Living at the foot of the Great Wall, I have grown up listening to tales about it. The Wall has been a part of me ever since I was a child. Flowing through my veins is the blood of my ancestors: they were Ming Dynasty soldiers who migrated from Yiwu in Zhejiang Province, far off in South China, to build and guard the Wall at Chengziyu in Funing County. So it’s no wonder that my heart ached when, during the Cultural Revolution (1966-76), engraved stone tablets were smashed by red guards out to destroy China’s feudal past. I endured more pain when villagers, ignorant and helplessly poor, hacked at the Wall with their pickaxes for its bricks.
The Wall was crying, and so was I. I thought to myself that the destruction of the Wall must be stopped. If the Wall disappeared, how would I be able to explain such a loss to my own grandchildren? Back in 1979 I decided to take action. For 30 consecutive years now I have patrolled the Wall. Thirty years, from 1979 to 2009 – that’s more than 10,000 days! Actually, I don’t remember too many of the hardships during this half-a-lifetime’s self assignment, but a quick calculation suggests that I’ve worn out about 360 pairs of rubber shoes. Another rough calculation tells me that during my Wall patrols I have covered a distance that could have taken me around the globe, several times.
I’ve committed myself to protecting the Wall, the way I protect the wall that surrounds my courtyard, so that its greatness can be seen and appreciated by future generations. During my spare time I have also collected folktales and legends about the Wall. I have tried to publish them so that more people can learn about the origin of its
Place-names, and understand our traditions beside it. In 2005, photographer Tian Li from Shenyang visited Chengziyu and gave me a camera, a made-in-China Seagull 4B 120. I was extremely happy because I could now illustrate my storytelling. I’d also like to thank photographer Zhao Huanyang, also from Shenyang, and Lang Xiaoguang of the Guangshun Group Co. based in Qinhuangdao who visited in 2007 and gave me a digital camera.
In July of the same year, I first met William Lindesay of International Friends of the Great Wall. He was travelling with his wife Wu Qi, and their family and friends, from Shanhaiguan to Yangguan, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his solo adventure on foot along the Wall in 1987. William stayed at Chengziyu and was obviously impressed by what I was doing to protect the Wall, and interested in the Great Wall folktales I told him. The following year, in May 2008, William revisited Chengziyu, this time bringing with him a large group comprising members of International Friends of the Great Wall and their sponsor BHP Billiton. They launched a Great Wall protection project here, committing themselves to funding six local Wall rangers for two years, and also publishing this book, Whispers from the Wall — Great Wall Folktales Told across the Centuries. I am very thankful for the help given by William and his wife Wu Qi, and for BHP Billiton’s generosity.
I’m an ordinary farmer, and I know my text is roughly written. With the help of Mr. Li Zhuren’s editing work, I do hope that by reading my book, more people will hear my plea, the call that we, as guardians of the Great Wall, want to spread: Let’s all work together to preserve the Great Wall!
纵横
3552
冀公网安备13030202003763号
我是长城脚下土生土长的农民，是听着长城的故事长大的。也许，血管里流着的是义乌兵的鲜血吧，从小就对长城有一种特殊的亲切感。当年，红卫兵破四旧的铁锤砸向长城碑刻时，也把我的心砸的粉碎；当无知无助的农民的镐头刨向长城时，又一次把我的心刨得坑坑洼洼；……
长城在哭泣，我也在流泪：文物不能再毁了呀！不然，我们拿什么向子孙后代交代？也就从那一刻起，我就走上了一条自发保护家乡长城之路，一走就是三十年！一万多个日日夜夜，究竟吃了多少苦，我已不记得，但我只知道，三百六十双坏了补，补了又坏的胶鞋告诉我，我在巡视长城时所走过的路程加起来，足可以绕地球三、四圈了！
三十年，我把长城当作是我家的“大院墙”一样照看着，只为了一个承诺：让我们的子孙还能够看到古老的长城实体。
保护长城干什么？让更多的人了解长城、热爱长城。为此，三十年来，我利用劳动之余，阴天下雨的时间，搜集散落民间的长城故事、传说、风土人情、民俗文化，利用电视、广播、报刊杂志、网络等平台，宣传长城，介绍长城。特别是2005年，沈阳摄影家田力，鼓励我把长城四季风光拍摄下来，并且，送给我他收藏的海鸥——4B 120照相机，并为我提供胶卷，从此，我又对长城宣传可以图文并茂了。
2007年，沈阳摄影家赵焕阳、秦皇岛广顺集团总经理、董事长郎小光等，先后送给我数码相机，使我的摄影技术有了进步，在此，向他们三位表示感谢。同年7月，国际长城之友协会会长威廉先生，为纪念他来中国徒步长城20周年，举行了长城自驾行。从山海关出发，经过抚宁县城子峪的时候我接待了威廉一行。在这短短的两天里，我的传说故事和保护长城的事迹打动了威廉。九个月之后的一个周末，威廉先生带领他协会的会员和赞助商澳大利亚必和必拓公司的职员，在城子峪启动了一个长城保护项目——树立环保标志牌和资助城子峪6个环保员两年的基本费用，同时资助我出版《长城民间传说》。我非常感谢威廉先生为保护长城和长城传说这个非物质文化遗产所做的努力，感谢必和必拓公司的资金支持。
做为一个普普通通的农民，我知道我的文字功底还很幼稚，但我希望读者朋友，能够从中读出泥土的芳香和汗水的滋味，让我们共同为长城保护事业尽自己的一份力吧！这就是长城守望者的心声。
张鹤珊
2009年3月
Author’s Note
Living at the foot of the Great Wall, I have grown up listening to tales about it. The Wall has been a part of me ever since I was a child. Flowing through my veins is the blood of my ancestors: they were Ming Dynasty soldiers who migrated from Yiwu in Zhejiang Province, far off in South China, to build and guard the Wall at Chengziyu in Funing County. So it’s no wonder that my heart ached when, during the Cultural Revolution (1966-76), engraved stone tablets were smashed by red guards out to destroy China’s feudal past. I endured more pain when villagers, ignorant and helplessly poor, hacked at the Wall with their pickaxes for its bricks.
The Wall was crying, and so was I. I thought to myself that the destruction of the Wall must be stopped. If the Wall disappeared, how would I be able to explain such a loss to my own grandchildren? Back in 1979 I decided to take action. For 30 consecutive years now I have patrolled the Wall. Thirty years, from 1979 to 2009 – that’s more than 10,000 days! Actually, I don’t remember too many of the hardships during this half-a-lifetime’s self assignment, but a quick calculation suggests that I’ve worn out about 360 pairs of rubber shoes. Another rough calculation tells me that during my Wall patrols I have covered a distance that could have taken me around the globe, several times.
I’ve committed myself to protecting the Wall, the way I protect the wall that surrounds my courtyard, so that its greatness can be seen and appreciated by future generations. During my spare time I have also collected folktales and legends about the Wall. I have tried to publish them so that more people can learn about the origin of its
Place-names, and understand our traditions beside it. In 2005, photographer Tian Li from Shenyang visited Chengziyu and gave me a camera, a made-in-China Seagull 4B 120. I was extremely happy because I could now illustrate my storytelling. I’d also like to thank photographer Zhao Huanyang, also from Shenyang, and Lang Xiaoguang of the Guangshun Group Co. based in Qinhuangdao who visited in 2007 and gave me a digital camera.
In July of the same year, I first met William Lindesay of International Friends of the Great Wall. He was travelling with his wife Wu Qi, and their family and friends, from Shanhaiguan to Yangguan, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his solo adventure on foot along the Wall in 1987. William stayed at Chengziyu and was obviously impressed by what I was doing to protect the Wall, and interested in the Great Wall folktales I told him. The following year, in May 2008, William revisited Chengziyu, this time bringing with him a large group comprising members of International Friends of the Great Wall and their sponsor BHP Billiton. They launched a Great Wall protection project here, committing themselves to funding six local Wall rangers for two years, and also publishing this book, Whispers from the Wall — Great Wall Folktales Told across the Centuries. I am very thankful for the help given by William and his wife Wu Qi, and for BHP Billiton’s generosity.
I’m an ordinary farmer, and I know my text is roughly written. With the help of Mr. Li Zhuren’s editing work, I do hope that by reading my book, more people will hear my plea, the call that we, as guardians of the Great Wall, want to spread: Let’s all work together to preserve the Great Wall!
Zhang Heshan
Chengziyu Village, Funing County, Hebei Province
March, 2009.
（本文作者：张鹤珊，翻译：李竹润，图文均来自“林赛一家子”）