Chapter 42 me and beijing

My relationship with Beijing is deep and growing day by day.I have written more than one article about "Beijing and Me".When Beijing is mentioned, I think of her past, present and future, and I always have endless words. My "imagination" of Beijing was not very good when I was a child.The uncles of my alliance members often told me, who was naive, many facts about the corruption, incompetence, loss of power and humiliation of the Qing government in Beijing at that time, which made me loathe Beijing, where the government is located.When I arrived in Beijing in early 1913, I was only thirteen years old. The carriage passed through the thick gray city walls, walked on the dusty streets, entered the muddy and narrow alleys, and entered the small courtyard house I spent my childhood in Yantai, Shandong, where the sea and sky are vast, and Fuzhou, Fujian, where the mountains and rivers are beautiful, and I suddenly felt overwhelmed.

My love for Beijing began when I came into contact with the banner people in Beijing.Of course there will be Lao She and Luo Xintian in the future. The landlord who lives in the neighboring courtyard, Mrs. Qi's family, came to greet me as soon as we moved in.The original family name of the Qi family is Qi (later I heard from a Manchu doctor friend that there are eight most common surnames for Banner people, namely Tong, Guan, Ma, Suo, Qi, Fu, An, and Lang). After the founding of the Republic of China, they Only then changed the Chinese surname.She taught me a lot of polite language, such as saying "you" to elders or strangers, saying "sorry" quickly when stepping on someone's foot, asking someone to do something or help, don't forget to say "excuse me", please When giving way, say "Excuse me".These words and sounds are very polite, crisp and melodious.She often invited me to "listen" to operas. I was in Yantai when I was young, and my father took me to see the operas of the Three Kingdoms. We southerners can only watch but not "listen".The first time we "listened" was "Fenhe Bay" by Mei Lanfang and Mr. Wang Fengqing.Not only was I amazed by the beauty and heroism of the actors, but I also loved the softness and desolation of the singing. From then on, I fell in love with Peking Opera.

At that time, the palaces and gardens in Beijing were not yet open to the common people. The first thing I visited was the temples in Xishan.I went to middle school, and after 1917, I participated in several girls' summer gatherings, and traveled to the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, Biyun Temple, etc.At that time, there were no buses, and people rode donkeys from Xizhimen to Xishan.As soon as I stepped on the back of the donkey, I suddenly recalled the skill of riding a horse when I was young. Although the little donkey is not as obedient as the old horse, I can still whip it to urge it to run fast.As a result, I was the first among my classmates to arrive at the Temple of the Reclining Buddha that day.

Afterwards, places of interest in Beijing were gradually opened to the common people.I marvel at the jade steps, corridors, railings of all the majestic palaces...and my favorite is the Temple of Heaven!When I came to the Temple of Heaven for the first time, passed through the towering green cypresses on both sides, and looked up to see the round ancient building covered with three layers of blue glazed tiles on the round stone base, I actually shed tears. The tears of conversion! The second is Jingshan, just because from the top of this small mountain, you can have a panoramic view of the great Forbidden City in Beijing.Since then, whenever foreign friends come to Beijing and ask me which scenic spot I want to visit first, I always say: There are many scenic spots in Beijing, but the Temple of Heaven is a must, and Jingshan is a must. .

In 1923, I went to the United States to study. When I saw the greenery of the New World, I was infinitely envious.In the 20th newsletter of "Send to Young Readers", I said with emotion: "... There are no green forests in my hometown, and there are no grassy grass in my hometown. Beijing only has dusty streets, muddy alleys, gray walls, and sweaty rickshaw pullers. My hometown, my Beijing, is I have nothing.” But in my letter to my mother, I said: “Although Beijing has nothing, but she has my love, and with my love, she has everything. Inside the gray city walls, my dearest Everyone who loves everything. Dust that flies, when will I smell the fragrance of my hometown again?"

From the time I returned from abroad in 1926 to the time I sadly left the occupied Peking in 1938, the "gloom" of Peking remained unchanged.I left the old capital and went south and west. I drove past the desolate and empty Tiananmen Gate in the "May 4th" era. , There is unspeakable sorrow and anger in my heart! After that, I spent a total of more than ten years in Yunnan, Sichuan, and Japan. In 1951, when I returned to the capital of New China, everything changed.I was pleasantly surprised to see my Beijing put on a neat and colorful new outfit!Gone are the dusty streets and muddy alleys, and the streets and lanes are being paved with asphalt.Rickshaws are gone, replaced by buses, and other kinds of vehicles.On Tiananmen Square are decorated red walls and yellow tiles, resplendent and resplendent.In the following years, the gray city walls were demolished, leaving only the magnificent front gate and watchtower.The Great Hall of the People and the History Museum were built, and the stone-covered Tiananmen Square was opened up.On the viewing platform in front of Tiananmen Square, I have watched the neat and majestic National Day parade and military parade with flags flying.On the Tiananmen Gate, I participated in a mass rally against imperialism and in support of the invaded and oppressed nations... These grand occasions were beyond my dreams when I was young.

During the ten-year catastrophe period, half of the time I was away from Beijing.But Beijing doesn't mention it at this time! After the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee, Beijing is radiant again!The trees on the street have been replanted, the pine walls have been trimmed, and bright red flowers are shining in the newly built flower beds. Although there is little rain and drought in Beijing, and the sand blowing from the desert outside the Great Wall from time to time, Beijing still insists on planting drought-tolerant luxuriant grasses on the roadsides and streets.I seldom went out for six years after my illness. Looking out from the car window of the car I went to the hospital once a month, I was happy to see the verdant trees and lush flowers and plants on the road from the western suburbs to the Dongcheng District, especially the The flower beds and lawns in front of Tiananmen Square have gradually become more colorful since summer... I know that from now on, the cityscape of Beijing will become more beautiful, neater and more modern day by day, year by year.

The younger generation of Beijingers are working hard, and I am already enjoying the harvest! (This article was originally published in the 11th issue of "Learning and Research" in 1986.)