-
Once You Have Been, You Will Be Reluctant
to Leave
Victor
编辑
Hi, welcome to travelogue. I am
Yanling, still in Chengdu. This capital of the
ancient Shu Kingdom, is one of the
fastest growing city in China today. It
promises travelers
course under the
condition that you take your time to truly savor
all it has to offer, shall we start with a cup of
tea?
Most
Chinese
metropolis
today
baffles
with
the
balance
of
galloping
towards
modernization
and
preserving
traditional way
of living.
Few cities in
China today like Chengdu that is so fond of
memories from the past, and manage to actually
living in
it.
Even
growing
in
rocket
speed,
Chengdu,
the
city
of
more
than
8
million,
somehow
feels
like
a
rare
city
oasis
where the bustle slows down and the
original spirit stays intact. And what is it?
Where to feel it?
Once you are in
Chengdu, you have to
learn one word,
and truly understand the spirit of
it
–
xiuxian
--
allow
yourself to relax as long as you
need, so idling around in one of teahouses for 5
hours doesn't make you a slacker
in
Chengdu.
Chengdu teahouses are
everywhere. Scattered at every corner of the
streets, in every park and even in every office
compound...
Pensioners or
pillars of the society? People of all kinds
patronize
（资助）
teahouses more
often than their grocery
shop.
So what do you see in a teahouse in an
afternoon? Small society, as Chengdu people call
it. It is the perfect spot to
relax, to
socialize; to people-watch.
Once you
are in teahouses, enjoy the timeless quality of
your teatime. Even the waiters and waitress on
duty often
take it slow since there is
no such demand as for fast and efficient service.
But for someone who works as ear-picker
（经典的词语啊，挖耳屎的人，相信你在茶馆见过这种人吧，学会
该怎么说，
earpicker,
那挖耳屎勺子叫做：
earpick
）
, an age-old
rare profession that is probably hard to find a
job
elsewhere, they take their job very
seriously.
Although their tools remind
me of my dentist's scary weapons, how can I pass
on the chance to try something for
the
first time?!
It was certainly both eyes
opening and ear opening experience
(
大开眼界
)to have my ear picked
outside of my
bathroom, by someone
else, in such a complicated procedure...
Not every teahouse has to be this
adventurous of course. Some people would like to
compare Chengdu teahouses
with coffee
houses in Paris, probably not after been ear
cleaned in Renmin park, more likely have enjoyed a
cup
of green tea in one of these kind
of teahouses along Funan river,
Chengdu
locals take pride in their city for good reasons.
History and commerce, animal and people apparently
all
meet in peace.
Chengdu
people love dogs, yes, as pet.
Once
you
step
into
the
dog
market
by
Funan
River
on
a
Sunday
morning,
you
will
understand
why
Chengdu
locals prankishly
call it
（
狗博会，
哈哈）<
/p>
A full display of the beauty of
variations--color,
race
（一般来说
，
race
我们知道的意思是赛跑，但是这个地方表示狗的品种
）
, origin and character!
As
a dog devotee, it surprised me that many of them
even I haven't seen before...
I am so
jealous of
（经典句型，表示嫉妒。
。
）
those who take a little puppy
home today. You get good bargains
here<
/p>
（这个句子也特别经典，表示东西特别便宜，如果你给别人介绍成都的荷花池，
也用上这个句子吧。
）
.
Of
course
it
takes
more
than
just
money
to
have
a
dog.
You
need
have
a
comfortable
living,
slow
paced
life,
contented life style. Sooner or later,
I will have a dog, perhaps have to move down here
then...
That's the down side of being a
traveler, many things you love and care. You can't
take them home.
But if you are a flea m
arket
（跳蚤市场，就是那种东西特别廉价的地方，我觉得成都荷花池也基本上可以
这
么翻译。
怎么突然发现我对荷花池这么感兴趣了呢？）
fanatic, and happen to be in
the city on Sunday. This is
the best
place to rummage and find some carriable bargain.
Everything from old books and coins, Tang
potteries
to old gramophones from
unidentifiable origin, you never know what you
will find to take home.
1