第一章 缘起

每年秋风起时， 去国离乡的悲凉总是挥之不去。 无边落木年复一年萧萧而下， 却总是只能在梦里一掬滚滚而来的长江水。 妈妈总是会寄来新做的冬衣。 想起孟郊的游子吟， 不知不觉就泪流满面。 以前读书， 假期不由自己。 今年不同。 四月开始工作， 五月注册结婚。 本来打算明年春节前后回家为我们的新婚宴请家乡亲友。 无意中看到奥运以后机票降价消息， 回家探亲的愿望就没有了最后一道障碍。 电话里对妈妈说， 我十月回来一趟吧， 把老公一家都带来。 妈妈雀跃。

今年， 公公七十大寿， 婆婆六十大寿。 公公是电子工程师， 不是埋首实验室， 就是在外地开会或讲学。 为人风趣， 好奇心比七岁的孩子更旺盛。 像婆婆这样的女子， 全德国找不出第二个。 二十岁开始工作， 直到今天都在同一个岗位上任劳任怨。 四十年来， 几乎从来没有外出旅游过。 所有业余时间和精力， 全部奉献给家庭。 上有老下有小。 天天去过世的长辈坟头浇花。 几乎天天去看她年事已高的母亲， 捎去自己烘培的点心， 陪老人说话。 自己省吃俭用， 家里的电视机已经用了三十年。 却给两个孩子买各种贵重乐器和其他设备， 请城里最好的钢琴老师给孩子上课。 虽然一辈子住在村子里， 难说见过什么大世面，却从来不曾对我这个中国人有偏见。 每次去拜访公公婆婆， 她都当我是自己的孩子。 这次带他们出来游玩， 算是尽我们一点孝心。

九月二十九日， 我们一行五人， 带着许多主题： 婚宴， 旅游， 探亲， 叙旧。。。。来到我的家乡宁波。

第二章 宁波： 前世今生

未完待续 (to be continued)

八， 九年前第一次读到李南的诗， 自己还是一个呼啸来去， 写杂文骂人的大小孩子。 读她的诗， 感觉像是被妈妈温暖的手掌轻轻握着。 后来我为五斗米用两种洋文读工科。 那么多年过去， 之中不常读中文， 写中文。 忘记多少诗歌。 李南和她的诗却一直在我心里。 每次独自面对星空， 月照， 总是会想起李南的诗。 她的诗歌语言无比平实朴素， 也很少用峭拔诡奇的意象。 整体看总有一种神奇的语言张力。 想起她的诗， 我总是一次一次地沉浸在immersive的共鸣中。 被她诗里的温暖和美安慰了这么久。 多年以后心境已经变了很多， 对温暖和美的单纯渴望却从来没有变。 谢谢李南。

以下摘录的李南诗歌， 是在网络上看到的。 刚刚从amazon.com订购了她去年出版的诗集”小”。

在广阔的世界上

在广阔的世界上，我想
万物是一致的。
禽兽、树林、沉寂的旷野
要呼吸，要变化
在悄悄之中发生……
星宿有它的缄默，岩石有自己的悲伤
要倾诉，要流泪
还要披上时空的风霜。

我爱黯淡的生活

我爱黯淡的生活，一个个
忙碌又庸常的清晨
有时是风和日丽，有时是大雪纷飞
我爱庸常中涌出的
一阵阵浓荫
这些美妙的遐想
常让我在人群中停住脚步
看一看缭乱的世事
想一想
闪光的夜晚

十一行诗

祈求美在变化中更美
祈求书中的文字、网络爱情
不可靠的种种奇迹。
尘土和悲哀，曾经是
我的生活
现在，它们不是。
现在我喜爱落日凄迷时
怀着平和与沉静
透过模糊的泪水
来看远处一列列
站起的山峰。

小小炊烟
　　
我注意到民心河畔
那片小草　它们羞怯卑微的表情
和我是一样的。
　　
在槐岭菜场，我听见了
怀抱断秤的乡下女孩
她轻轻的啜泣
　　
到了夜晚，我抬头
找到了群星中最亮的那颗
那是患病的昌耀——他多么孤独啊！
　　
而我什么也做不了。谦卑地
像小草那样难过地
低下头来。
　　
我在大地上活着，轻如羽毛
思想、话语和爱怨
不过是小小村庄的炊烟

落叶

到了秋天，大家会踩着落叶走过
到了许多年后，妈妈和我也像这些落叶
先后从人间落进泥土
人们啊，愿你们踩着泥土，轻轻走过……

春天的月照下

你们不知道，喧嚷的城市里
买菜、赶车、奔忙的有我
被利益驱使的身影中有我
如果春天来了，在月照下面
我也会低下头来
看一看睡醒的青草

如果在月照下，我走向田野
那是去平息尘世间的浮躁
去安慰繁星般的灵魂
如果你们是我，也会屏住声息
一边被青春的梦想点燃
一边又被庸常的生活熄灭

唉，只有眼下的情景，使你相信
在春天的月照下
我还在忍耐着一切——
饥谨的内心和一个绝美的夜晚

行程中的温暖

车站、汽灯，涌动着昏暗的人群
滚滚朝前。
北国乡镇的小站
黄昏的天幕下，它再次点亮灯火
啊，这点点滴滴的温暖
都发生在异乡：
你。爱的金窟。神秘的黄花
我这些不敢吐露的心病
几千里几万里
它们一直一直地
潜伏在我的脚步中、行程里
都在保佑着我
顺利地
到达终点。

need a hug now….

It’s a small book with warmth of daily life, humour, and sophistication. It however does not require the concentration that is usually needed for reading a book on a subject that is as heavy as this. The compositions in the pictures are concise and powerful. I admire Liu Yang very much.

My favourite:

• Tiere (animals): In Germany the birds sit on a tree. In China the birds are fried on a tree-like skewer. Oh man, this one really makes me homesick. The fried quails are so tasty!
• Duschzeiten (Shower Time): This is soooooo true! In my family there is never bathroom war in the morning. I’ve changed many habits in the daily life since I’ve come to Germany. But I still always shower in the evening, and do not want to change it.
• Neuheiten (Acceptance of new stuff): This pair of pictures so well tell the mentality difference between Germans and Chinese regarding new things. Most Germans I know are ultimately conservative. While most Chinese people are very open-minded towards new things.

Some comparisons that I do not quite agree with:

• Pünktilichkeit (On time): well the Pünktilichkeit does not apply for Deutsche Bahn (the German Railway). I say this as a daily train-rider. At least 20% of the connections I know are not on time. Departure or arrival time of short connections such as Hannover –> Hildesheim usually deviates from 5 minutes to 30 min. Long-distance connections can be much, much worse than that.
• Gefühle (Emotion): many of the new generation from China are no longer shy. They declare their love as courageous as most Westerners.
• Helden (hero): obviously there lacks a fat moneybag in the hand of the Chinese hero. Actually in most cases it is even more important than the bulb in head.

• music sheet
• abc sheet
• Chinese sheet with pin yin
• Chinese sheet

These sheets are all in A4 format. If you need any other output media size, leave a comment here and I’ll modify my code for you. If you need another kind of staff paper for your math, physics or chemistry courses, describe it in a comment and I’ll write program to generate it in press-quality pdf file for you.

Many thanks to the iText authors for providing such a great pdf engine!

Basically I like both film, but prefer the 1995 version a lot better. I guess seldom anybody would fail to love Lizzie-1995’s enchanting eyes. Lizzie-2005 strove to exhibit her teeth at any given moment. Yes the actress does have beautiful big teeth, but Jane Austine did not emphasize this feature of Lizzie in the book, and it disturbed me when I was trying my best to appreciate the actress’ eyes but the big teeth hopped up to the foreground….And, there’s a greater sophistication in Lizzie-1995 than Lizzie-2005. In Mr. Darcy-2005 I did not see much pride or arrogance, but just gloom from the beginning to the end. Well personally I like Mr. Darcy-2005’s look much better than Mr. Darcy-1995’s. But I feel Mr. Darcy-1995 is much closer to the image in the book. Both Lizzie-2005 and Mr. Darcy-2005 speak way too fast. This manner’s not quite English. Especially not quite English in 19th century. I know an old gentleman who once studied classic literature in England. When he spoke, it was almost exactly like how the actors and actresses spoke in P&P-1995.

I think the script of a 2005 version is very well written. The first confession of Mr. Darcy was modified very well. The heavy rain, the painting-like green field, the classic architecture…who can say the set is not romantic. However, the romantic atmosphere was totally destroyed for me when Lizzie and Mr. Darcy started to quarrel fiercely like every other American soap series also does. The dialogs were well written, but the execution a bit kitschy. I guess the director wanted to bring up more passion, sigh, but the passionate teeth-showing and mutual condemning did not necessarily present the emotion more powerfully. To me the first confession scene in the 1995 version was endlessly more chemical. Lizzie-1995 and Mr. Darcy-1995 were both pretty holding-back when speaking. Lizzie-1995’s performance in that scene was especially adorable.

Mr. Darcy’s house 2005 was a spectacular one but the surrounding was a bit too artificial, does not match the description in the novel very well. The book says it is surrounded with natural lake, natural trees and hills. What we see from the 2005 version is an artificial square pool with springs and trees that are canned in the French way. The house in the 1995 version was less splendid, but has a great, great natural view from the window.

Miss Bingley-2005 is amazing. Perfect gestures, perfect face expressions and perfect talking of an arrogant high-society woman. The lady de Bourgh-2005 would be perfect, if her hair was more neatly dressed. Mr. Bennet, the father, was more agreeable and humourous in the 1995 version.

The 2005 version has excellent cinematography and music (though, the music of the first ball in the film was too grand for a small place like the village of Meryton IMHO). Both versions exhibited the charm of English landscape. I enjoyed watching both.

The financial crisis does not stop people using mobile phones. It does not stop people paying for their life insurance or pension insurance. It does not stop people eating chocolates….regardless of these facts, right now, many companies are trading at incredibly undervalued single-digit P/E. Chances are, if you get the right companies now, the return will be at 1000% level or so in 5 or 10 years.

Chance. Enormous Chance. A chance that occurs only once 30 or 40 years. I regret for buying months too early.

Yesterday, in the subway station in Hannover, the projectors there kept broadcasting “evil China” content to the people who were waiting for the trains. It was rush hour, so many German people were in the subway stations and they were all watching such nasty propaganda, shameless lies.

My words to the China-maligning mainstream German media such as Der Spiegel and content-providers of the subway China-bashing ads: First of all, always keep in mind that your maligning, defaming and belittling China does not make China any weaker and does not make Germany any stronger. Strong nations work hard and count on themselves to find a way out for their domestic problems, only losers endlessly condemn others when others are trying to catching up. Strong nations respect other nations’ choice of the implementation of universal values such as democracy and human right, only losers think only their implementation of those values is moral and all the others have to follow theirs. The German people in my daily life are all nice people, I love them. They deserve quality media. I’m not satisfied with your quality. Stop fooling your own people. Stop spreading hatred between nations. Stop belittling other nations. I love Germany so I have to say it. I live and work in Germany, my husband is a German. If Germany has a bright future, I have a bright future. I hate to see Germany goes farther and farther away from the main trend of today’s world.

Now to my readers: If you listen to those talk shows after 22:30, with guests of 80+ years old (for example Helmut Schmidt and Hans Dietrich Genscher), you know there is tremendous political wisdom in Germany. The sad thing is, the Angela Merkel as a chancellor is very unsophisticated when it comes to foreign policies. When she flies around the world, she’s only interested in criticizing others and showing others how moral she is. At the end of the day, it is the German people who have to pay the price for her personality shows. I hate to see it.

Below is an article written by Tony Blair on wsj.com:

We Can Help China Embrace the Future
By TONY BLAIR
August 26, 2008; Page A21

The Beijing Olympic Games were a powerful spectacle, stunning in sight and sound. But the moment that made the biggest impression on me came during an informal visit just before the Games to one of the new Chinese Internet companies, and in conversation with some of the younger Chinese entrepreneurs.

These people, men and women, were smart, sharp, forthright, unafraid to express their views about China and its future. Above all, there was a confidence, an optimism, a lack of the cynical, and a presence of the spirit of get up and go, that reminded me greatly of the U.S. at its best and any country on its way forward.

These people weren’t living in fear, but looking forward in hope. And for all the millions still in poverty in China, for all the sweep of issues — political, social and economic — still to be addressed, that was the spirit of China during this festival of sport, and that is the spirit that will define its future.

During my 10 years as British leader, I could see the accelerating pace of China’s continued emergence as a major power. I gave speeches about China, I understood it analytically. But I did not feel it emotionally and therefore did not fully understand it politically.

Since leaving office I have visited four times and will shortly return again. People ask what is the legacy of these Olympics for China? It is that they mark a new epoch — an opening up of China that can never be reversed. It also means that ignorance and fear of China will steadily decline as the reality of modern China becomes more apparent.

Power and influence is shifting to the East. In time will come India, too. Some see all this as a threat. I see it as an enormous opportunity. But we have to exercise a lot of imagination and eliminate any vestiges of historic arrogance.

The volunteer force that staged the Games was interested, friendly and helpful. The whole feel of the city was a world away from the China I remember on my first visit 20 years ago. And the people are proud, really and honestly proud, of their country and its progress.

No sensible Chinese person — including the country’s leadership — doubts there remain issues of human rights and political and religious freedom to be resolved. But neither do the sensible people — including the most Western-orientated Chinese — doubt the huge change, for the better, there has been. China is on a journey. It is moving forward quickly. But it knows perfectly well the journey is not complete. Observers should illuminate the distance to go, by all means, but recognize the distance traveled.

The Chinese leadership is understandably preoccupied with internal development. Beijing and Shanghai no more paint for you the complete picture of China than New York and Washington do of the U.S. Understanding the internal challenge is fundamental to understanding China, its politics and its psyche. We in Europe have roughly 5% of our population employed in agriculture. China has almost 60%. Over the coming years it will seek to move hundreds of millions of its people from a rural to an urban economy. Of course India will seek to do the same, and the scale of this transformation will create huge challenges and opportunities in the economy, the environment and politically.

For China, this economic and social transformation has to come with political stability. It is in all our interests that it does. The policy of One China is not a piece of indulgent nationalism. It is an existential issue if China is to hold together in a peaceful and stable manner as it modernizes. This is why Tibet is not simply a religious issue for China but a profoundly political one — Tibet being roughly a quarter of China’s land mass albeit with a small population.

So we should continue to engage in a dialogue over the issues that rightly concern people, but we should conduct it with at least some sensitivity to the way China sees them.

This means that the West needs a strong partnership with China, one that goes deep, not just economically but politically and culturally. The truth is that nothing in the 21st century will work well without China’s full engagement. The challenges we face today are global. China is now a major global player. So whether the issue is climate change, Africa, world trade or the myriad of security questions, we need China to be constructive; we need it to be using its power in partnership with us. None of this means we shouldn’t continue to raise the issues of human rights, religious freedoms and democratic reforms as European and American leaders have done in recent weeks.

It is possible to hyperbolize about the rise of China. For example, Europe’s economies are still major and combined outreach those of China and India combined. But, as the Olympics and its medal tables show, it is not going to stay that way. This is a historic moment of change. Fast forward 10 years and everyone will know it.

For centuries, the power has resided in the West, with various European powers including the British Empire and then, in the 20th century, the U.S. Now we will have to come to terms with a world in which the power is shared with the Far East. I wonder if we quite understand what that means, we whose culture (not just our politics and economies) has dominated for so long. It will be a rather strange, possibly unnerving experience. Personally, I think it will be incredibly enriching. New experiences; new ways of thinking liberate creative energy. But in any event, it will be a fact we have to come to terms with. For the next U.S. president, this will be or should be at the very top of the agenda, and as a result of the strength of the Sino-U.S. relationship under President Bush, there is a sound platform to build upon.

The Olympics is now the biggest sporting event in the world, and because of the popularity of sport it is therefore one of the events that makes a genuine impact on real people. These Games have given people a glimpse of modern China in a way that no amount of political speeches could do.

London 2012 gives Britain a tremendous chance to explore some of these changes and explain to the East what the modern West is about. One thing is for certain: Hosting the Olympics is now a fantastic opportunity for any nation. My thoughts after the Beijing Games are that we shouldn’t try to emulate the wonder of the opening ceremony. It was the spectacular to end all spectaculars and probably can never be bettered. We should instead do something different, drawing maybe on the ideals and spirit of the Olympic movement. We should do it our way, like they did it theirs. And we should learn from and respect each other. That is the way of the 21st century.

• Industrial & Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) becomes the newest most profitable bank of the world (source: bloomberg.com) Last year, the champion was Hong Kong Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC). Below is a list of the top ten largest banks by market capitalization (rank, bank name, country, market cap in billion dollars):
  1. 1. Industrial & Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), China, 248
  2. 2. Hong Kong Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC), Great Britain, 189.9
  3. 3. China Construction Bank, China, 188.5
  4. 4. Bank of China, China, 143.6
  5. 5. JP Moragn Chase, USA, 128.2
  6. 6. Banco Santander, Spain, 115.3
  7. 7. Bank of Amerika , USA, 115.2
  8. 8. Citigroup, USA, 100.6
  9. 9. Mitsubishi UFJ, Japan, 99.6
  10. 10. BNP Paribas, France, 84.4

  (Source)

• Jim Rogers keeps bullish on China. (Source: Money Morning) Although I share Jim’s opinion on China’s future and I’m building long positions in Chinese equities too, I’m not brave enough to buy China Airline’s stocks. My “watch closely” list: China Mobile, China Life, China Merchant Bank, China Water Affairs.

Sneeze:

It is said that the China Development Bank (CDB) was trying to acquire Dresdner Bank (a German Bank). IMHO, this deal is not worthwhile for CDB. I don’t know how bad a financial trouble the Dresdner Bank is in, anyway the book value is attractive right now. I say it’s not worthwhile because right now the mainstream German media is extremely hostile to anything that is related to China (I say the mainstream media here. There are neutral and fair reports from small TV senders and elite-oriented magazines such as National Geographic Germany, but those fair documentations about China are not that popular in Germany). Mainstream German media keeps shamelessly maligning China in every way they can. They endlessly condemn the Chinese government in a self-righteous, arrogant attitude. In their reports and programs, China is a hopeless country and the Chinese people are the most miserable people in the world. They always compare China to DDR, they always compare the 2008 Beijing Olympic to the 1936 Berlin Olympic (which I think is a serious insult to all of the 1.3 billion Chinese people). This has become very, very disgusting. Most German people have not been to China themselves, they have not seen the truth with their own eyes. They could be easily deceived by the mainstream massmedia here. As long as the uneducated, unenlightened mainstream massmedia here does not start to learn ABC of politeness and respect, Chinese banks should avoid the German financial market at all. Just leave the so-called moralists alone. CDB holds 3% shares in Barclay. Not a bad option to add more.