身為華人世界的一份子，來到中國的萬里長城，回想著長城的歷史興衰，格外令人發思古之幽情。那一天，我懷著無比期待的心情，準備踏上萬里長城最雄偉秀麗的精華段落之一 —— 北京慕田峪長城。
Being myself a member
of the Chinese world made coming to the Great Wall of China, and recollecting
the history of the Great Wall's rise and fall, all the more nostalgic. That
day, I held a mood of immense anticipation, and prepared to climb one of the
Great Wall's most quintessential locations of majestic beauty- Beijing
對我而言，過去在歷史課本中出現的萬里長城，即將真實地映入眼簾。然而，我確實沒有料想到，自己會以近乎驚險又夢幻的方式，一步步接近眼前壯闊的長城……
For me, the Great Wall as it
appeared in history books from my past was about as real as it could get.
However, I definitely did not expect myself, in an
almost thrilling and fantastic way, to be
approaching step by step in front of the magnificent Great Wall……
由於旅行團的行程緊湊，我們沒有時間慢慢步行，而是選擇搭乘一種吊椅式索車登上長城。我和另一位團員坐上吊椅之後，發現這種搖椅索車沒有什麼安全保護屏障，只有前端一條欄杆，任由雙腳懸空擺蕩，然後搖椅索車在翠綠山谷中往長城的方向攀升，逐漸愈升愈高，我們像是坐在搖晃的鞦韆上，深怕一不小心背包或相機會墜入深谷之中。但是，那種在高空中，與山谷之間的茂密樹林、蒼翠松柏，幾乎零距離的感受，實在太特別了。你彷彿化身為森林之王泰山，在綠樹群峰之間跳躍，要預備跳上山谷另一端、那愈加逼近、愈加壯麗的萬里長城。
As a result of the tight schedule
for tour groups, we didn't have time to walk slowly, so we chose to take a kind
of ski lift to climb atop the Great Wall. After another member of the group and
I sat on the lift, I discovered that the bench didn't have any safety or
protective barriers whatsoever, there was only one rail at the front which
allowed your feet swing freely in the air. Then in the middle of an emerald
green valley, the rocking chair lift rose toward the Great Wall, gradually
going higher and higher. It was like we were sitting on a rickety swing,
terrified that a backpack or camera would accidentally fall into the valley
below.
However, that feeling
of being high in the sky, among the valley's lush woods, green pines and
cypresses at a zero distance, was really something special. It's like you more
or less become Tarzan, the king of the forest, jumping from treetop to treetop.
We prepared to land on the other side of the valley, as it was increasingly
approaching, the Great Wall appeared even more magnificent.
此外，更令我驚奇的是，我從搖椅索車往下看，發現有一長條從長城直通山腳下的蜿蜒滑道，好比山谷中的超大型溜滑梯，一輛輛小型滑車，在彎彎曲曲的滑道上、高大而茂盛的樹叢之間穿梭，像極了童話故事裡的畫面。我坐著驚險的搖椅索車登上長城的同時，心中也暗自期盼，待會兒從長城下山時，我也要成為這童話故事的主角，搭著小滑車，在山林滑道中自由滑行，那會是多麼夢幻啊！
Additionally, even more
surprising was that, as I looked down from the chair lift, I discovered a long
strip of winding slide that stretched from the Great Wall all the way to the
base of the foothills. It looked like an enormous type of slide in the valley, with a team of small sleds
in the winding curvy chute, shuttling around the tall and exuberant groves
exactly like a scene from a fairy tale. As I sat in the chair lift on its
breathtaking ascent to the Great Wall, my heart also secretly hoped that
momentarily, while descending the Great Wall down the mountain, I would also
become the protagonist of this fairytale, riding a small sled and sliding
freely in the mountain forest! What a dream that would be!
登上萬里長城，一片晴空萬里，氣勢磅礡，壯闊美景不在話下。你會想到這裡就是中華民族抵禦外敵侵略的重要防線，也被視為世界建築史上一大奇蹟，它就像一條巨龍蜿蜒盤旋於群山之間。我和幾位團員踏上長城一層層的古老階梯，爬上一個個的碉堡，越過古城牆邊的炮台……突然，我的直覺告訴我，該是要沿著原路返回出入口的時候了，因為集合時間快到了，我還想玩剛才瞧見的「滑道」下山，或許遊客多到要排隊搭乘小滑車，算算時間，我必須原路折返了。
Atop the Great Wall was a clear
and boundless sky, full of power and grandeur, and scenery vast and beautiful
withal. You realize how this was an important line of defense for the Chinese
nation against foreign aggression, and how it has also been viewed as a world
wonder of architectural history; it is just like an enormous dragon winding and
wheeling around the mountains. Myself along with several members of the tour
group stepped along the Wall's layers of ancient stairs, climbed up tower after tower and surmounted a cannon block across from an ancient wall, ...when suddenly, my
intuition told me that it was time to follow the original path back to the
entrance, because the time to reassemble was approaching and I still really
wanted to take the "slide" I just saw down the mountain, and maybe a
lot of tourists were lined up to ride the sleds. When I figured the time, I
thought I had better take the way back.
但是，其他幾個團員都想繼續往上爬，想登上長城另一端的纜車出入口，並且拿著長城導覽圖，篤定地告訴我另一端也有滑道可下山。我就帶著一絲懷疑繼續跟著大家朝纜車前行，接下來的長城路段非常陡峻，加上艷陽高照，只能一步一步艱辛地往上爬，好不容易到達長城另一端的纜車出入口，沒想到竟然只見纜車，未見滑道，原來因為有團員看錯導覽圖，所以我被誤導了，失望的情緒盤據心頭，更氣自己當初沒有相信自己的直覺，我自己也沒有查看清楚導覽圖，就跟著大家走，否則我可能早已從從容容地搭上滑車，在山林滑道中穿梭，完成童話般的夢幻之旅了。
However, a few other members
wanted to keep climbing on, to ascend toward another cable car platform on the
Great Wall, even holding up a guide map assuredly telling me that this other
platform also had a slide I could take down the mountain. So, with a bit of
skepticism, I continued to follow everyone to the other cable car. This next
section of the Great Wall was incredibly steep, with the bright sun bearing
down, we were only able to climb one arduous step at a time, until after some
difficulty we arrived at the other cable car platform. I did not expect to
suddenly notice cable cars, yet no slide. As it turned out, the member of the
tour group looked at the map wrong, and so I was misled. Preoccupied with feelings
of disappointment, I was more frustrated at
myself for not trusting my own intuition at the time. I myself didn't even take
a good look at the guide map, I just followed everyone when I could have been
leisurely boarding a sled, shuttling down a slide in the mountain forest,
completing the journey of my fairytale dream.
事實上，此時離集合時間只剩半小時，好幾位團員都決定搭纜車下山和其他團員會合，但其中有一位團員，她也很想玩滑道，我們兩人詢問路旁賣飲料的小販，走回長城另一端的滑道出口，需要多久時間？他說回程幾乎都是下坡，大約20分鐘左右。於是，我們決定快速奔跑回去，也許還有機會圓夢！只是回程不像去程有興致沿路欣賞長城景緻和周邊山景，回程因為在趕路，必須一路衝刺回去。原本我們兩人一起作伴在長城上奔馳，但她的腳程實在快的驚人，好像練過輕功一般，不一會兒，就消失不見蹤影。
Actually, at this time we only
had a half hour until the group reunited. Several members of the group had
decided to take the cable car down the mountain to meet up with the others, but
among them there was one member, and she really wanted to ride down the slide.
We both asked one of the drink vendors on the path how much time would we need
to travel back to the slide entrance on the other side of the Wall. He said the
route back was basically all downhill, so about 20 minutes give or take. So, we
decided to quickly run back. Perhaps there was still a chance to realize my
dream! Only thing is, for the return trip we had no intent on going to the
points of interest to appreciate the scenery of
Great Wall and the scenic mountain views surrounding it. This return trip was
hurried; we had to sprint all the way back. Originally we were two companions
running together on the Great Wall, but her feet were astonishingly fast, like
she had practiced flying KungFu skills before, and in no time, she disappeared
without a trace.
那時的我，有一種被遺棄的感受，望著前方蜿蜒曲折的長城階梯，我獨自一人心情焦急、氣喘吁吁地奔跑著，又再次經過去程的一個個碉堡、一層層石階，在炙熱的陽光下，真是感到萬里長城「萬里長」呀！
At that time, I felt like I had
been abandoned. Looking ahead at the Great Wall's winding staircase, I was all
alone, feeling anxious, panting heavily while
running, once again passing through all those towers,
all the layers of stone steps, underneath the scorching sun, I was
really able to experience first hand the "Great"-ness of such an
endless wall!
幸好，我相信一路有主與我同行，否則實在太孤寂了！我邊奔跑邊禱告，我發現長城的碉堡、路段，看起來都好相像，我很擔心會錯過滑道出口。我正疑惑自己是否跑過頭時，突然有一位外籍人士，請我幫他拍照，也因此讓我停下腳步，竟然發現在轉角處，沿著一條狹窄石階下去，就是滑道出口了！感謝主，帶我找到出路。
Fortunately, I believe the Lord
was with me all the way, otherwise I really would have been too lonely! I
prayed as I ran. I discovered that the Wall's towers looked alike, and the roads looked alike, so I was
worried that I would miss the slide entrance. Just as I was doubting myself
about whether or not I had run too far, there was a foreigner who suddenly asked
me to help him take a picture, and because this made me stop my feet, I
unexpectedly noticed that around the corner, down along a narrow line of stone
steps, was the entrance to the slide! I thanked God for leading me to find the
way out.
果然，滑道出口人潮眾多、大排長龍，我雖然歷經千辛萬苦回到這裡，但集合時間迫在眉睫，內心經過一番掙扎之後，選擇做對的事，就是再次搭乘旁邊完全不需排隊的搖椅索車下山，準時集合，而滿心期盼的滑道之旅，就留待下次再來吧！我準時上了遊覽車，意外發現那位腳程超快、棄我而去的團員，竟然還沒上車？難道她決定去玩滑道，讓全車的人等她一個人？大家等了她許久，也開始擔心起她的安危。終於，她神情疲憊地上了車，原來，她在長城上一路奔跑，衝刺過頭，錯過出口，在長城迷路，找不著出口，真是所謂「欲速則不達」。
Sure enough, there was a crowd of
people at the entrance in a long line, and although I expended a lot of hard
work to get to this point, the time to regroup was looming. After going through
an internal dilemma, I chose to do the right thing, which was to board the same
ski lift down the mountain, located next to the slide without any line at all,
meet up on time, while saving the hope for a journey down the slide until the
next time I visit! I punctually boarded the tour bus, and just happened to
realize that the fast sprinter, the member who abandoned me and left, really
hadn't gotten on the bus? Had she really decided to play on the slide and make
an entire bus of people wait just for her? Everyone waited on her for quite
some time, and even started to worry about her safety. Finally, she tiredly
boarded the bus, turns out, she ran all the way across the Great Wall, sprinted
too far, missed the exit, got lost on the Great Wall, and couldn't find the
exit. Haste makes waste indeed.
這趟難忘的長城旅程，讓我深刻感受到，我們都需要找到屬於自己的生命節拍，踏著屬於你的步伐，走上屬於你的道路。我們必須清楚自己究竟想要什麼， 而非跟著人群或潮流走。我們要去聆聽內心的感動與直覺，留意神對我們的引導。在凡事講求快速的時代，我們更需要學習「慢活」，適時地停下腳步，找著生命的出口。
This unforgettable Great Wall
tour, made me feel deeply that we all need to find our own rhythm of life, a
march of your own pace, taking the path which belongs to you. We must be clear
on what we ultimately want, and avoid following crowds or trends. We should
listen to our inner feelings and intuition, and pay attention to the God's
guidance. In an era where everything emphasizes rapidity, we ought to learn
"slow living", to timely stop our pace and seek the exit of life.
神行事必定有祂最好的時間和方式。聖經傳道書提醒我們：萬事都有定時，「生有時，死有時；……拆毀有時，建造有時；哭有時，笑有時；哀慟有時，跳舞有時……尋找有時，失落有時；保守有時，捨棄有時；……神造萬物，各按其時成為美好，又將永生安置在世人心裏」（傳道書三2-4, 6, 11）
Acts of God
undoubtedly are His best time and way. Ecclesiastes reminds us, there is a time
for everything: "there is a time to be born, and a time to die......a time
to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to
mourn and a time to dance...a time to search and a time to give up, a time to
keep and a time to throw away......God has made everything beautiful in its
time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men" (Ecclesiastes 3:2-4,
6, 11)
你聽到那屬於你的生命節奏嗎？彷彿來自心靈的鼓聲，震撼你的心靈！
Can you hear the rhythm of life
that belongs to you? It's like a drum beating from your heart, shaking your
spirit!
作者:譚亞菁 Mar. 4, 2013
Translated by Parker
Gadbois
