大使专访·下篇丨安博宁大使：我对四川花椒情有独钟，正在读老舍的《四世同堂》！Interview with Ambassador

我是一个（谦虚的）观鸟者，对雨燕特别感兴趣。北京雨燕的生活方式和迁徙给我留下了深刻印象。有一天，我来到天坛——我可能是上千名游客中唯一一个买票只为观察雨燕的人。我发现，它们在天坛筑巢，从上千名游客的头顶和身后飞过，而游客们似乎完全没有察觉！我很高兴看到景点管理处确保天坛的大门是始终敞开的，来保护鸟类。天坛是一个供奉神灵的地方，为农民带来繁荣和丰收。雨燕作为其独特的栖息者，就像是中国生物多样性和自然界的吉祥标志。

关于北京雨燕，我们也发布过其他文章（点击链接阅读）：

• 你知道吗，雨燕几乎一生都在空中度过？
  

• 唯一以“北京”命名的鸟类，明年开春又要回来了，我们能做什么来保护它们？Celebrating the Beijing Swift
  

• 大使会见唐瑞：原来北京有这么多的鸟！Belgian Embassy Learns About Birds in Beijing
  

As a (modest) birdwatcher, with a particular interest in swifts, I was impressed about the lifestyle and migration of swifts in Beijing. Visiting one day the Temple of Heaven, I was probably the one and only amongst the thousand visitors who bought a ticket - only to observe the swifts. And I discovered that they were nesting in the Temple of Heaven and flying straight over the heads and back of the thousand visitors who seemed totally unaware! It is great to see how park authorities protect the bird by ensuring that the doors of the Tempel remain open. The Temple of Heaven is a worshipping place to bring prosperity and good harvest to farmers. The swift - being its unique occupant - is like a sign of good fortune for biodiversity and nature in China. 

我和我的妻子也有幸参加过一次茶艺表演，我惊讶地发现，在中国，茶文化是一种多么古老而复杂的传统，一个人必须具备多么娴熟的技能才能正确奉茶。而且中国的茶叶品种是多么丰富，不仅取决于原产地，还取决于树龄，有时树龄超过700年！

My wife and I also attended a tea ceremony and I discovered – with surprise! – what an old and sophisticated tradition tea culture is in China, how skilled one must be to serve properly tea, and what a wide variety tea-species there are in China, pending on the region of origine but also the age of trees, which reach sometimes more then 700 years! 

实际上并不太好。我甚至觉得这有点痛苦，因为我能够学习的时间太少了，尤其是练习的时间。但我一起学习的同事鼓励我坚持下去。所以，我确实一直在努力，没有放弃。所以，微小的努力还是有的。一位睿智的朋友曾告诉我：学习中文其实很容易，只是前四十年有点难！所以，我也应该有一些耐心。

Not too good actually. I would even think it’s alittle misery as I have so little time to study and in particular topractice. But my colleagues who are studying with me encourage me to stayon track. So, I did keep on trying and did not give up. So the tiny efforts are there. And as a wise friend told me one day: learning Chinese is actually quite easy, it’s just the first forty years that are a little difficult! So, I should also have some patience.

我喜欢去历史悠久的地方。孔庙和雍和宫特别漂亮。故宫也很美。北京的公共公园美不胜收。颐和园一直都很壮观。我打算今年春天骑自行车去，因为我发现古代皇帝经常乘船去颐和园，而当时的运河和河道现在都还在，沿途大都有自行车道。去年夏天，我已经骑过（三里屯到颐和园）一半的路程。由于水很干净，我在运河附近观察到了很多有趣的鸟类和昆虫。天气好的时候，我会在清晨沿着亮马河慢跑。当然，我也喜欢在胡同里漫步，最后在可能的情况下品尝一顿典型的美食。中国国家博物馆给我留下了深刻印象，它的藏品令人惊叹，而且拥有一流的保护和展示技术。

I love to visit historic places of course. The Confucius Temple and the Lama Temple are particularly beautiful. The Forbidden City is gorgeous. Beijing has marvellous public parcs. The Summer Palace is at all times magnificent. I intend this coming spring to get there just by bike, as I discover that Chinese emperors often went to the Summer Palace by boat and the canals and rivers are still there, with often cycling lanes along. Last summer I already went once halfway by bike. As the water is clean, I observed a lot of interesting birds and insects around those canals. When the weather is better, I do sometimes early morning joggings along the Liang Ma River.  Of course, I love to stroll through the many hutongs and finishing by trying a typical meal when possible. I was very impressed by the National Museum of China which holds marvellous collections and has top-quality conservation and presentation technology. 

美食的多样性（和复杂性）显然是其中之一！我喜欢很多菜肴，但我必须承认，我对四川花椒情有独钟！

我喜欢通过中国的历史、艺术和文学来了解中国。唐代的古典诗歌（王维、李白和杜甫等大师）给我留下了深刻印象。宋代绘画也让我印象深刻。宋代绘画的材料、技法和题材都非常独特。通过诗歌和绘画，在历史的早期阶段，我们能够理解中国文化和文明中对自然的热爱是多么根深蒂固，同时也体现了道教所带来的宗教维度。

有一天，我在北京胡同里闲逛，无意中走进了琉璃厂街，发现了荣宝斋书店：这里是艺术书籍的宝库。虽然都是中文版，但我在那里发现的古典绘画复制品都非常精彩，我买了很多本，并在我回比利时时，将它们作为礼物送给亲朋好友。我也试图了解中国动荡的历史——尤其是19世纪和20世纪发生的事情：不仅通过历史书籍，还通过阅读当时的中国作家的作品。我特别喜欢鲁迅和老舍——但我必须承认，由于没有（很多）时间，我通常先读的是他们的短篇小说，这些小说让我对当时中国的人情世故和普通人的生活有了更深层的认识。我现在正在读老舍的《四世同堂》。

The diversity (and complexity) of the food is one, obviously! I like many dishes but must confess a weak spot and love for the Sichuan pepper! 

I love to discover China through its history, arts and literature. I am very impressed by classic poetry of the Tang dynasty (and of course masters like Wang Wei, Li Bai and Du Fu). The paintings of the Song dynasty have also left deep impressions on me. The materials, techniques and subjects are really unique. Both through poetry and painting, at such an early stage of history, we understand how much love for nature is deeply embedded in Chinese culture and civilisation, also with it’s religious dimension through Taoism. 

Strolling through Beijing’s Hutongs, I one day finished by  accident into the Liulichang Street and discovered the Rongbaozhai bookshop: it’s the hidden treasury for art books. Although all are in Chinese, the reproduction of classical paintings I found there are just fantastic, and I bought some copies, brought to Belgium and gifted them to my friends. I also try to understand what happened in the troubled history of China, in particular in the 19th and 20th century. Not only through books on history but by reading Chinese authors of those days. I like in particular Lu Xun and Lao She – but I must confess, as I lack time, I often first read their short novels. They gave me a very touching insight on human conditions and life of ordinary people in China at that time. I am currently reading Lao She’s “Four generations under one roof”.