Chapter 10 Resend Little Reader Newsletter 4

Dear children: Since leaving the motherland on March 21, it has only been more than ten days, how many years have passed for me!Firstly, in the past ten days or so, we have already flown across several Asian and European countries; secondly, the progress of our motherland is progressing by leaps and bounds. In the past ten days, I don't know how many new resources have been discovered, and how many inventions have been added!All these make foreign "wanderers" feel infinitely excited whenever they think of it! Europe is the place I used to travel to, and there is nothing particularly new. Now I only pick out the most prominent and beautiful scenery on the way to tell the children.

First of all, at dusk on March 24th, the section from Switzerland to Italy by train meanders along the foot of the Alps. The mountains reach the sky, covered with snow, and a pale yellow crescent moon hangs on the top of the mountain.The train was moving forward at high speed, and the snow mountains turned one after another outside the window, like a long marble screen, lined up in front of our eyes!The sky gradually darkened, and on the high snow-capped mountains, dots of orange-red lights appeared scatteredly, giving people an infinite sense of warmth amidst the coolness. When we woke up on the 25th, we had penetrated deep into the borders of Italy.

Italy is a culturally rich and beautiful country in southern Europe. Its terrain is like a boot extending into the Mediterranean Sea, facing the sea on three sides and having a mild climate.When the snow was several inches deep in the Swiss mountains, the fields here were already blooming with peaches and plums!We first arrived at the capital of Italy - Rome.This is an ancient city built on seven hills. The streets are undulating, and the remains of ancient Rome can be seen everywhere.On the streets, there are many fountains everywhere, and there are statues of gods, humans, fish, and beasts on the fountain seats, which are vivid in the light and shadow.

On the morning of the 26th, we arrived at Naples on the west coast of Italy, which is also a very beautiful seaside city.But what I want to describe to the children is Pumbai, which is 40 miles away from Napoli. It is an ancient city that was buried by lava and hot dust from a volcanic eruption nearly two thousand years ago.It was not excavated until after 1860. The city of Pangbei, which faces the mountains and faces the sea, was established in the sixth century BC - during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. In 80 BC—our Han Dynasty—it became a villa area for Roman aristocrats and wealthy families, with a population of up to 25,000.In August of AD 79, Mount Vesuvius behind the city suddenly erupted!The scorching dust all over the sky, and the boiling lava gushing out, within two or three days, this luxurious town was deeply sealed off.Most of the residents were lucky enough to break out of the siege, but there were at least 2,000 people who were old, weak, prisoners, and buried in the hot dust and fire.

We toured the ruins: most of the houses here have no roofs, only broken columns and decayed walls, standing in the sun!The road is paved with stones, and there are traces of deep ruts.In this city there are squares, temples, halls, courts, castles... and hotels and bathhouses line the streets.Rows of pottery wine tanks remain in the hotel; there are marble hot and cold baths in the bathroom, a dressing room, a massage bed, and stone carvings and murals on the walls.The house is especially particular: there are fountains and statues in the courtyard, and there are murals painted in red, yellow and black in each layer of the living room, which are bright and eye-catching!The back garden is also very spacious and decorated with many stone statues. I think the scenery must be beautiful in the season when the flowers and trees were verdant.What amazes me most is that these houses already have lead pipes and taps.The tour guide told me that the waterway next to it leads directly to Rome.

In the museum here, we can also see exquisite daily-use utensils made of gold and silver ceramics and glass, as well as gold and bead jewelry.In addition, there are the remains of humans and animals, with distorted shapes, and one can imagine the struggle and pain before death. My friend, the above paragraphs were written one after another, passing through several cities in southern Italy and Sicily. The seascape along the way is endless to describe; and the most difficult thing to describe is the love and yearning of the Italian people for China!We received the most touching welcome everywhere, especially in small and medium-sized cities, where the hospitality of the workers and peasants was the most sincere and warm!Bunches of flowers handed to us, such as roses, carnations, tulips... spoke many words for them.At mass gatherings, it was the loveliest Italian children who presented us with flowers.

The "friendship" and "peace" that came out of their mouths, the crisp voice, was almost sacred, and made us involuntarily burst into tears! Yesterday we crossed the sea and returned to the mainland of Italy, following the toes and heels of the boots on the map, and went straight up to the city of Bally on the east coast.Heading back to Rome tonight.Taking advantage of the day's visit schedule before starting, facing the sea in the morning light outside the window, and the seagulls flying lightly, I finished writing this letter to the children.I know that the children will care about my journey and are eagerly waiting for my news, but please understand the rush of our trip!Someone is knocking on the door outside, this letter must end, my heart is always with you, and I deeply bless you!

Your friend Bing Xin, April 4, 1958, Italy, Pali City. Collection of poems. ) Newsletter Five Dear children: In my last letter I mentioned my visit to Sicily.I have never been to this island before, so I have the deepest impression on it.This Sicily, known as football on the tip of the Italian boot, has an area of ​​25,000 square kilometers and more than 5 million residents.During the journey here, we have formed an indissoluble bond with the sea! The hotels we stayed in were all facing the sea, and the restaurants where we had dinner with our Italian friends also chose places of interest by the sea; we could hear gulls and tides on our pillows, and when we ate, we seemed to be sipping blue water Light.Driving all the way, along the circuitous coast, at a glance, there are either endless flat sand, or jagged reefs, with towering bunkers on them, and the boundless sea in front of you will always reflect the sky light The water is very blue; under the clear sky, it is even more like the ancient poem said: "The water is like jasper and the mountain is like a daisy", it is too glamorous to describe!The color is layer by layer, dark blue in the distance, emerald green in the near distance, and where there are streams and rivers entering the sea, the color of this layer of water is yellowish again.There is a Tang poem: "A setting sun spreads across the water, half of the river is rustling and half of the river is red." These two sentences are written very well, because it not only describes the setting sun, but also the breeze on the river, which is also expressed in the word "sizzling". !

On the other side of the car window, there are neat fields with green crops, or orchards on the hillside with thousands of apricot trees, peach trees, orange trees, and olive trees. Flowers bloom on Moshang, and the scenery is picturesque.The inhabitants of this rich and beautiful land are enviable! However, yesterday morning, I was flipping through an Italian photography album given to us by the "Middle East and Oriental Academy" in Rome, and read the preface on it, which read: Sicily, surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea on all sides, was also surrounded by the Greeks, Philip Nice people and Saracens lived together, and were occupied by Germans, French, and Spaniards... In Sicily, the peasants who were the backbone of the army of the Roman Empire lost their freedom. After acquiring the land, they were recruited into a team of landless serfs.The landlord lives in the city and only comes to his farm in summer to escape the summer heat. Dynasties have changed and the land has changed owners. To this day, no one who works hard on the Italian land is the owner of the land!What a miserable situation!The football on the toe of the Italian boot was kicked around on the feet of foreign rulers. Although there are some exquisite palaces and churches in the culture and art, there are the most exquisite gem inlaid patterns and colors inside. The murals are bright and vivid, but the life of the local peasants will always remain in a semi-feudal and semi-civilized state. The tragic situation of "there is no idle land in the world, and the peasants still starve to death" still exists here!

Carlo Levi, Italy's most famous poet, was sitting next to me at a dinner party in Rome.He kept telling me that in southern Italy, especially in Sicily, farmers lived a life of oppression and exploitation.The industry in northern Italy is relatively developed, but the resources in the south have never been exploited, so the hungry and unemployed teams in the south were recruited to work in groups in the north, and they were displaced in pain. The fate of the year! When the poet said these words, his expression was excited and his eyes were sad and angry, which cast a gloomy shadow on the beautiful scenery of Sicily in my memory!

I also recalled another poet, Boutida, who gave us the warmest welcome speech at the peasant welcome party in Bagheria, a small town on the island.Butida is the son of the poor people in Bagheria. He wrote poems in the Sicilian dialect, strongly exposing the dark life of the local people.He sent me a book of his poems: The French translation of "Bread is Bread" has a preface written by Carlo Levy, saying that Boutida called out the misfortune of the people on the island with a strong and powerful voice like steel. It's a pity that I don't know French, so I'll have to have someone read it to me in the future. The vastness of the people is the vast sky, and the poets of the people should be like the transparent sea under the sky, which will always faithfully reflect the light and shade of the sky and call out the people's joys and sorrows and hopes.In this way, there are colors and emotions in his poems.Both Levi and Butida are poets like the sea, and we should learn from them. Today is Easter. When I woke up early in the morning, I heard the melodious and loud bells coming from all around.In the city of Rome, there are more than 500 churches, large and small; when you look up, golden, green, and gray domes are hidden layer by layer among the trees.In the past few days, the streets of Rome, especially in the shop windows, have been filled with a festive atmosphere, and big eggs made of golden chocolate are everywhere.I went out for a walk this morning, because I will go to Florence tomorrow, I will send this letter to you first, the ancient sites in Rome, let’s talk about it later! Tonight there is a thunderstorm in Rome, the lightning flashes, and the thunder is as loud as a cannon.Now it is morning in the motherland, and the children are on their way to school, let's say good morning to you!Your friend Bing Xin, April 6, 1958, Rome, Italy. song collection. ) newsletter six dear children: On April 12th, we arrived in Venice on the east coast of Italy in light rain. Venice is a world-famous water city, and it is often compared to Suzhou in China.But Suzhou is basically a city on land, but there are many rivers and bridges in the city.Venice is made up of more than a hundred small islands. One wide and winding waterway is considered an avenue, and many other small waterways are called alleys.Three to four hundred bridges, large and small, connect clusters of buildings on these small islands.There are no horses or carriages here, only motorboats of various sizes that come and go, instead of buses and sleeper cars; in addition, there is also a small black pleasure boat with cocked ends, light and cute, called Gondola, which translates as "Joyful Crossing", which is also available. Homophonic understanding. This small town is very interesting!Just imagine: every household faces the water streets and alleys. When you open the door, you can see the rippling sea water and flying seagulls. Next to the stone steps at the door, there was thick moss growing. I jumped on the motorboat from the stone steps and went to the street.In this city, of course, there are churches, palaces, and other public buildings, all of which are close to the water's edge.At night, rows of lights, reflected in the trembling water, are really quiet and beautiful! Venice is one of the three major ports on the east coast of Italy for trade with the East, the other two being Bari in the south and Tristi in the north.In its prosperous era, in the thirteenth century A.D., during the Yuan Dynasty in China, a businessman named Marco Polo visited China and served as an official in Yangzhou.He lived in China for more than 20 years, and after returning to Venice, he wrote a travelogue, which is called the prosperity of Chinese cultural relics.In his travel notes, he described the Marco Polo Bridge in detail, so until now, Europeans still call the Marco Polo Bridge the Marco Polo Bridge. International trade goods are often the beginning of cultural exchanges, and the exchange of exquisite goods promotes mutual admiration and understanding between the two peoples.The people who work peacefully welcome this kind of "communication between existence and non-existence".In recent years, the trade between China and Italy has been greatly reduced due to artificial obstacles.The neglect of these ports has made Italian businessmen eager to reestablish diplomatic relations with China and unimpeded trade. We can hear this eager voice everywhere. The weather in Europe these days is really abnormal!Yesterday in the city of Padua, it was snowing heavily. The place was already full of peach blossoms and green willows, but the flakes of snow in the sky were falling one after another like rubbing cotton and wadding.It is the first time for me to see the harmonious spring scenery in the snow light! The snow turned into rain last night, and the coolness is overwhelming. Now there is a whistling sea breeze outside my window, and the sound of the wind is mixed with melodious bells. Recalling the early spring more than 20 years ago, I also swam in Venice in the rain. The bright side I have yet to see!Today is Saturday again, and in the silent hours I think of you with the utmost fondness.Children who live in school, it's time to go home now, right?Under the lights, what did you talk to your family members about?Is it the situation of your studies, or the plan to forge ahead?I haven't read the newspapers of my motherland for a few days, and the news is very alienated.You really can't go abroad for too long, if you can't keep up with your thinking, you will make people fall behind!The children will definitely laugh at me for being "sick of home" again, right? ——The people in the same company went out to visit in the rain, and I have to go on the road tomorrow. I will stay alone and write a few more lines when I have time, lest you look forward to it. I wish you a happy Sunday!Your friend Bing Xin, on the night of April 12, 1958, in Venice, Italy. Collection of poems. ) Newsletter Seven Dear children: Yesterday we returned to Switzerland from Italy, and tomorrow we will leave for England. The three-week trip to Italy should be a summary for you. We visited 20 cities in Italy. To sum it up, I really like Italy. First of all, its capital, Rome, is as beautiful and majestic as our Beijing.Its ancient buildings, sculptures, paintings, and unearthed cultural relics in the museums, like the buildings and museums in Beijing, fully present the amazing wisdom of its working people!Regarding Italy, I will talk about it in detail when I have time in the future. Now I will cite a few of the most prominent impressions and draw an outline for the children. The first one is: Europeans say that Italy is built with stones, which is a feature of ancient Italian architecture.Churches, palaces, castles, bridges, streets in ancient Italy... Most of them are paved with stones, at least the outside of the buildings are made of stone slabs and stone flakes; there are various colored stones on the ceiling and walls Figures inlaid with gemstones; there are stone statues on the roof, fountains and squares, which give people a solid and cool feeling at a glance.There are so many beautiful buildings in Italy that can be described. My favorite is the Leaning Tower, Church and Baptistery of Pisa.This cluster of simple, exquisite and solemn white stone buildings are arranged in front of a corner of the city wall, making people never forget it after seeing it! The second is: travel in Italy, everywhere can not do without water.Three-quarters of the border of Italy is adjacent to water. In the mountainous north, there are many beautiful lakes, large and small.There are all kinds of fountains in every city, the most beautiful one is Tivoli Spring Garden on the outskirts of Rome.This spring garden was originally a royal villa, built on a hill. There are 6,000 fountains in the garden, on the top of the mountain, on the pool, and beside the road... The wide ones are like curtains, the thin ones are like lines, and the big ones run down. , like a waterfall in the mountains, the small light sprays upwards, like fiery trees and silver flowers, intertwined in a piece of clear light, and then hear the sound of springs of different sizes, "big beads and small beads falling on a jade plate", this novel feeling is also true. Make people never forget! However, the most unforgettable thing is the lovely people of Italy!They are brilliant and passionate; this is reflected in their genius literary creations and scientific inventions; in their struggle for freedom and independence; in their love for friends.The Italian people regard the Chinese people as their best friends.They care about us and love us. They think that our achievements are their achievements;On the eve of our departure from Italy, in Turin, their heroic city, we were invited to a mass meeting—it should be added here: Turin was born in 1945, after the hard struggle of its own people Under, liberated.In this struggle, more than 47% of the people's guerrillas died!We once went to the tomb of the martyrs and laid bouquets—this meeting was held in a workers' club, and the venue was full of enthusiastic men, women and children, and the Chinese slogan "Welcome Chinese guests" was hung on the stage (it was the Italians themselves. Written), the long table is full of large and small wine glasses. They gave us Turin's specialty honey-sweet chocolate candies, scarlet roses, and poured us full of mellow Turin wine.Their welcome speech is sincere and warm.Each of our answers received thunderous applause and cheers.In the middle of drinking and chatting, people kept coming to shake hands and hug us, and children kept sending pictures and asking us to sign them. Speaking of Italian children, they are so cute!They are so innocent and lively, and so gentle and polite.In a future newsletter, I will tell you about the deep impression I had on a little Italian girl.We are gearing up again. "Let's listen to the next chapter to break it down"! Our visit to Italy ended in the above-mentioned upsurge.It was midnight when I got back to the hotel, and I couldn't fall asleep for a long time!The peace and friendship of the working people in the world is the most solid foundation for lasting peace in the world.In Asia, in Africa, in Europe, we have hundreds of millions of construction workers for the Peace Palace, laying the foundations of the house brick by stone.You are our successors, keep working hard! I wish you health and happiness. Your friend Bing Xin April 21, 1958, Borne, Switzerland. Collection of poems. ) Newsletter 8 Dear children: It has been ten days since I came to the UK, and I have a busy schedule for the visit.I am now in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland in northern England, in front of a hotel window. It is past midnight, the shadows of the trees are swaying, and the silver light of the full moon shines on my letter paper. Ripples in the ears.Taking advantage of the time when I can't sleep, come to write a few words to the children I miss. Before the Second World War, I went to England in the winter of 1936. I only lived in London for a week or two and paid short visits to Oxford and Cambridge universities.This time I come back again, I have traveled to many places, I have been in touch with a wide range of aspects, and I have a lot of feelings. I really don’t know where to start—let’s start with the "British Empire" of "The Hero of the World"! The United Kingdom-Great Britain is composed of Scotland in the north of the island of Great Britain, England in the south-central part, Wales in the west, and the northern corner of the island of Ireland. This island country located in the Atlantic Ocean in the northwest of Europe has an area of ​​only more than 240,000 square kilometers, but it has a colony that is 150 times larger than the mainland! The reason is: after the bourgeois revolution in the 17th century, Scottish worker Watt completed the manufacture of the steam engine in the 18th century. Since then, Britain has entered the period of mass production after the Industrial Revolution, with numerous factories, criss-crossing railways, and traffic The fleet of ships made "Britain the factory of the world, and the world the market of Britain"!The development of industry and commerce, the prosperity of overseas trade, the invasion of colonies, and the accumulation of capital have enabled it to master the hegemony of the sea.For three hundred years, it plundered and plundered infinite wealth from the colonies to build and support its homeland.Therefore, on the land of Britain, you can see palaces, churches, banks and other stone buildings that are darkened by smog on the outside and magnificent on the inside; green and vast gardens of aristocratic landowners; modern, gorgeous and comfortable hotels, clubs... ...the ruler of the "British Empire", living a life of extravagance and extravagance here! After the First World War, Britain's maritime hegemony was gradually transferred to the hands of the United States, and its economic strength began to waver.After the Second World War, the national liberation movements in Asia and Africa surged like a storm, and the colonial and semi-colonial countries became independent one by one. The "British Empire" is in decline and disintegration, but the vast number of working people and progressives in the UK insist on seeking a correct and bright way out in the struggle to defend peace and the rights of working people! The above is an outline of the current social situation in the UK. Now I will take my children to visit from London. London is the capital of the United Kingdom, located on both sides of the river Thames into the sea, with a population of nearly nine million.There are many tall buildings and flat streets, but what I appreciate most are the several large parks scattered in the city!Western park design is: few (or no) pavilions, but more trees and flowers.A large piece of green grass, a large pile of lush trees, a variety of bright flowers are planted on the edge of the grass, it is spring, the garden is full of yellow winter jasmine, purple lilac, red rhododendron ... The most refreshing and pleasing thing is the tulips of red, purple, yellow and white, each blossoming like a cup made of exquisite gemstones, inheriting the dew in the morning sun.There are benches under the trees and beside the road, where old people rest, read newspapers, weave, and children play games on the grass.After get off work at noon, there are many workers and staff sitting, lying, eating dry food, and basking in the sun on the grass—of course, this is a sunny day in spring. Generally speaking, London has much less sunny days than Beijing. Walking all the way north from London, taking a car or a train, you can see endless green pastures and fields all the way.Although the United Kingdom is in the same direction as our Heilongjiang in latitude—between 50 and 60 degrees north latitude, because it has a marine climate, it is humid and rainy, and it is suitable for greening. After the snow melts, what is exposed underneath is green velvet. Therefore, in the school and in the village, there is a large grassland everywhere, with some miscellaneous flowers planted beside it.This kind of garden or pasture is of great benefit to the recreation and health of the residents. Scotland has few fields and many pastures.We went to two cities, Glasgow and Edinburgh.I love Edinburgh!This city is surrounded by mountains and the sea, with a population of only half a million. The design of the streets is that there are houses on one side and gardens on the other, which makes it look clear and quiet. There are many small lakes in the mountains on the outskirts.We saw dozens of colorful tents and flags flying on the square behind the Forbidden City Hill.It is said that Scottish miners, as usual, celebrate their festival here on the first Monday in May. The celebratory program includes parades, dances, various labor sports competitions, competitions of workers' brass bands and wind bands, etc.It's a pity that we left last night and were not able to participate. Scotland's brass band is famous, and the players wear national costumes - pleated checkered skirts and stockings, a knife is inserted obliquely on the opening of the stockings, and a carved leather bag is hung around the waist.Often they played some of Scotland's most moving folk songs.Speaking of Scottish folk songs, at the welcome meeting of the UK-China Friendship Association in Glasgow last night, I heard many songs, most of which were written by the Scottish poet Burns in the 18th century. Burns was the son of a farmer and the favorite poet of the Scottish people.His poems are all written in dialect, full of people's character, sense of justice, simplicity, beauty, and strong musicality.When the accordion is played, the piccolo is played, and the singer starts to sing, just after singing a few lines, the audience can't help but cheer up and cheer up, and the audience is full of joy, singing one after another almost until midnight !Tonight, some Scottish poets invited me to have a chat in a tavern, and they talked about folk songs. There happened to be a few young students in the next seat, who were singing in a low voice. The poets surrounded one of the girls and invited me She sang for me, a guest from afar.She looked at me shyly—letting go of her clear and soft singing voice. After a while, those male and female students, as well as many guests, gathered around, some sang loudly, and some listened quietly with smiles. , until the closing time of the tavern—ten o’clock at night—we still moved from the inside to the outside, under the bright moonlight, and sang until midnight under the trees beside the road... Hearing people sing folk songs made me feel kind I vividly recall many of our own folk songs, especially the passionate folk songs sung by our brothers and compatriots, who stood up and praised Chairman Mao!Walking through the dense tree shadows all the way back, the moon was very bright, and the street was silent.Today is May Day again. There is no holiday here, and there is no parade. I think of the Tiananmen Square in Beijing, my motherland.Children, let's have fun, you are happy! In the surging sound of the music wave in my mind, I say a warm good night to my little friend! Your friend Bing Xin, Edinburgh, England, May 2, 1958