Looking for heritage in the ordinary
<p><span word="Last">Last</span> <span word="week">week</span>, <span word="I">I</span> <span word="learned">learned</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="online">online</span> <span word="reports">reports</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="nearly">nearly</span> <span word="century">century</span>-<span word="old">old</span> <span word="Xunlimen">Xunlimen</span> <span word="Railway">Railway</span> <span word="Station">Station</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="Hankou">Hankou</span>, <span word="Hubei">Hubei</span> <span word="province">province</span>, <span word="had">had</span> <span word="been">been</span> <span word="demolished">demolished</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="commercial">commercial</span> <span word="development">development</span>. <span word="The">The</span> <span word="news">news</span> <span word="saddened">saddened</span> <span word="me">me</span>, <span word="for">for</span> <span word="I">I</span> <span word="spent">spent</span> <span word="my">my</span> <span word="childhood">childhood</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="its">its</span> <span word="vicinity">vicinity</span>.</p><p><span word="During">During</span> <span word="the">the</span> 1950<span word="s">s</span> <span word="and">and</span> 1960<span word="s">s</span>, <span word="my">my</span> <span word="family">family</span> <span word="lived">lived</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="Xunlimen">Xunlimen</span>, <span word="after">after</span> <span word="which">which</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="primary">primary</span> <span word="school">school</span> <span word="I">I</span> <span word="attended">attended</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="also">also</span> <span word="named">named</span>. <span word="Every">Every</span> <span word="day">day</span>, <span word="I">I</span> <span word="passed">passed</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="railway">railway</span> <span word="station">station</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="my">my</span> <span word="way">way</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="school">school</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="back">back</span> <span word="home">home</span>. <span word="The">The</span> <span word="station">station</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="used">used</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="goods">goods</span>, <span word="not">not</span> <span word="passengers">passengers</span>, <span word="and">and</span> <span word="I">I</span> <span word="often">often</span> <span word="slipped">slipped</span> <span word="into">into</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="after">after</span> <span word="school">school</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="play">play</span>.</p><p><span word="I">I</span> <span word="loved">loved</span> <span word="seeing">seeing</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="railway">railway</span> <span word="staff">staff</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="impressive">impressive</span> <span word="uniforms">uniforms</span>, <span word="some">some</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="who">who</span> <span word="were">were</span> <span word="neighbors">neighbors</span>, <span word="waving">waving</span> <span word="red">red</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="green">green</span> <span word="pennants">pennants</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="usher">usher</span> <span word="trains">trains</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="out">out</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="station">station</span>. <span word="The">The</span> <span word="porters">porters</span> <span word="instilled">instilled</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="sense">sense</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="awe">awe</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="me">me</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="beads">beads</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="perspiration">perspiration</span> <span word="covered">covered</span> <span word="their">their</span> <span word="muscular">muscular</span> <span word="bodies">bodies</span> <span word="while">while</span> <span word="they">they</span> <span word="carried">carried</span> <span word="goods">goods</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="gangplanks">gangplanks</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="wagons">wagons</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="platforms">platforms</span>. <span word="I">I</span> <span word="often">often</span> <span word="peeped">peeped</span> <span word="through">through</span> <span word="gaps">gaps</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="large">large</span> <span word="crates">crates</span> <span word="trying">trying</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="see">see</span> <span word="what">what</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="inside">inside</span>.</p><p><span word="Once">Once</span> <span word="I">I</span> <span word="saw">saw</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="giraffe">giraffe</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="flatcar">flatcar</span> <span word="eating">eating</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="leaves">leaves</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="tree">tree</span> <span word="off">off</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="tracks">tracks</span>. <span word="More">More</span> <span word="often">often</span>, <span word="I">I</span> <span word="tried">tried</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="catch">catch</span> <span word="crickets">crickets</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="within">within</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="cracks">cracks</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="platform">platform</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="gleaned">gleaned</span> <span word="soybeans">soybeans</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="had">had</span> <span word="dropped">dropped</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="torn">torn</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="loose">loose</span> <span word="sacks">sacks</span>. <span word="Back">Back</span> <span word="home">home</span>, <span word="my">my</span> <span word="grandmother">grandmother</span> <span word="would">would</span> <span word="bake">bake</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="beans">beans</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="me">me</span>. <span word="It">It</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="fun">fun</span>.</p><p><span word="The">The</span> <span word="station">station</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="built">built</span> <span word="in">in</span> 1916. <span word="For">For</span> <span word="my">my</span> <span word="generation">generation</span>, <span word="it">it</span> <span word="bore">bore</span> <span word="witness">witness</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="time">time</span> <span word="when">when</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="newborn">newborn</span> <span word="People">People</span>'<span word="s">s</span> <span word="Republic">Republic</span> <span word="underwent">underwent</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="fervent">fervent</span> <span word="campaign">campaign</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="develop">develop</span> <span word="its">its</span> <span word="economy">economy</span> <span word="after">after</span> <span word="decades">decades</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="war">war</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="people">people</span> <span word="confidently">confidently</span> <span word="began">began</span> <span word="rebuilding">rebuilding</span> <span word="our">our</span> <span word="country">country</span> <span word="despite">despite</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="poverty">poverty</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="hardships">hardships</span> <span word="they">they</span> <span word="faced">faced</span>. <span word="For">For</span> <span word="me">me</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="station">station</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="part">part</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="my">my</span> <span word="childhood">childhood</span> <span word="memory">memory</span>.</p>
页:
[1]