The Beauty of the World and of Imagination

Before visiting the recent "Everlasting Beauty of Dunhuang" exhibit at the Tsinghua University Museum of Art, I had expected to see art that resembled the formalized figures normally attributed to Byzantine or Buddhist religious paintings. I was amazed at the vividness of life depicted from 1500 years ago. We sometimes forget that people from the middle ages didn't stand around ramrod straight with halos around their heads.

在去清华大学艺术博物馆参观《花开敦煌》展览前，我以为会看到拜占庭或佛教风格的宗教绘画，但看到画展后，我惊讶于1500年前画中栩栩如生的人物。我们有时会忘记中世纪的人们头上并没有光环。

Father-daughter artists Chang Shuhong and Chang Shana both devoted their lives to preserving the artworks in the Mogao caves in Dunhuang. They sketched the murals and studied their styles, preserving precious work that was otherwise quickly decaying.

常书鸿、常沙娜父女一生奉献给保护敦煌莫高窟的事业中。他们临摹壁画、学习壁画风格，保护这些无价的艺术品。

I was especially inspired by a portion of a 5-meter-long mural titled "500 Thieves become Buddhists," from the time of the Western Wei dynasty (535-557 AD). This portion shows people running, jumping and enjoying themselves in the mountains. It's a fantastic depiction of the joy of life.

我特别喜欢西魏时期的《五百强盗成佛图》。这幅5米高的巨画展现了人们奔跑、跳跃，在山间撒欢，灵动地体现了生命的喜悦。

The style is totally unexpected — very original and beautiful. The closest art I can compare it to is from the early twentieth-century French painter Henri Matisse's famous Blue cutouts that inspired so many Apple ads. I don't think Matisse could have seen the Mogao murals, but the connection shows the enduring cultural connections throughout Eurasia.

这种原始美丽的绘画风格让我始料未及。我能想到的最接近的风格就是20世纪法国画家Henri Matisse著名的《蓝色裸体3号》。很多苹果手机的广告都由此获得灵感。我不认为Matisse曾见过莫高窟壁画，但两者之间的联系体现出横跨欧亚大陆的持久的文化联系。

The entire mural does not depict joy. Some scenes show religious contemplation, which is, perhaps, another kind of joy. Other sections show war and torture. 

整副壁画并非全部描绘了欢乐场景。一些画面体现了宗教冥想，当然，这也可能是另一种乐趣。一些画面则描绘了战争和折磨的场面。

But it's the mountain scene that draws me. I worry about the future of a world becoming more and more urban. People need to spend time hiking in the mountains, seeing the natural world.  

但那副山间景色吸引了我。我担心未来世界会愈发城镇化。人们需要远足，欣赏大自然。

Fortunately, China is building trails to give people more access to nature. Many cities are building greenways, often hundreds of kilometers long, that will be a godsend for city-dwellers looking for a good walk. For example, Beijing has built a greenway along the Wenyu river, which flows in a semicircle around the city. Shanghai, Chengdu and many other cities are making similar green, healthy investments.

幸好中国在为百姓提供更多亲近自然的机会。很多城市都修建了几千公里长的林荫道，简直是城市居民健步走的福音。比如北京就在温榆河边修建了林荫道。上海、成都以及很多城市都在做类似的绿色健康投资。

Also, the State Forestry and Grassland Administration announced that it aims to build a nationwide system of scenic trails by 2050. I hope they hurry up so I'll be young enough to enjoy them.

同时，国家林业和草原局宣布将在2050年完成森林步道体系建设。我希望趁我还能走的时候，计划能提前完成。

My wife, my dog, and I try to go hiking in the mountains at least one day each weekend. There are some great places within a one-hour drive of central Beijing. Our favorite, is the magnificent Baihujian scenic area, west-north-west of the city.

我和妻子带着狗狗每周末都至少用一天时间爬山。有些地方从北京市中心开车不到一小时。我们最喜欢白虎涧景区。

However, the areas open for mountain hiking are fairly limited. We'd like to go to a different place each week. So, it's a little frustrating to see the huge areas of green on the map, indicating parks, in the mountainous areas to the north and west. In many places, there are no trails and no good access.  

然而白虎涧能徒步的地区很有限，所以我们每周末都换地方。看着地图上大片的绿色区域很让我头疼，这些是北部和西部的山区公园，很多地方都没有步行道，进出也不方便。

On one access road near Huairou, someone is building a private hotel that blocks the road, thus denying the general public access to the mountain park.

怀柔附近的路上有私家旅馆阻挡了进山的路，无法让大众进入森林公园。

In some places in the US, volunteers build and maintain the hiking trails. Perhaps, that could be done here to create better access to the mountains.

I don't want to end on a negative note. China is making great strides to create opportunities for people to commune with nature. Selfishly, I'd like people to stay home so I can have the trails to myself, but it's good to see people on these trails. They are important for people's physical, psychological and spiritual well-being.

美国有些地方会有志愿者修建维护步行道。也许北京也可以这么做。我不想做个消极的结论，因为中国在努力为人们创造融入大自然的机会。我自私地希望大家都待在家里，这样我就能自己享用步行道。但看见大家徒步也很好。徒步有益于身体、心理健康。