Travel in Chinese Lesson 83 Canglang Pavilion

沧 浪 亭

(沧浪亭外)

同事：雪梅，我们到了，这里就是沧浪亭了。

沧浪亭是苏州现在最古老的园林之一。

雪梅：那比拙政园时间还长吗？

同事：对，沧浪亭是应该早于拙政园。到现在差不多有一千多年历史了。

雪梅：我都等不及了，咱们快点儿进去看看吧。

同事：好啊！

(沧浪亭内)

同事：雪梅，你发现没有，这个园里是以山为中心修建的。

雪梅：这边是山，那边是水。真有些山林野趣呢。

同事：你说得太好了，沧浪亭的妙处就在于在山水之间建了一个廊子。

雪梅：好像把园子一分为二，分成两个部分。

同事：雪梅，来，你从这些窗口向外看看。

雪梅：哇，真像透过魔镜看到的仙境一般。

同事：不得不佩服古代的园林大师，人工修建的廊子不仅没有破坏自然，还给自然增加了色彩。

雪梅：这是宋代的名园，现存的苏州园林有没有别的朝代的呢？

同事：有，狮子林就是元代的园林。

雪梅：狮子林？听起来好像动物园。

同事：狮子林虽说不是动物园，可也跟动物沾点边儿。有人说狮子林是假山王国。

雪梅：是不是，这里一定有故事或者传说什么的。

同事：你说的没错。那你猜猜为什么要叫狮子林呢？

雪梅：我想是不是那些假山的样子很像狮子？

同事：还真让你给说着了，所以才有了狮子林的名称。

雪梅：对了，我在美国的一个博物馆里见过一个厅堂的模型，说是仿制苏州的什么园里的。

同事：应该是留园，留园的园林建筑里厅堂很典型。

雪梅：我到中国以后，始终没有见过类似的厅堂。

同事：那我们明天就去留园看看吧。

雪梅：好。

同事：好啊，走！
 

Translation:

Colleague: Xuemei. We’re here. This is the Canglang Pavilion.

The Canglang Pavilion is one of the oldest gardens in Suzhou.

Xuemei：It’s been around longer than the Humble Administrator's Garden？

Colleague: That’s right. The Canglang Pavilion dates from earlier than the Humble Administrator's Garden. It’s more than a thousand years old.

Xuemei: I can’t wait. Let’s go and have a look.

Colleague: Look. This is centered around the mountain.

Xuemei：This side is the mountain, and that side is the water. This is truly an example of nature’s beauty.

Colleague: You’re absolutely right. The beauty of the Canglang Pavilion is building the corridor between the mountain and the water.

Xuemei：It’s like dividing the garden into two parts.

Colleague: Xuemei, have a look out from these windows.

Xuemei：Wow, it’s like looking at a magical scene through a crystal ball.

Colleague: You have to hand it to the classical garden designers; not only does the man-made corridor not spoil the view, it enhances it.

Xuemei：This is a garden from the Song Dynasty. Have any Suzhou gardens survived from other dynasties?

Colleague: Yes. The Lion Forest Garden is from the Yuan Dynasty.

Xuemei：The Lion Forest Garden？Sounds like a zoo.

Colleague: Well the Lion Forest Garden may not be a zoo, but it’s animal-related. Some say it’s the kingdom of rockeries.

Xuemei：Is there a story or legend involved?

Colleague: You’re right. Can you guess why it’s called the Lion Forest Garden?

Xuemei：I think it’s because the rockeries look like lions?

Colleague: You got it. That’s why it’s called the Lion Forest Garden.

Xuemei：I’ve seen the model of a hall in a museum back in the US. It was supposed to be a replica of some garden in Suzhou.

Colleague: That must be the Lingering Garden. Halls are the typical feature of the Lingering Garden’s structures.

Xuemei：I haven’t seen any halls like them since I’ve come to China.

Colleague: Then we’ll save the Lingering Garden for tomorrow.

Xuemei: OK.

Colleague: Let’s go!

Bookmarks

1、始终 from beginning to end, always,

（例）这件事，我向她解释了半天，她始终还是不明白我的意思。

I explained this to her for a long time. But she never understood my meaning.

（例）这个地址我告诉了他很多遍，他始终都记不住。

I told him this address many times. But he never remembered it.

2、类似 similar

（例）饭店向我们保证以后绝对不会出现类似的问题。

The hotel promised us that a similar problem would never occur again.

（例）在西湖，类似的民间故事和传说还有很多。

At the west lake, there are many similar folk tales and fables.

Sign Posts

Canglang Pavilion

Tracing the history of all the existing classical gardens in Suzhou, Canglang Pavilion, located south of Suzhou city, is the oldest one. It was first built in the Northern Song Dynasty by the scholar Su Zimei, who chose the name Canglang or Blue Wave Pavilion. The garden has been rebuilt many times ever since and most of the present garden buildings, simple and plain in style, date from the Qing Dynasty.

Covering an area of 10,656 square meters, the Canglang Pavilion, features a range of man-made hills on the inside and waterscapes on the outside. To enter the garden, you must first proceed past an expanse of water over a zigzag bridge of stone. once there you can’t miss the sight of a man-made mountain covered with old trees and bamboo, running from east to west.

The Canglang Pavilion, in the shape of a square, stands at the top of the mountain. A Song dynasty poem is inscribed on the stone pillars and reads, “ the refreshing breeze and the bright moon are priceless, the nearby water and the distant mountains strike a sentimental note.” A double-corridor lies to the north of the garden, unifying the waterscapes outside with the garden and "mountain scenery" inside. Here, the designers have tried to create optical illusions with the scenery both inside and outside.

Substitution and Extension

1、......之一 one of

（例）长城是世界文化遗产之一。

The Great Wall is one of the world cultural treasures.

2、像.......一般 as if, just like

（例）山中的小湖平静得像镜子一般。

The little lake in the mountain is so calm.It looks just like a mirror.