杭州觀察（八）
馮儁熙
二零零三年十一月七日
衢州行（二）：廿八都鎭與仙霞關
次晨，我們到山區的廿八都鎮。它位於浙江省、福建省和江西省之交界，故諺雲：「雞鳴三省」。這裡曾是來往三省商旅的必經之路，故在晚清時期，有不少商人在此定居下來。他們留下的豐富的木建築，對於都市人如我者，自然是趣味盎然了。
鎮裡又分新舊二鎮，為一小河所隔。新鎮者，一如大陸各處之城鎮，兩層高的磚造樓房，外牆粉白，每間都是同一風格，沒有任何特色。然而，一踏進舊鎮，就完全是另一番景致。百年老的木房子，雖經歲月滄桑，仍然能保存至今，基本上還是完整的。這些大宅今雖由多家所分，（原本的地主多已於五十年代被殺或被逐，而其地產則被均分給農民，）仍可想像其昔日之輝煌。由於房子的裡外都是木結構，若沒有大維修的話，是很難繼續存在幾個世紀的。（在傳統歐洲，教堂和其他主要的世俗建築物是以石頭來建造，所以可以保存上幾個世紀，反之傳統中國的是木建築，腐朽倒塌得快。是故，如今中國保留下來的古代建築沒有歐洲的多。）
舊時王謝堂前燕 飛入尋常百姓家
Old grand houses are now owned by local
peasants.
近年，因要發展旅遊，政府決定把舊鎮保留下來，那兒的房子都有一塊石匾額，以表明是受政府保護的。但是由於缺乏資金維修，很多房子都是破破爛爛的。（政府沒有錢，農民就更是如此。）其實很多農民都很想把他們的房子拆掉，再在原地蓋起新房子來，因為這樣要比維修保養這些老房子來得便宜。對於政府也好，文物保護分子也好，這都是一個兩難。一方面，無論是為了經濟（旅遊業）的好處，還是文化遺產的內在價值，我們都希望保留這些老房子，不然它們將會在這現代化的過程中瞬間消逝。但另一方面，這些貧窮的農民也要改善他們的環境呀。在這貧窮的山區，地方政府缺乏資金是很正常的事情，所以真的是左右為難。如今我期望的是多些遊客到這些可愛的舊市鎮旅遊去，也許透過旅遊業，他們有辦法籌募足夠的資金來保護這些老房子吧。
當我走進房子間的小胡同時，我覺得自己在走進往昔。這個舊城就像歷史在重演一樣。小孩子開心地在地上玩陀螺，兩隻大懶豬（按字面義解）在地上睡覺。五六十年代毛主席的口號仍可見於牆上，例如：「一切反動派都是紙老虎。看起來，反動派的樣子是可怕的，但是實際上，沒有什麼了不起的力量。」毛澤東的畫像與祖先牌位被放在一起。還有人在製造簑衣。理髮廳的椅子真的很古色古香。婦女仍在河邊洗衣服。鐵匠在我們這些城市人面前打鐵，展示一下傳統的做法。簡直是一所活生生的博物館。本地人對我們很熱情友善，樂於向我們介紹他們的日常生活、風俗，以致家庭歷史。門戶都是開著的，我們可以自由進出，與裡面的老頭與少兒談天。當我對小朋友的陀螺和農民的豬感興趣時，也許他們也會覺得這個城市人真奇怪，竟去幫他們的玩具和牲畜拍照。
但稍停一會兒：誰是觀察者？誰是「展品」？我們發覺由我們抵達的那一分鐘起，我們就被當地人留意著：一輛旅遊車，上面寫著「浙江大學」四個大字，載著一班好發問與拍照的遊客。難道我們就是人類學上所謂的被觀察的觀察者？
紅太陽 與 天地國親師之位
The red sun and the shrine of “Heaven,
Earth, State, Ancestor and Teacher”
然而，現代化是一直在進展中的。新鎮裡，新房子在建造中。竹製品成了農民的第二收入來源。我想接下來的將會是旅遊業吧。我們在鎮裡遇到幾個中國遊客，也見到一份廣告：一戶人家把自己的老家改成了一幢旅館，還附有一間小博物館，收藏著從鎮裡收集回來的傳統工兿品。一場「資本主義革命」在默默進行中。
我也留意到在一間關了門的店鋪門外，（那天是星期天，）掛著一幅非傳統對聯：「人信耶穌得生命 家有基督滿恩典」。在如此僻遠之地看到它，我也感到詫異。我想，在這兒作一個信徒也真不容易啊。最近的教會也許要乘一小時的車到江山市才會找得到。
紅 與 綠
Red and green
這是我第一次（認真的）到傳統中國農村裡去。（八十年代隨祖父母和外袓父母到廣東的鄉下去的時候，年紀實際太小，沒有留下什麼有用的記憶。）歐洲的農村與中國的實在差距太大。即使住在僻壤之農房，歐洲人仍可過著與城市差不多的生活。但與此相反，在中國大陸，鄉村的農民要比城市人貧窮得多。農村的生活環境、教育與醫療都比城市要差得多。一如在其他的發展中國家，二三十歲的人都跑到城市去工作了，只有一老一嫩留守在這些老房子裡。
仙霞關附近的農村
Farming villages near the gate of
Xian-xia.
午飯後，我們終要離開這美妙的小鎮。回程路上，我們到仙霞關去，那兒也有國民黨特務頭子戴笠的故居。不過由於那兒的負責人要我們買三十元的票（包括兩個景點），但我系的系主任也許是覺得太貴吧，而且他們只想看仙霞關而已，最後我們雖過其門而不入，真可惜！但當我們站在他們的角度上看，便可以理解。對於一個桔子只賣五毛錢一市斤（一市斤即0.5公斤）的地方，對於一次只需付六十元的旅行（兩日一夜！），三十元的票價真的是不合理的。
無論如何，對我來說，這次旅行「抵到爛」！
原著為英文，中譯本完成於二零零三年十一月十四日
在二零零三年十一月十九日加入照片
訂正於二零零三年十一月二十八日
Observations
in
Isaac
Chun Hai Fung
The journey to Quzhou (2): The town of Nian-ba Du and the gate of Xian-xia
The next
morning we went to the town of Nian-ba Du (廿八都鎮) (Nian-ba means
28) in the mountains. It is on the border of Zhejiang
province with two other provinces, Fujian (福建) and Jiangxi (江西), and so there is saying: “When the rooster
crows, people from three provinces can hear it.” (雞鳴三省) It was once on a trading route through
these three provinces and many merchants from other provinces had settled down
there in late Qing dynasty (1616-1911). They left
behind a wealth of old wooden architecture which was so fascinating in the eyes
of city-dwellers like me.
There
were a new town and an old town, separated by a small river. The new town was
like any other towns you can find in mainland
精緻的木框
Delicate wooden framework
In
recent years, for the sake of tourism, the government decided that the old town
should be left intact and all these houses were marked with a plaque stating
that they were protected by the state. However, due to lack of funds for
renovation, many of these houses were left in a state of disrepair. (The
government did not have enough funding and so as the peasants.) Many of the
owners of these houses would actually prefer to have them torn down and build
on the very sites modern houses, as this was much cheaper than preserving these
old houses. It seems to me that it is really a dilemma for both the government
and the preservationists. On one hand, whether for the sake of the economy
(tourism) or the intrinsic value of cultural heritage, we would like to
preserve these old houses as otherwise, they are disappearing quickly in the
process of modernisation. But on the other hand, these poor farmers do need to
have their living conditions improved. In such a poor mountainous area, lack of
local government funding is normal and it is difficult to find a way out. What
I hope is that more tourists can find their way to these lovely old towns and
hopefully through tourism, enough money can be raised for their
preservation.
On my
way through the narrow alleys between the houses, I found myself entering into
the past. The old town is like history played “live”. Children were playing
whipping-tops (陀螺) happily while two pigs were
lying on the ground, sleeping lazily. Maoist slogans of the 1950s and 60s were
still on the wall, e.g. “All reactionary forces are paper tigers.
Superficially, reactionaries look very scary, but in reality, they don’t have
any over-riding power.” Posters of Maoist personal cult were venerated next to
the shrines of the ancestors. Palm-bark rain cape (or alpine rush, 簑衣) were being made and the chair in the
barber’s shop was really old-fashioned. Women still did their washing in the
river. Iron-smiths did iron-finishing in front of us, showing us city-dwellers
the traditional way of the trade. It was just a live museum. The locals were very
warm and friendly and were keen to explain their daily life, customs or even
family history to us. The gates and doors were open and we could just walk into
any of these houses and chat with the old and young inside. While I was
interested in the whipping-tops of the children and the pigs of the farmers,
perhaps they would find it really funny why this city-dweller would take photos
of their toys and livestock.
打鐵工場
Ironworks
But
pause for a moment: who were the observers and who were the “exhibits”? We
found ourselves being observed by the local people since the very minute of our
arrival. With the name “
Nonetheless,
modernisation is on the way. New houses were being built in the new town.
Production and sales of bamboo woven articles became the second income of the
peasants. The tourist industry should be the next. We met several Chinese
tourists in the town. There was also an advertisement: a family has actually
turned their house into a hotel with a museum of a private collection of
traditional artefacts from the town. A “capitalist revolution” is taking place
quietly.
I also
noticed a non-traditional pair of Chinese verses on the front of a closed shop
(we were there on Sunday): “A person who believes in Jesus receives Life/ A family with Christ is full of grace.” I was surprised to
find this in such a remote place. It must be quite tough to be a believer there
as the nearest church is probably in an hour drive away in the city of
簑衣
Palm-bark rain cape
This was
my first proper experience of traditional rural
We left this
wonderful town after lunch. On our way home, we went to the valley where the
gate of Xian-xia and the old home of DAI Li (head of
special agents of the Nationalist government in the 1930s and 40s) are.
However, because the officials there required us to buy a combined ticket of 30
yuans for both sites and perhaps our department head
thought that it was too expensive and that they just wanted to see the gate
only, we did not visit it in the end. What a pity! But if we put ourselves in
their shoes, we could understand why. In a place where 1 kg of oranges costs
only 1 yuan (8 pence), and on a journey which I only
have to pay 60 yuans in the end (a trip of 2 days!!),
a ticket of 30 yuans is definitely unreasonable.
Anyway,
such a trip is big treat for me!
Chinese translation finished on
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