力新能源等10個(gè)法資項(xiàng)目。

如此大力度發(fā)展經(jīng)濟(jì)，會(huì)不會(huì)像傳統(tǒng)城市發(fā)展一樣，給生態(tài)、資源造成嚴(yán)重破壞？會(huì)不會(huì)給地球、環(huán)境、城市帶來更大負(fù)擔(dān)？對(duì)此，規(guī)劃專家給出答案：生態(tài)城規(guī)劃，是城市可持續(xù)發(fā)展的典范。這座城并不是為了生態(tài)而閹割產(chǎn)業(yè)鏈，而是直接轉(zhuǎn)換發(fā)展軌道，建立一個(gè)生態(tài)發(fā)展的產(chǎn)業(yè)群，讓其他企業(yè)認(rèn)識(shí)到生態(tài)是大趨勢(shì)。

對(duì)此，在生態(tài)城規(guī)劃之初，規(guī)劃者就堅(jiān)持踐行“反規(guī)劃”的理念?！白匀槐镜资鞘裁?，設(shè)計(jì)建設(shè)就按這個(gè)來，不過多改動(dòng)，就像一塊山上滾下的石頭，偶然而和諧地‘插入’到山腳、水邊。”讓整個(gè)城市建筑設(shè)施，輕輕地放在自然本底上，保護(hù)自然山水連綿。

城市規(guī)劃如此，經(jīng)濟(jì)發(fā)展也同樣如此。從產(chǎn)業(yè)形態(tài)上看，21個(gè)簽約項(xiàng)目全部是“智慧型”“輕資產(chǎn)”。

人民電器集團(tuán)董事長(zhǎng)鄭元豹受聘生態(tài)城招商大使，并于27日當(dāng)天簽約投資生態(tài)城。他說，生態(tài)城優(yōu)厚的自然資源稟賦不是用來消耗的，這種資源是創(chuàng)新型智慧型企業(yè)共生的土壤。企業(yè)走向全球做生意，必須摒棄資源消耗型“重資產(chǎn)”方式，轉(zhuǎn)型“輕資產(chǎn)”高附加項(xiàng)目。

鄭元豹的想法得到許多企業(yè)家的認(rèn)同。不少來到生態(tài)城的世界500強(qiáng)企業(yè)都有共識(shí)：現(xiàn)在，“討論生態(tài)”是一件很賺錢的事。

講好中國(guó)故事，讓知音文化走出去，不斷提高湖北的國(guó)際影響力，向世界展示一個(gè)開放的蔡甸、友好的湖北、包容的中國(guó)。隨著中法武漢生態(tài)示范城的逐步建設(shè)，蔡甸乃至湖北在中法兩國(guó)的交往活動(dòng)中，不斷彰顯著重要的區(qū)域影響力。

古有伯牙子期“高山流水遇知音”的曠世佳話，在改革開放正當(dāng)時(shí)的今天，湖北蔡甸將續(xù)寫中法友好新篇，成為書寫新的知音故事?！?/p>

向世界講述“知音”故事——中法武漢生態(tài)示范城印象

文/劉冬莉 王易安譯/朱亞光