中国城记:南京胜迹 万国惊叹

　　The lone surviving southern gate, the Zhonghua Gate, and the city wall offer a look into the ingenuity and progress of design to come out of the Ming Dynasty. The construction of the Zhonghua Gate along with the city wall was obviously a massive undertaking but utilized a creation of lime, water, glutinous rice and tung oil to cement the bricks in place. Tung oil is water resistant plant oil native to China. This mixture made the walls extremely resilient and allowed for one of the most unique aspects still highly visible along the surface of the bricks.

　　一直留存下来的南门，即中华门城堡，折射出明朝时期建筑设计的智慧和科技进步的象征。南京的城墙，显而易见是一项巨大的工程，但是却能用石灰、水、糯米和桐油将砖块粘结在固定的位置，非常神奇。桐油是一种中国特有的防水植物油，这种混合使得城墙极具弹性，且使得城墙能经受住各种自然和非自然因素的考验，让人惊叹。直到现在，一般人都很难透过砖块参透这项独特的技艺。

　　Stamped and etched into the bricks are the names of the person who made the bricks, placed them and sometimes the crew leader or foreman facing outward for every passerby to see. The idea is that should a brick fail or prove faulty then the question of who is at fault is clear. With the wall serving to protect the people no mistakes were required and if perfection in construction was not achieved the consequences were dire.

　　那些古朴而隽永的中国文字，刻在很多砖块上，那是制砖人的姓名、籍贯、司职等。有时候会将工头的名字朝上，每个经过的人都能看到，这个方法确保了砖块万一出问题能够找到负责人。有城墙保护着，人们有着很强的安全感。如果建筑出问题，后果是难以想像的。

资料图:秦淮河夜景

　　The Zhonghua Gate itself shows how much safety and military might was important in the new dynasty. The former rulers of China being the infamous and dreaded Mongols led by the great Khans, the new emperor wanted to ensure that attacks were efficient and localized. The gate was designed to hide up to 3,000 garrisoned troops who could quickly detain and then vanquish a large number of the enemy through an intricate system of locking inner gates and chambers.

　　中华门城堡，展现出了在保护王朝安全和军事力量上的重要性。明朝之前的统治者，是由伟大的成吉思汗率领的曾经的游牧部落，这些剽悍的骑士统一了中原。不到百年，元朝即被大明推翻，明朝定都南京。新王朝的帝王，希望确保进攻高效且具防御性，所以，都城南京的南大门，设计出能容下3000多名的驻守士兵的城堡。他们能够快速出击和消灭大量的敌军，通过一个错综复杂的系统，能够关闭里面的门和洞。

　　Looking out from the top of the Zhonghua Gate and from behind the fortifications, the creativity springing forth from the serenity of the inner Qinhuai area can easily be seen. Here is where Fuzi Miao, or the Confucius Temple, resides. Confucius and his teachings became the foundations of how Chinese society should be governed. More than a constitution or a single doctrine, the teaching of Confucius permeated and dictated what was required to achieve a harmonious society.

　　从中华门这座筑垒的后面，由顶部向外看，宁静祥和的秦淮河温柔地缠绕着，延伸向远方，透露出无限的依恋和生命的创造力。极目太阳升起的方向，那儿座落着人文荟萃的夫子庙。这里膜拜的圣人是孔子。孔子和他的学说为中国社会统治方法的建立奠定了基础。孔子学说广为传诵，这超越了宪法和简单学说的作用，为如何建立一个和谐社会点亮了明灯。