发现苏州
2012-1
外文出版社
大卫·弗格森
221
16
It is quite possible that the number of Westerners who have
heard of Shanghai is matched by the number who have not heard of
the city of Suzhou. It would be understandable that even observers
with a passing knowledge of China might think of Suzhou as no more
than a satellite of its larger and more populous neighbor.
The truth is that Suzhou， a former capital of China，has a
2，500-year history that is much longer and more illustrious than
Shanghai's， featuring astonishing achievements in almost every
field of human endeavor - including politics， the military， the
arts， culture， education， and religion. Its classical private
gardens merit their unmatched renown， its old city is one of the
best preserved in China， and its modern history is that of a
vibrant pioneer that has established itself as one of China's
wealthiest cities. Allow yourself to be introduced to Suzhou， the
finest of Jiangsu Province's water cities， and savor the essence of
the old and the new in this book by author David W. Ferguson.
David W. Ferguson graduated in Law from Edinburgh University
in Scotland. After a long career as a management consultant he set
up an independent media production company in 2003. He first came
to China with his wife， who is Chinese， in 2006， and since then he
has spent most of his time in China. Initially he worked as a
business and investment advisor and he has worked extensively for
Chinese and Western media， covering major events as diverse as the
Sichuan earthquake， the Beijing Olympic Games， and World Expo 2010
in Shanghai.
He is Golf Correspondent for CIPG's web-based news and
information service， China.org. This is his third book on China for
Foreign Languages Press - he has previously written Nantong Tales -
Pioneers from "China's First Modern City"， a book exploring the
economic development of Nantong through the life stories of a
number of contemporary Nantong entrepreneurs， and From "Made in
Guangdong" to "Created in Guangdong'： an exploration of the
industrial， economic and social transformation strategy currently
under way in the province of Guangdong.
In Red Embroidered Shoes
Old Suzhou
Arts and Crafts
Suzhou Cuisine
Around Suzhou
New Suzhou
Putting Away My Red
Embroidered Shoes
Appendix
版权页： 插图： In the Steles Museum of Suzhou there is a splendid stone stele about two meters high. It is a map called "The Pingjiang Map", which dates back to the year 1229. It is the largest stone city map in China. It is a map of the old city of Suzhou within the confines of the main moat and the walls that surrounded the city at the time, showing a city criss-crossed with a grid of narrow lanes and waterways. Place a copy of the Pingjiang Map alongside a modern map of Suzhou, and you will be astonished to see how little the old city has changed since 1229. Most of the streets and the lanes and waterways are still there, still as they were 800 years ago. Many of the street names have even been conserved. But the Pingjiang Map tells only half of the story- or to be more accurate, only one third. Because the story of Suzhou dates back not 800 years, but 2,500. And if a map could be found of that first city plan, laid out in 514 BC by Prime Minister Wu Zixu at the order of his master Helü, King of Wu, then it is quite likely that it too would be Utt（e different from the others. Suzhou has a long and distinguished history. A mark of its sophistication can be inferred from an old fling Dynasty saying: You could walk the streets of Suzhou after rainfall in your red embroidered shoes, and they would stay clean. The meanest streets of Suzhou were paved in stone when the main streets of other Chinese cities were still mud tracks. Suzhou lies in Jiangsu Province to the west of Shanghai. The whole area,south of the Yangtze River Delta, is dotted with lakes and lined with rivers. Suzhou is a water city. For many centuries boats were the main means of transport. The city was built on a network of waterways, with its houses fronting onto narrowlanes and opening at the rear directly onto the canals.
I was not aware that I learned anything from my experience in Suzhou until much later. When I think about it in retrospect I must say that， yes， it did have an influence on my work. It made me aware of the complimentary of man and nature， not of just nature alone. Somehow，. he hand of man joined with nature becomes the essence of creativity. The gardens of Suzhou taught me that lesson. ——I. M. Pei Venice and Suzhou， two cities linked by a deep and lasting friendship started centuries ago. Their long trade relationship is written in the pages of history and much remains to be written. Around 1270 Marco Polo was the first Venetian to provide an account of a remarkable Chinese city， Suzhou， noting how the architecture of the city evoked in his mind images of his far distant and beloved Venice. The canals， the bridges， the tranquility. But the two cities are linked by more than physical layout， The fiLament that connects Suzhou to the town of San Marco is a passion for art， culture and beauty that makes them so wortderfulin the eyes of the thinking visitor. Venice and the "Venice of the East" are twinned aties with a close affiliation， a lively and fruitful. relationship that constantly renews itself and which will continue its influence in the years to come. ——Giorgio Orsoni Mayor of Venice
《发现苏州(英)》由外文出版社出版。
