3527 公里外的春与冬
[马来西亚]林巧薇?哈尔滨工业大学
中国对于我来说是一个既熟悉又陌生的国家。中华文化在我的成长过程中扮演着非常重要的角色,中国丰厚的文化底蕴在马来西亚被一代接一代地传承下来并延续至今。从儿童时期必背的《弟子规》,到青少年时期的古诗文,再到校园里学习的八德——孝、悌、忠、信、礼、义、廉、耻。在校外,中华传统节日时亦能看见许许多多华社在准备活动,比如端午节包粽子以及槟城的国际龙舟赛。虽然由于受到疫情影响,龙舟赛事、中秋晚会以及清明扫墓祭祖这类聚集活动无法进行,但我仍坚信,疫情过去后,这些中华传统文化活动终将回归,也会再次展现出中华文化的魅力。
哈尔滨工业大学 / 林巧薇提供
第一次踏入中国是在我16岁的时候,飞机从槟城起航,我内心的激动在飞机直冲云霄时达到了顶点,经过了4小时的飞行后顺利抵达广州白云机场。还记得刚下飞机时天空还算晴朗,抬头望去,阳光透过云的缝隙洒在身上,春天的阳光比起夏天的更为柔和,晒在身上暖洋洋的。但在坐巴士前往清远市的途中天气忽然转阴,看着乌云慢慢遮住了天,雨开始滴滴答答地落在窗外,窗内的气氛似乎也受到了天气的影响,乘客们不发一言,或玩手机或补眠,整个巴士里似乎只有我躁动的心在期待着接下来的旅程。春雨来得快,去得也快,到了酒店放下行李后,雨也恰好停了。我独自在酒店附近溜达,碰巧赶上当地小学放学时间,我看着他们在一个胡同里进进出出,出来的时候手里都拿着一些小玩意儿,我也好奇地跟了进去。那是一个人间烟火味极浓的胡同,胡同口的大树枝叶茂密,阳光透过叶的缝隙照在身上也不感到热,恰好能给在胡同里行走的人们遮阴。从大树旁望去,映入眼帘的是一家家肉铺、肠粉铺、麻将馆以及小卖铺,因为还没到饭点,各个铺子里的人都不是那么多。我看着麻将馆里几位大爷边喝茶边打麻将,看着肠粉铺老板制作着跟马来西亚猪肠粉完全不一样的窝仔肠粉,后边儿的老板娘一手收拾着碗筷,一手拿着抹布擦着桌子。但最吸引我的还是门前聚集着一群小学生的小卖铺,凑近一看,小朋友在挑选辣条以及各种小零食,也有一些小朋友筹钱买了份大包装的辣条,在回家的路上一边吃辣条一边跟好友嬉戏,无一例外的是他们脸上都洋溢着笑容。我进入小卖铺后也买了一些小零食,老板娘亲切地跟我交谈了几句后就说我是外地来的,粤语口音跟本地的不一样,知道我不是本地人后便开始给我介绍来到清远市该吃什么和玩什么,甚至连会踩雷的店铺都一一告诉我。之后我也经常往她铺子跑,听她说故事,陪她聊聊天。在聊天时我跟阿姨透露马来西亚没辣条,等回国后估计只能买超贵的进口辣条了,结果阿姨知道我要回国时还送了我好多辣条呢。那一趟旅途留给我最深的印象不是美食以及美景,而是中国人的人情味以及真诚善良。我到如今都记得,风吹过胡同里的大树,树叶的沙沙声跟小朋友的嬉戏声结合在一起的声音,阿姨笑着在门口说:“来啦靓妹,快进来坐。”
哈尔滨工业大学 / 林巧薇提供
回到马来西亚后我对中国念念不忘,不论是这个国家环境带给我的感觉,还是中国人热情好客的个性和生活上的便利,都让我想更接近中国一些。高中毕业后,我知道我的机会来了,到中国上学、生活的机会来了。但同时疫情席卷全球的情况打断了我的念想。那是2019年末,我看到新闻上播报着中国出现疫情,武汉进入封城状态,却又无能为力,无法提供实质性的帮助。当时各个社交媒体上假消息满天飞,人们都陷入恐慌及无助,但是随着方舱医院的建立,中国人民齐抗疫以及在援鄂医疗队的共同努力下,中国疫情逐渐平稳可控,中国经济复苏,大小企业都恢复运作,年前积压的订单以及新订单接连涌来,虽然忙,但也说明中国正式恢复至疫情前的模样,我想大家都是忙并快乐着的吧。因疫情管控我无法回到中国,我就会想这场雨是不是跟我从白云机场到清远途中的那场雨一样,是不是也能感受到雨后略带寒意的风吹到身上凉飕飕的感觉。在预科结束后,我遗憾的是无法亲自到杭州体验杭州人的日常生活,吃杭帮菜以及感受“上有天堂,下有苏杭”的美景带给我的震撼。
哈尔滨工业大学 / 林巧薇提供
预科结束后我顺利被哈尔滨工业大学录取,依旧采用线上教学。10月份的时候哈尔滨下雪了,听别人说2020年的雪比之前来得早一些,这场雪是我在入中国足彩在线就期待能亲眼看见的那场雪,在入中国足彩在线我甚至都想好我要跟朋友们一起喝着热水迎接着初雪的到来。但现实却是我只能看着微信以及QQ上一张张的雪人以及雪景,想象着雪是什么样子的,是不是真的像动画片一样是带有花纹的六角形,待在雪地里是不是跟待在结霜的冰箱里一样,睫毛跟头发在踏入户外后真的会结冰吗?带着这样的疑惑,我觉得返校后第一次体验冬天的我应该会超级兴奋以及感动吧。返校后,除了完成学业以外,我也想体验在春季的时候哈工大校园里盛开的紫丁花香,夏季的时候跟三五好友早上逛早市,晚上吹着夏风撸串,秋季的时候看五花山色,看看秋风为群山披上各色新衣的模样,冬季拥有下雪初体验,滑雪、溜冰一样不落,顺便看看结冰的松花江是什么样的,将我的大学时光活成以后回想起来都会带着笑的样子。
九江 / 林巧薇提供
经历了1年的网课学习,我发现我对中国的喜爱不减反增,对于抵达中国后的生活越发翘首以待,感受南北差异带来的趣事,同时也想念着中国美食的滋味。只希望全球疫情能够尽快稳定下来,世界和平,早日返校吧!
Spring and Winter 3,527 Kilometers Away
[Malaysia] Lim Qiao Wei, Harbin Institute of Technology
China is a country that is both familiar and unfamiliar to me. Chinese culture has played a very important role in my upbringing, whose rich heritage has been passed down from generation to generation in Malaysia until this day, including from the compulsory recitation ofthe Disciples’ Rules as a child, to the ancient poems as a teenager, and to the eight virtues learned on campus – namely filial piety, fraternity, loyalty, trust, propriety, righteousness, integrity and shame. Outside of school, many Chinese communities prepare for traditional Chinese festivals, such as making zongzi on the Dragon Boat Festival and holding international dragon boat races in Penang. Although due to the epidemic such gathering activities as dragon boat races, Mid-Autumn Festival parties, and ancestor worshipping at Qingming are not possible, I am confident that when the epidemic is over, these traditional Chinese cultural activities will return and will once again show the charm of Chinese culture.
The first time I stepped onto the land of China was when I was 16 years old. The plane took off from Penang and my excitement reached its peak when the plane flew straight up into the sky. I remember when I first got off the plane, the sky looked clear, and when I looked up, the sunlight was sprinkled on my body through the gaps in the clouds. The sunlight in spring was more comfortable than in summer, and I felt pretty warm. But on the way to Qingyuan city by bus the weather suddenly turned cloudy. Dark clouds slowly covered the sky and rain began to drip outside the window. The atmosphere inside the window seemed to have been affected by the weather. The passengers did not say a word, who either played with cell phones or caught up on sleep. It seemed that I was the only one with a restless heart in full anticipation of the upcoming journey. The spring rain came and went quickly. When I arrived at the hotel and dropped off my luggage, it also stopped raining. I wandered around the hotel alone and happened to catch the local elementary school’s dismissing time. I watched the students go in and out of an alley, coming out with some trinkets in their hands. I curiously followed them in. It was a hutong with a strong human flavor. The big trees at the entrance were thickly-leaved, and the sun shone through the gaps in the leaves without making people feel hot, but just giving enough shade to the people walking in the hutong. Looking from the tree, I saw meat stores, steamed rice noodle roll stores, mahjong parlor and shops. Since it was not yet mealtime, there were not many people in each store. Several uncles in the mahjong parlor were drinking tea as they played mahjong. The boss of the steamed rice noodle roll store was making Wo Tsai rice noodle rolls, which were very different from Malaysian pig intestine rolls. What attracted me most was the shop with a group of elementary school students gathered in front of the door. Moving closer, I saw that the children were picking out spicy strips and various snacks. Some of them paid together for a large pack of spicy strips and played with their friends while eating on the way home. All of them wore smiles on their faces. I entered the shop and also bought some small snacks. The boss lady kindly chatted a few words with me and then said I must be from abroad because my Cantonese accent was different from the local’s. After knowing I was not a local, she started to introduce me what to eat and what to play in Qingyuan City and even told me the notorious stores that I should definitely avoid. Later on, I often went to her store to listen to her stories and chat with her. During the chat, I told aunt that there were no spicy strips in Malaysia, and that I could only buy super expensive imported spicy strips when I returned to Malaysia. It turned out that when she learned I was going back to my country, she gave me a lot of spicy strips for free! The deepest impression I had from that trip was not the food and the beautiful scenery, but the kindness and sincerity of the Chinese people. I still remember the sound of the wind blowing through the trees in the hutong, the rustling of the leaves, the sound of children playing together, and the lady smiling to me at the door and saying, “Hi pretty girl, come in and sit down.”
After I returned to Malaysia I couldn’t forget China. Whether the feeling from the country’s environment or the hospitality of the Chinese people and the convenience of living in China, all made me want to get closer to China. After graduating from high school, I knew my chance to go to study and live in China had come. But at the same time the epidemic which was sweeping the world interrupted my wishes. It was the end of 2019. I saw on the news that epidemic had broken out in various Chinese provinces and cities and that Wuhan was in lockdown. But I was not able to do anything to provide any substantial help. At that time, fake news flew on social media and people were in panic and helplessness. But with the establishment of the mobile cabin hospitals, Chinese people’s concerted efforts to fight the epidemic and the joint efforts of the medical teams assisting Hubei, China gradually had the epidemic under control. Chinese economy has recovered, businesses of all sizes have resumed operations, and business orders old and new keep coming in. Although people are busy, it also proves that China has officially come back to the way it was before the epidemic. I guess people must be busy and happy. I can’t return to China due to the epidemic control. I wonder if the rain is the same as the one I experienced on my way from Baiyun Airport to Qingyuan, and if I can also feel the slightly chilly wind blowing on my body after the rain. After the preparatory education, I regretted that I couldn’t go to Hangzhou to experience the daily life of Hangzhou people, to eat Hangzhou cuisine and to experience the amazing beauty of “There is Paradise in heaven and Suzhou and Hangzhou on the earth.”
I was admitted to Harbin Institute of Technology after the preparatory education, and I am still taught online. The first snow came in Harbin in October. I heard from others that the snow in 2020 came earlier than before, and this snow was the one I had been looking forward to seeing with my own eyes before I enrolled. I had even thought I would drink hot water with my friends to welcome the arrival of the first snow. But the reality is that I could only look at the snowmen and snow scenes on WeChat and QQ, imagining what snow looks like, and whether it is really a patterned hexagon like in cartoons. Are they the same feeling staying in the snow and staying in a frosted refrigerator? Will eyelashes and hair really freeze when stepping outdoors? With such doubts, I think I would be super excited and moved to experience the first winter after returning to school. After I return to school, besides completing my studies, I would like to experience the fragrance of lilacs in spring on the campus of Harbin Institute of Technology, go to the morning market with several friends in summer, eat barbecue in evening summer breeze, watch the colors of the mountains in autumn and see how the autumn breeze has dressed the mountains in colorful clothes, and own the experience of the first snow in winter with skiing and skating and drop by the frozen Songhua River. I will live my college life in such a way that I will look back on it with a smile.
After a year of online studying, I find that my love for China has grown rather than diminished. I am looking forward to my life in China, to experience the interesting things that come from the differences between the north and the south. I also miss the taste of Chinese food. I just hope that the global epidemic will decrease soon, the world will be at peace, and I will be able to return to college soon!