Chapter 36 Three visits to London

London and Paris are two cities in Charles Dickens's famous book, and they both fell to each other, but separated by a "ridiculous strait", their styles are very different.The beauty of Paris is bright and fickle, and it has undergone revolutions in politics and literature.The beauty of London is graceful and mature. Since the revolution in the seventeenth century, there has been no major change. No matter how the European wind and rain blow, it always maintains its own style.It's hard to imagine how the Eiffel Tower could stand on the banks of the Thames, or how a glass pyramid could appear in Belgrave Square.

In nostalgic movies, London used to be foggy.Mrs. Olin said at the end of Wilde's comedy "Mrs. Wen's Fan": "The fog in London has too many gentlemen, Mrs. Wen. I don't know whether the fog brings the gentlemen or the gentlemen bring the fog. "This was a joke a hundred years ago, and due to strict enforcement of environmental protection regulations, the London fog has become a thing of the past. But after the fog cleared, the other scenery did not change. Above the majestic and towering Capitol, the thirteen-and-a-half-ton Big Ben, on the top of the resplendent tower, still rings the time of Greenwich every hour to the world.Wearing black velvet hats and scarlet uniforms, the Habayashi Army was still changing guards on time in front of the palace gate.Lawyers still silver their wigs and black their robes in court.Bank waiters still hoist their top hats and flick their tuxedos.The double-decker bus passing by is still so lively, and Ji Cheng Fangxuan from Shi Shi is still so dark and stable.When you walk on the long embankment, even the Thames, going east, still seems to be in the rhythm of Spenser's poetry.

I have been to London three times.The first time, in 1976, was to hold the International PEN.When I read the thesis "The Truth of Imagination", I sat side by side with me, including the old poet Spender, Poet Laureate Begeman, and American poet Robert Lowell. Unfortunately, no photos were taken.The second time was in 1985, purely for tourism.The third time was in October 1992, at the invitation of the British Literature and Art Association, together with Bei Dao, Zhang Rong, and Tang Tingting, went to six cities for a reading tour, and only three days in London. The prosperity of Britain lies in the reign of two queens: Elizabeth I and Victoria.Fang Qi ruled the world, and once called the country where the sun never sets.But now the sun is setting everywhere, the British Empire's overseas territories are running out, and Hong Kong, which will be returned to China in 1997, is counting down.The third time I flew to London was in the early morning of October. I got out of Heathrow Airport at exactly seven o’clock.London, which is at the same latitude as Heilongjiang, seems to have not woken up. Even in the capital city where the sun never sets, the old sun rises late and sets early.

The British Empire has long since disintegrated, and even the United Kingdom is in a bad mood.London, the beauty is indeed late, but under the mature wrinkles, it is still difficult to conceal her former dignity.Although the colonies have become independent one after another, English is prevalent in the world, and English has also brought Shakespeare, Dickens, Oscar Wilde, and the Beatles to the world.Although the people of the Commonwealth and its dependencies were dissatisfied with the British government, it was rare for anyone not to like London.From Pakistan to India, from Australia to South Africa, from Hong Kong SAR to Malaysia, how many people would rather stay in London, just listen to the English accents of various countries on Piccadilly Street, you can see how international this ancient city is.Lost the territory but won the system, lost the empire and spread the culture, the late London is still a moving beauty.