2018年CRI 15-year vocation of seeking hometown in memory reveals the past of Guyuan

 

Do you still remember the ambience of your hometown? Or has it undergone such unprecedented¹ development that it has become completely different from how it was in your childhood? Do you miss the hometown of your memory? Tang Yongxiang is deeply in love with his hometown of Guyuan in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous² Region. To commemorate³ the city in which he grew up and had many memorable⁴ experiences, Tang decided⁵ to make an exact replica⁶ in brick, with no detail left out – every alley⁷ and building is here in miniature, including the ancient Guyuan Great Wall. The project took him 15 years to complete.

Every morning at weekends, senior resident of Guyuan in Ningxia Hui autonomous region Tang Yongxiang shows up at the Guyuan ancient Great Wall site. Many city residents have heard of him because he is known as "the man who knows almost everything about the city". Tang is walking around the area in which the First Emperor of Qin, in the Warring States Period, declared the construction of the Great Wall.

Unfortunately, over the years this part of the ancient Great Wall has been damaged by the elements. It's now hard to see the shape of the original structure, and the only remnant visible is a small dirt road winding⁸ up the mountain.

Being born and growing up in Guyuan, Tang is obsessed⁹ with everything of his hometown and never stops learning about it. In the past 20 years, he says that visiting the Guyuan Great Wall on weekends has become his routine.

"When I was a child, I lived in southern Guyuan, and I spent a lot of my leisure at what was left of the Great Wall. Sometimes, I walked or ran around Guyuan along the outer city walls. My childhood memory about the city will never be blurry¹⁰." Tang says.

As the city has developed, Guyuan has gone through numerous changes; Tang Yongxiang says the city of his memory is gradually vanishing. And this is why he is now determined¹¹ to make an exquisite¹² replica of the Guyuan city from his memory from several decades ago. It has the added bonus that future generation will get the opportunity to find out what it once looked like.

"I learnt how to sculpt¹³ when I was young, so I decided to make a replica to show the original structure and architecture of Guyuan. I bought bricks of the ancient city wall from private collectors as the main material to make the replica. I went through many historical documents on the city's structure." Tang explains.

To achieve his ambition, the first step was to ascertain¹⁴ exactly how the city originally looked, and it took Tang Yongxiang a decade to finish the drawing. To ensure every detail was precise and correct, Tang looked for every last relevant document and interviewed as many old people as he could find who might have some clue about the city's former appearance, including the style, look and location of every memorial archway in Guyuan and the shape of the Great Wall. Looking at the finished drawing, Tang Yongxiang recalls coming up against a lot of difficulties when seeking information about one gateway¹⁵.

"I cannot remember how many seniors I asked about what they could remember about the gateway. Even some who had lived right next to it couldn't remember how it originally looked. Eventually, I found useful information in some ancient books. I have since got into the habit of buying books in antique book shops whenever I visit anywhere outside my hometown. I am obsessed." Tang says.

It took ten years before Tang was confident with the final drawing of Guyuan, and then it was time to move on to the next process—engraving the replica of Guyuan. Despite badly hurting two fingers on his left hand while he was carving¹⁶, Tang says he still holds strong memories about the day he finished his replica. It was a milestone¹⁷ in his life.

"I was extremely excited when it was done and then I cried. Words can't describe how I felt. It was the best, most unforgettable day of my life. Eventually I had accomplished¹⁸ what I had always wanted to do. I don't believe Guyuan locals should forget our hometown. My experience will be a reference for someone who wants to do anything similar." Tang says.

The year 2018 marks the sixtieth anniversary of the establishment of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, and in the decades since the region has seen tremendous development. Tang reveals his passion for his hometown in this hand-made replica, a unique version of the city of yesteryear that is still so treasured.

1 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

2 autonomous   

adj.自治的；独立的

参考例句：

• They proudly declared themselves part of a new autonomous province.他们自豪地宣布成为新自治省的一部分。
• This is a matter that comes within the jurisdiction of the autonomous region.这件事是属于自治区权限以内的事务。

3 commemorate   

vt.纪念，庆祝

参考例句：

• This building was built to commemorate the Fire of London.这栋大楼是为纪念“伦敦大火”而兴建的。
• We commemorate the founding of our nation with a public holiday.我们放假一日以庆祝国庆。

4 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 replica   

n.复制品

参考例句：

• The original conservatory has been rebuilt in replica.温室已按原样重建。
• The young artist made a replica of the famous painting.这位年轻的画家临摹了这幅著名的作品。

7 alley   

n.小巷，胡同；小径，小路

参考例句：

• We live in the same alley.我们住在同一条小巷里。
• The blind alley ended in a brick wall.这条死胡同的尽头是砖墙。

8 winding   

n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈

参考例句：

• A winding lane led down towards the river.一条弯弯曲曲的小路通向河边。
• The winding trail caused us to lose our orientation.迂回曲折的小道使我们迷失了方向。

9 obsessed   

adj.心神不宁的,鬼迷心窍的,沉迷的

参考例句：

• He's obsessed by computers. 他迷上了电脑。
• The fear of death obsessed him throughout his old life. 他晚年一直受着死亡恐惧的困扰。

10 blurry   

adj.模糊的；污脏的，污斑的

参考例句：

• My blurry vision makes it hard to drive. 我的视力有点模糊，使得开起车来相当吃力。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The lines are pretty blurry at this point. 界线在这个时候是很模糊的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

12 exquisite   

adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的

参考例句：

• I was admiring the exquisite workmanship in the mosaic.我当时正在欣赏镶嵌画的精致做工。
• I still remember the exquisite pleasure I experienced in Bali.我依然记得在巴厘岛所经历的那种剧烈的快感。

13 sculpt   

n.雕刻，雕塑，雕刻品，雕塑品

参考例句：

• When I sculpt,my style is expressionistic.我的雕刻风格是表现主义。
• Then,sculpt the remaining fringe parting.然后雕刻剩余的边缘部分。

14 ascertain   

vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清

参考例句：

• It's difficult to ascertain the coal deposits.煤储量很难探明。
• We must ascertain the responsibility in light of different situtations.我们必须根据不同情况判定责任。

15 gateway   

n.大门口，出入口，途径，方法

参考例句：

• Hard work is the gateway to success.努力工作是通往成功之路。
• A man collected tolls at the gateway.一个人在大门口收通行费。

16 carving   

n.雕刻品，雕花

参考例句：

• All the furniture in the room had much carving.房间里所有的家具上都有许多雕刻。
• He acquired the craft of wood carving in his native town.他在老家学会了木雕手艺。

17 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。

18 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。