p.367：以抗拒“洋魔”過分的力量：一般習(xí)慣稱“洋鬼子”

p.381：聯(lián)軍進(jìn)入北京后三天，卡爾甘（Kalgan）遇上一個小縣城的官吏——吳永（Wu Yong）——前去迎接一群逃難的人，在他看來他們像“垂頭喪氣的豺狼”。天下著雨，慈禧太后穿一身粗藍(lán)布農(nóng)裝……吳永能夠找到的僅僅是幾碗小米粥和五個雞蛋。

按，此處有誤譯，Kalgan并非人名，而是張家口的蒙語名（“喀拉干”，意為“貨物買賣的口子”）；作者在此講述的是慈禧倉皇西狩的經(jīng)歷，故上下文意思是：在聯(lián)軍入京三天時，張家口下屬小縣城官吏（具體地說是河北懷來縣縣令）吳永去接駕。下文所言“垂頭喪氣的豺狼”，按漢語習(xí)慣應(yīng)是“喪家犬”。此外，據(jù)吳永著《庚子西狩叢談》回憶，他當(dāng)時“本已謹(jǐn)備肴席，但為潰兵所掠。尚煮有小米綠豆粥三鍋，預(yù)備隨從尖點(diǎn)，亦為彼等掠食其二。今只余一鍋……”，當(dāng)時“老佛爺很受用，適所進(jìn)五卵，竟食其三”。

《天朝掠影》譯文勘誤(天朝掠影)書評

Trading places

By Xie Fang | China Daily | Updated: ?2007-11-22 07:0

Dajingmen, an ancient pass of the Great Wall, bears witness to the ups and downs of Zhangjiakou.

Few foreigners have heard of Zhangjiakou, an old foreign trade city in northern China, but the name Kalgan might ring a few bells for elderly Russians. Kalgan, in fact, is Zhangjiakou, a city located in the northwest of Hebei Province.

In the early 1900s, the inland city was all the rage. When a Russian businessman reached here, it meant that he had arrived in China.

To explore its history of trade, it is best to start off in Dajingmen, once an important pass on the Great Wall.

Built in 1458, Dajingmen was founded on the remains of the Great Wall, dating from the Northern Wei and Northern Qi (AD 386-577) dynasties. It was not only a military stronghold, but also an important pass for Han, Mongolian and Hui people to conduct trade and share culture.

As I stood at the 9-m-wide gate, the fierce wind made me feel like I could be blown away like an empty sack.

Meanwhile, a group of local elderly women started the yangge dance, beside the drab gate, for entertainment.

They dressed traditionally, in bright pinks and greens, but also wore fashionable items such as sunglasses and high-heeled shoes. Despite the cold, their dance made the nearly 600-year-old pass look lively.

I gathered my strength to reach a platform on the top of Dajingmen, from where I could see the city below me. On one side, the old town was in shades of gray; on the other side lies a new urban district where high-rise buildings have sprung up.

The platform's west brick wall collapsed in 1995 after heavy rainfall. It was rebuilt a year later but remained closed. The east section, which connects with the Great Wall, remains open to the public.

Another tourist attraction is Buzili, known as the birthplace of Zhangjiakou.

The 28-hectare town was founded in 1429, as a defense against the Mongolian cavalry from the north. This could explain why the castle-like compound initially had two doors - in the east and south. A smaller northern door was opened a century later, featuring 2-m-high roadblocks on either side, designed to stop the enemy's horses.

There are more than 10,000 residents in Buzili, with a large elderly population. Walking in the town was like entering a labyrinth. The narrow alleyways are so confusing that I would have got lost without a guide.

I was led to Yuhuangge, a Taoist temple worshiping the Jade Emperor, the supreme deity of Taoism.

After the founding of New China in 1949, the temple became a residential property, until a few years ago, when it was put under state protection.

Curving roofs of the old dwellings are bathed in the sunlight.

But renovations haven't started yet. The compound was desolate and full of broken bricks and timber. Still, in one of the rooms, visitors can find 400-year-old frescoes, which were discovered accidentally a few years ago.

The 6-sq-m colored paintings show the main figures of Taoism, but unfortunately the artworks were defaced.

"The former residents were afraid of being cursed, living in a temple which was supposed to be made for immortals," Liu Zhenying, a member of the Zhangjiakou Historical and Cultural Research Organization, explains. "They scratched the eyes and faces on the frescoes so the immortals were not able see them."

Some of the paintings' inlaid gold is also gone.

In spite of such severe damage, visitors can still see how graceful the paintings must have been.

"The only thing we can do to protect the temple is to lock it up, as we don't have enough money right now," Liu sighs.

As I walked through the ancient town, I stopped to admire the view of some old dwellings, featuring delicate brick carvings and elegant screen walls.

Traces of the city's past glory are still visible, such as the 400-year-old frescoes in a Taoist temple.

Iron-framed windows and doors, which are common in big cities to protect against burglars, can hardly be seen here. On the contrary, most dwellings are open to visitors.

The smoke of a coal stove on the roadside and many faded red slogans painted on the walls made me feel like I had ventured back into the 1960s.

"The local economy is behind other big cities and because of it the town is largely preserved," Liu says.

Buzili shifted from being a military town to a commercial county in the 1700s. Thousands of traders flocked from all over the country to conduct business.

"Only the richest businessmen could afford to build luxury houses inside the town at that time, while the others had to live outside. This is why Buzili is dotted with various old buildings of different styles, including Beijing traditional quadrangle dwellings, Shanxi-style ones and Anhui-style houses," Liu says.

Nowadays, these historical buildings are either occupied by locals, or used for social services.

Wenchangge, also called the Bell Tower by locals, is located in the town center.

It was amazing to see its Roman-style dome above the crossroads. "It shows that Zhangjiakou was influenced by Western culture long ago," Liu says.

Operating during the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911), the Zhangjiakou-Kunlun ancient commercial route brought a great number of foreign traders to China.

The 4,000 km journey started from Dajingmen, through Kunlun in Mongolia, and ended in Charktu, Russia.

It reached its peak at the end of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), with an annual turnover of 150 million taels of silver, equal to 17 billion yuan ($2.3 billion). Due to the city's significant role in trading, the Zhangjiakou-Beijing railway was built in 1909.

The flourishing economy attracted 44 foreign banks from Germany, the United States, Japan and Britain, all of which established their own branches here. About eight of these buildings are still extant.

(China Daily 11/22/2007 page19)