土楼中的客家

独秀文译青年

【中文标题】漫步中国-土楼中的客家

【作者】本刊记者 赵乐

【原文标题】Rambling in China-The Hakkas Living in Earthen Buildings

【原文作者】Your reporter, Zhao Le

编者按：

永定客家土楼，宛如山林丛绿中的一抹艳红、一捧山花，带着泥土的芬芳在浩瀚的历史长河中寂静的绽放，任时光流逝从不凋落。联合国教科文组织有过这样的评价：“客家土楼是世界上独一无二、神话般的山村民居建筑奇葩。”

Editor’s Comments,

    YongdingHakka earthen buildings are just like a shade of bright-red and abunch of mountain flowers, which burst into bloom silently throughout thousandsof years’ history and never wither and fall as time goes by. UNESCO oncecommented, “Hakka earthen buildings are in a class by themselves in the world,and they are mythical miracles in residential buildings.”

余秋雨先生曾说：客家文化历经千百年的积淀，浓度很高，客家人在历史的行走过程中始终承担着弘扬中华文化的责任，有一种天然的使命。

Yu Qiuyu once said, “Hakka culture enjoys high concentration throughthousands of years’ sedimentary deposits; the Hakkas shoulder theresponsibility of upholding Chinese culture all along, which is their naturalmission.”

本期，记者带你走进永定客家土楼，探访客家风情……

This time, the reporter will take you into Yongding Hakka Earthen Buildingsto visit the Hakkas…

从厦门驱车三个小时，记者到达了中国最大的客家土楼群-永定土楼。

The reporter reached the biggest group of Hakka earthen buildings----YongdingHakka earthen buildings after three hours’ driving from Xiamen.

客家姑娘小江笑盈盈的如约而至，她是几年前嫁到当地的。她说，整个村子的人都姓林，土楼中生活的人是一个大家族。

With a smile on her face, a Hakka lady called Little Jiang appearedin time, who was married here several years ago. She said that the surnames of thewhole country’s people are all Lin, so people living in the earthen buildingsconstitute a big family.

走进土楼永定景区，踏上客家之星名人大道，竖立在路旁的牌子排列有序，刻着涵盖政界、军界、商界、文艺界等168位客家名人。“我们客家人很尊重前辈。”小江说，“客家前辈获得的光辉荣耀我们会永远记得！”客家民系遍布全球，虽客居他乡，但承载梦想，一路勤勉坚韧，成就斐然。他们在创造中国文化，他们在对世界文化做出贡献，这之间的文化融合令人回味。

When entering the scenic spot of earthen buildings and stepping on theavenue of the Hakkas’ stars, you will find that the signs standing beside theroad are putt in perfect order, with 168 celebrities from the Hakkas carved onthem; these celebrities came from the political circle, the military circle,the commercial circle, the circle of literary and art and so on. “As Hakkas, werespect the older generation very much,” Little Jiang said, “And we will neverforget the honor they won!” The sub-groups of the Hakkas can be foundeverywhere. Though some Hakkas live abroad, they host dreams and have achieved strikingsuccess with their diligence and tenacity. They are creating Chinese culture,and making contributions to the world’s culture. And the cultural integrationduring this process leads one to endless aftertastes.

水是生命之源，从村头流下来的水像一条龙，客家土楼顺水而居依偎在他身旁。蜿蜒的洪川溪是这里的魂，没有它就没有一切。沿着溪河走，流水潺潺，几名客家妇女在河边洗衣，她们过着自己普通的一天。看着“小桥流水人家”般的景致是那样幽静甜蜜，安逸闲致。一座座土楼无声地矗立在这儿，静静看着世代林氏子孙在这里辛勤劳作，而“哗哗”作响的老水车彷佛在向人们诉说着这里曾经的故事。

Water is the source of life. The water flowing from the end of thevillage is like a dragon. Hakka earthen buildings are located beside the waterand Hongchuan Brook is its soul, without which everything there will neverexist. Walking along the brook, you will hear the brook purl and find severalHakka women wash clothes along the brook; they live an ordinary life belongingto them. You will have a peaceful, sweet and easy feeling when you appreciatethe scenery, which is like the scenery of “a small bridge over the flowingstream”. Many an earthen building stands erect there, and they quietly watchthe descendants of the Lins work diligently there, while the old waterwheelmakes the sound of “rushing”, seeming to tell the old stories there to people.

坐北朝南土木桩结构的圆形振成楼是客家土楼的精品之作，这源于客家人对天的崇拜，《易经》载“圆是天，是宇宙的表象”，百年前的林氏先辈充满智慧，环保理念也十分超前，作为今人实感汗颜。振成楼建造材料以生土为主，加上糯米、红糖、鸡蛋等原料，经过反复揉、舂、压而成。按八卦观念建造的圆楼冬暖夏凉，调节阴阳，循环利用，白日天井照亮每个房间，夜晚油灯蜡烛闪闪发光。卦与卦之间设防火墙，并分割成8个单元，楼房呈辐射状8等分，每等分6间起为一卦，卦门开即连成一体，卦门闭则自成院落。19米高的振成楼共4层，208个房间层层有讲。1层为厨房、餐厅、客厅，2层为仓库、粮仓，3、4层为主人的卧室。振成楼内的抗震、防风、防火、防盗、排烟设计十分奇特。圆形土楼墙体设计向内倾斜，自有“向心力”所以震后即使有裂缝，也会自行复合；因外形为弧形设计，所以风压小，自然防风；卦与卦间有防火墙，若失火，只烧一卦不会蔓延；若有盗贼进入，卦门关闭便难以逃脱；厨房的排烟通道早已埋藏在墙壁中直通瓦顶，做饭时不会烟熏火燎。客家先辈给予今人众多启示，他们真正做到了人与人、人与社会、人与自然的和谐。

Oriented north and south, the round earth-staked Zhencheng Building isamong the best Hakka earthen buildings. This is due to the Hakkas’ worshippingheaven. It is recorded in the Book ofChanges” that “round is the heaven, which is the representation of theuniverse”; the Lins who lived there one hundred years ago were full of wisdom,and their ideas of environmental protection were advanced, which makes thecontemporary people feel deeply ashamed. The main constructional materials of Zhencheng Building are immature soil, with theaddition of sticky rice, brown sugar and eggs. Through being rubbed, poundedand pressed, all the above materials will be made into the constructionalmaterials. Constructed according to the concept of the Eight Diagrams, theround Zhencheng Buildings are warm in winter and cool in summer, can adjust yin and yang (the two opposing principles in nature), and can be utilizedcircularly. In the daytime, every room is lit up by the sunshine shone from thecourtyard; at dark hours, the oil lamps and the candles glitter. There is afirewall between every two diagrams. Zhencheng Buildings are divided into 8units, and they are radial with eight aliquots. Every aliquot consists of 6 ormore buildings, making up a diagram. When the door of the diagrams is opened, allthe diagrams will be united into a body; when the door is closed, every diagramwill have a style of its own as a courtyard. Every building has 4 stories and208 rooms, which are arranged in apple-pie order. The first story contains kitchenrooms, restaurants and parlors; the second story includes a warehouse and a granary;the third and forth stories are master bedrooms. The anti-seismic facility, thewindproof facility, the fireproofing facility and the smoke-ejecting facilityare of unusual design. The walls of the round earthen buildings were designedto lean inwards, which makes it own centripetal force; therefore, the walls canunite together by themselves. The outline of the earthen buildings is cambered,which draws little pressure, so they are windproof. There is a firewall betweenevery two diagrams, so if there is fire in a diagram, it won’t spread toanother diagram. If there is a thief, it will be difficult for him to make goodhis escape when the door of the diagram is closed. Chimneys have been hidden inthe wall and they erect upward the roofs, so there won’t be too much smoke orfire when dinner is cooked. The ancestors of the Hakkas have enlightened usmuch; they really achieved the harmony among people, the harmony between human beingsand society, and the harmony between human beings and Nature.

天气忽雨忽晴，就像孩子的脸。小江也唱起了客家童谣，“摇啊摇，摇到外婆桥，外婆夸我是好宝宝，又会哭，又会笑。”她说，前面就是“月娥桥”，也叫外婆桥，过了桥再往前就能看到奎聚楼了。奎聚楼被这里的人形容为“猛虎下山”，门面就像“虎头”，楼前围墙上有两窗似“虎眼”，依山傍水而建，仿佛一只猛虎窜下山来。已有160年历史的奎聚楼是宫殿式结构的方形土楼，有了岁月的印记才越发的有味道。奎、聚二字都代表着气势的宏大，虽外表没什么特别，但“学问”都在内景。精美的木刻、石雕、砖雕、刻字工艺都在内景中完美体现。奎聚楼的建筑材料是黄土和石头，大风吹着黄土墙面，时间长了便会风化，加之易潮湿，居住起来不是很舒服。一百多年里，楼里考取进士和官至七品以上4人，大学生20多人，海外华侨40多人，正如大门对联所言，“奎星郎照文明盛，聚族于斯气象新”。小江说，以前有28户人家，现在只剩10几户了，大多因为生活不方便搬走了。说着说着，雨下大了，我们欣然接受了小江的邀请，去她家坐坐，避避雨、喝喝茶。

The weather is changeable like a baby's face. Little Jiang startedto sing a nursery rhyme, “Wave and wave; we will thus reach the Grandmother Bridge; my grandmother praise me as agood baby; sometimes I cry, and sometimes I smile.” She said that what’s aheadis “Yue EBridge”, also called the Grandmother Bridge,and that Kuiju Building will be seen. Kuiju Building isdescribed as “a tiger dashing down a mountain”, for the door is like the “headof a tiger”, the two windows on the bounding wall in the front of the buildingare like the “eyes of a tiger”, and it is near the mountain and by the river,like a fierce tiger scurrying from the top of a mountain. with a history of 160years, Kuiju building is the earthen building of the palace’s style. And withthe stamps of years, it is more flavorful. The Chinese characters “奎(Kui)” and “聚(Ju)” both represent grand momentum.Though its appearance is not special, there is much “knowledge” inside thebuilding. The exquisite crafts of woodcut, stone carving, tile carving and letteringare all incarnated perfectly from the indoor scene. The building materials of Kuiju Buildingare loess and stones. When wind has blow across the face of the wall built byloess for a long time, it will be easy for the wall to be air-slaked. Inaddition, the wall is easy to be wetted. Therefore, one will feel not verycomfortable when living in Kuiju Building. For more than100 years in Kuiju Building, there have beenfour people who became a successful candidate in the highest imperialexaminations and later became officers above 7th ranking, more than20 undergraduates and more than 40 overseas Chinese. Just as the antitheticalcouplet on the big door goes, “Civilization will flourish under the shining ofthe star of Kui; the building will take a new look if a compact community livesthere.” Little Jiang said that formerly there were 28 families, but now thereare only a dozen or so families; mosy families moved because of theinconvenience of life. With this, it started to pour, and we accepted theinvitation of Little Jiang with pleasure, going forward her home to takeshelter from rain and have a cup of tea.

土楼中的客家人生活来源主要靠烟草、水果和茶叶。小江家平时靠卖茶叶为生，1层是她家卖茶叶的“门脸”，平时她和她的家人住在楼上。“我们客家人每天都要喝茶，我们离不开茶。”她边泡茶边说着，“如果客家人把你邀请到家中来，却不泡一壶好茶给你喝，那就是看不起你咯！”小江说，以前她也从土楼里出去过，在城里卖茶叶。公公婆婆现在年龄大了，需要她的照顾，所以她回到这里照顾公婆、照顾小孩。“我的老公在县城里做水泥匠，如果太辛苦了，就叫他回来，我对他没什么要求，挣到钱了就用到家里，我们都想让家里人过得好。家和万事兴，家好，做什么都顺！”客家人对家庭的观念很强，他们善待每一位长辈，对“孝”尤为重视。

The Hakkas living in the earthen building mainly live on tobacco,fruit and tea. At ordinary times, Little Jiang’s families live on selling tea,and the first floor is the “shop front”, while she and her families liveupstairs. “We Hakkas need to have some drink every day; we can’t live withoutit.” She said as she made tea, “If the Hakkas invite you to their home but theydon’t make good tea for you, it means that they look down upon you. LittleJiang said that she once left the earthen building for the city to sell tea. However,her parents-in-law have been long in the tooth now, so she has to stay at hometo look after them and the children. “My husband works as a cementer in thecounty town; I will call him back if he feels tiresome; I have no specialrequirements for him; if he earns money, the money will be used to support thefamily. We both hope that our families can live a good life. Asthe saying goes, ‘A peaceful family will prosper.’” The Hakkas havea strong concept on families, and they are kind to every elder, for they value “filialpiety” particularly.

雨过天晴，鹅卵石路被冲刷的干干净净，地面反着一层亮亮的光。回程路上，终于有功夫看看路边的摊铺和宣传栏，才发现电视剧《下南洋》、电影 《云水谣》都是在这里拍摄的，从媒体上宣传了土楼风貌；新建的“土楼剧场”上演客家风俗，让观光客更直面了解客家文化；特色小画廊，艺术家专心作画，不少人驻足观看；更值得一提的是土楼紧跟时代的发展，提供中西合璧的服务。住宿民宿的小招牌不仅写了中文，还有多种语言。爱心留言板上随处可见外国朋友写下的“土楼印象”，其中有一张写得简短却有力量，“Never Forget”永远不会忘记。

After a storm came a calm. The road paved with oval stones looked soclean after being scoured by the rainwater, and the ground reflected brightlights. During our return trip, we finally had time to have a look at the shopsand the bulletin boards on the roadside, and we found that the TV series Migrating into Southeast Asia and the movie TheKnot were both shot there. And this propagandized the style and features ofthe earthen buildings; the newly-built “Theatre of the Earthen Buildings” isthe place where performances related to the customs of the Hakkas are shown,and these performances can make visitors know about the Hakkas’ culture moredirectly; the scene of artists’ concentrating on painting in the characteristicgalleries draws the attention of many visitors. What’s more worth mentioning isthat the earthen buildings keep up with the development of the times, and offerservices with Chinese and Western styles combined. The signboards on thelodging dormitories are written not only in Chinese, but also in many otherlanguages. “Impressions of the earthen buildings” written by foreign friendscan be seen everywhere on the message board of love; among these impressionthere is a brief but powerful one. “Never Forget”.

告别了土楼，却忘不了小江那双质朴的眼睛，那眼眸更透着一种简单的幸福。永定客家土楼，这里有桃源般的景色，小江与一代代客家人在这里日出而作，日落而息。这里安静悠然，是现实社会中人们向往的梦境。

Though we had left the earthen building, we cannot forget LittleJiang’s plain eyes, the eyeballs in which are full of a kind of simplehappiness. There are views like the Land of Peach Blossoms inHakka buildings. Little Jiang and generations of Hakkas work and live there dayin and day out. This is such a quiet, carefree and leisurely place that it isthe dreamland of the people in the realistic society.