黃土地上的人們

譯/丁鵬

說起陜西的風土人情，相信很多人的腦海里都會浮現出這樣的畫面：在陜北高原上，一個頭戴白羊肚手巾的漢子蹲在窯洞前，手里端著盆一樣大的碗，大口大口蛭（die）飯。整個場景在黃土的襯托下，顯得格外氣定神閑、韻味悠長。這樣的陜西印象雖不足以代表全貌，但也算抓住了陜西文化的精髓。

When talking about the conditions and customs of Shaanxi，one image often comes to mind. On the plateau of northern Shaanxi，a man wearing a white sheep-belly-style cotton headwrapon his head squats in frontofacave dwelling，scoopinga huge mouthfuloffood from hisbowl.The yellow earth providesadramatic backdrop to this calm and composed figure exuding a lingering charm.While this impression of Shaanxi cannot capture its full diversity，it encapsuates the essense of Shaanxi culture.

按照地理環境差異，陜西由北至南可劃分為三個區域，分別是陜北、關中和陜南。陜北是溝壑縱橫的黃土高原地貌；陜南則以秦嶺山地為主；夾在南北之間的是關中盆地，坐落其中的關中平原俗稱“八百里秦川”。陜西境內北起長城、南至秦嶺的這片土地，是黃土高原的核心區域，歷來干旱少雨。但勤勞的陜西人民扎根于此，艱苦勞作，展現了“一方水土養一方人”的真諦。黃土地滋養了陜西人民，讓陜西的風土人情都深深地打上了黃土的烙印。

Due to variations in geographical conditions， Shaanxi from north to southcanbedivided into three regions： northen Shaanxi （Shaanbei），central Shaanxi （Guanzhong），and southern Shaanxi （Shannan）.Northern Shaanxi is a loess pleateu characterised by rugged guillies and deep ravines， while southern Shaanxi is primarily a mountainous region.Beween these two lies the Guanzhong Basin， andwithin which is the Guanzhong Plain known as “EightHundred Miles ofQin Chuan.”In Shaanxi， theland stretchesfromtheGreatWall in thenorth to the Qinling Mountains in the south， forming the nucleaus area of the Loess Plateau. Although historically arid and dry， this region hasbeen home to resilient， hardworking people who have taken root， toiled and laboured - each community nurturing its own unique character. The rich soil of the Loess Plateu has not only nourished the people of Shaanxi butalsoleftanindeliblemarkon its local culture and folk traditions.

rivers of the Guanzhong Plain provide favourable conditions for primitive agriculture， which allowed Chinese civilizationto emerge. The Loess Pleateau has been considered one of the six major places of origin of Chinese civilization in archaeology. Since the Western Zhou Dynasty （1046- 771BC），atotalof13dynastieshaveestablied their capitals here andbequeathed aweath ofcultural heritage for later generations， showcasing Shaanxi's profound history as a key birthplace of Chinese civilization. It can be said that the loess not only nurtured the birth of Chinese civilization but also shaped itscultural foundation.

黃土造就樂觀精神。陜西人樂觀，不僅是因為他們習慣了王朝更替，看淡了興衰成敗，更是因為千百年來與黃土地的磨合鑄就了他們堅毅的性格。既然苦難是與生俱來的，抱怨又有什么用？還不如樂觀地看待一切，在奮斗的時光中直面困難。陜西籍作家路遙在小說《平凡的世界》里為我們描繪了陜北黃土高原雙水村的故事。村民們以執著、真誠和善良樂觀地面對苦難的生活，他們的奮斗精神像一座豐碑屹立在黃土高原之上。路遙飽含深情地刻畫了孫少平這一不卑不亢、不屈不撓的角色，當我們讀到“生命屬于我們只有一次”“只有一個人對世界了解得更廣大，對人生看得更深刻，才有可能對自己所處的艱難和困苦有更高意義的理解”這些話語時，很難不產生共鳴。在這片土地上，人們相信，只要有信念，

黃土造就文化底色。關中平原肥沃的土壤和交錯的河流為原始農業的發展提供了得天獨厚的條件，中華文明由此應運而生。關中平原所在的黃土高原區域被考古學界認為是中華文明起源中重要的六個地區之一。自西周以來，先后有13個王朝在這里建立都城，給后人留下了豐富的文化遺產，這些無一不彰顯出陜西作為中華文明重要發祥地的深厚歷史底蘊。可以說，黃土地不僅孕育了中華文明的起源，更為陜西奠定了獨特的文化底色。

The Loess creates the culture.The fertile soil and interlocking就不會被壓倒，就能通過艱苦奮斗改變自己的命運。這種樂觀的精神是黃土地賦予的寶貴財富。

The loess nurtures a spirit of optimism. The optimisticpeopleof Shaanxi，accustomed to dynastic succession， take prosperity and decline lightly; they have learned to co-exist with the loess， cultivating a firm and determined character. If suffering is inevitable，what's the use of complaints？It's better to face it squarely during times of struggle. The Shaanxi-born novelist Lu Yao， in his novel Ordinary World， portrays the strength of a village called Double Waters on northern Shaanxi's Loess Plateau， where thevillagers overcome life'shardshipswith perserverence，genuinenessandkindness.Their fighting spirit stands tall like a giant towering over the Loess Plateau. Lu Yao portrayed the main character Sun Shaoping，as an unyielding young man who is neither haughty nor humble. When we read words such as“We have only one life to live” and “Only if a manhas a widerknowledge of the world and a deeper insight into life can he have a higher understanding of the meaning of the hardships and difficulties he encounters，\"itis hard not to resonate them. On this land， people believe as long as you have faith， you will not be prevailed over and can change your destiny. Thisoptimismis the treasurebestowed bythe loess.

黃土造就豪邁性格。陜西的黃土高原溝壑縱橫、地廣人稀，為了進行有效溝通，人們常常需要用“吼”的方式來傳遞信息。這種交流方式不僅實用，更逐漸演變成一種文化特色，成為秦腔和信天游等藝術形式的起源。“八百里秦川塵土飛揚，三千萬老陜齊吼秦腔”，陜西人對秦腔的熱愛是深入骨髓的。秦腔主要使用關中方言演唱，吼起來高昂激越、強烈急促，與粗獷、磅礴的表演風格相得益彰，也與陜西人直爽的性格特點相吻合。空閑時，吼一嗓子秦腔成為人們難得的消遣。信天游則是一種流行民歌，形式自由靈活，每兩句為一小節，唱起來朗朗上口。人們喜歡信天游，更多的是因為其多以愛情、王朝興替、反抗壓迫等為題材，唱起來熱情高亢、酣暢淋漓。平常有什么不順心的事，吼幾句秦腔、唱一首信天游就能得到緩解。這些源自黃土地的民間藝術，既生動展現了當地的精神風貌，也深刻體現著陜西人豪邁不羈的性格特征。

The loess imparts a bold and generous character. The Loess Plateau， riddled with gullies and crisscrossed with rugged ravines，covers a vast and sparsely populated area where people transmit messages by“yelling.”This mode of communication is not only practical but has evolved into a cultural hallmark，giving rise to many artistic forms such as Qinqiang Opera （Shaanxi Opera） and Xin Tian You （or“rambles in the sky\"）.“Eight hundred miles of Qin Chuan， dust swirling in the air; thirty million old Shaanxi folks roar in unison to Qin Opera.’ The love for Qinqiang Opera runs deep among the peole of Shaanxi.Performed in the Guanzhong Plain dialect， Qinqiang Opera roars with exalted volume 一 strong， rapid，and powerful - complementing brilliantly with its free and majestic style，which perfectly aligns with the temperament and charactersitcs of the Shaanxi people. In their leisure time，singinga verse ofQinqiang Opera has become a cherished pastime.Xin Tian You is，therefore，a popular folk song with a free and flexible style. Its structure - each stanza composed of two sentences - isboth fluent and catchy. Everyone loves Xin Tian You，perhaps because its themes range from love and dynastic changes to resistance to agreesion; they are ardent and sonourous. When things don't go as expected and you feel down， shouting a few lines of Qinqiang Opera or singing a Xin Tian You folk song is a great way to release stress. These arts forms，which originated from the loess，embody the cultural spirit of the locals and represent their bold and unstrained character.

黃土造就獨特生活方式。窯洞是陜北最具特色的民居，是利用黃土的堅實質地依山鑿土而成，與黃土高原的自然環境相適應，既取材天然又冬暖夏涼。窯洞的布局簡單而實用，院落、磨盤、豬圈等構成了人們基本的生活設施。日常生活中，羊肚巾、紅腰帶、大棉褲等典型的陜北服飾，既保暖又便于勞作。身著這些傳統服飾的人們，成為黃土高原上一道道亮麗的風景線。隨處可見的圪（ge）梁梁、坡昴（mao）、溝壑壑等黃土地貌，都是陜西人生活的舞臺。“擇黃土而居”是陜西人獨特的生活方式。

The loess creates the lifestyle of the local people. Cave dewellings are the typical residences，perfectly suited to the natural environmentof the loess. They are carved out of the earth， built against the mountains and utilising the dense，natural texture of the loess，which keeps them cool in summer andwarm in winter.Thelayoutof these cave dwellings is simple and practical， with a courtyard，millstones，and pigsties forming the basic facilities of everyday life. In everydaylife， the whiteheadwrap，red cloth belt， and cotton-padded trousers are typical Shaanxi clothing - warm and well-suited

The loess creates intangible cultural heritage.It is the soul of Shaanxi and the people who have lived here for generations produced arich and colourful intangible heritage culture. The yangko dance is vibrant and lively， its firm and joyful steps kick up clouds of dust， expressing people's love for the loess and for life.At festivities， thesuonahornandwaistdrum areindispensable.“Ofallthe instruments，thesuonaisthe king.”InShaanxi，wheneverthere isafestive activity，the suona plays a loud and cheerful tune thatenlivensthecelebration.

for working in the fields - and the sight of people intraddtional Shaanxiattireisabeautiful scenic spectable. The loess landscape，with its ubiquitious ridges，rolling hills，and deep gullies，stretches endlesslyacross the terrain，servingas the stage for the lives of the Shaanxi people.“Dwelling on the loess” is the unique lifestyle of the people.

黃土造就非遺文化。黃土地是陜西的“魂”，祖祖輩輩生活在這里的人們依托黃土地創造了豐富多彩的非物質文化遺產。這里的“鬧秧歌”熱鬧非凡，矯健歡樂的舞步踢踏起漫天的塵土，傳達著人們對黃土地和生活的熱愛。只要遇上熱鬧的事兒，嗩吶和腰鼓必不可少。“百般樂器，嗩吶為王”，在陜西，但凡有熱鬧的活動，都有嗩吶助興，吹起來歡快響亮。腰鼓則以安塞腰鼓最為有名，腰鼓手握著鼓槌，一手在前，一手在后，雙腳跳起，以極強的節奏感擊打腰鼓。除了音樂和舞蹈，這里還有各種充滿黃土氣息的藝術品。“綏德泥塑”已有1000多年的歷史，其創作大多取材于人們的日常勞動和生活。工匠們在黃土中加入蜂蜜、食用油和棉花來提高其黏度和韌性，再用鐵絲勾勒出骨架，糊上泥土，細心雕琢，完成一件件精美的藝術品。以前，這里的人們都用紙來糊窗戶，因此貼窗花非常流行。常見的圖案有魚戲蓮葉、老鷹捉小雞等，看起來自然融洽。除了這些，石雕、華陰小調、皮影戲等也是在這片黃土地上發展起來的非物質文化遺產。

Ansaiwaistdrum is the most famous. Thedrummers hold theirdrumsticks with one hand in front and the other behind， leaping with both feet while they strike the waist drum with a strong sense ofrhythm.Besidesmusicanddance，theartworks are full of the loess too.Suide clay sculptures have a history of over 1，ooo years，with most of their creations inspired by people's daily labour and life. Craftmen add honey， cooking oil and cotton to loess to increase its viscosity and toughness，then use iron wire to outline the framework， spread clay，

and carefully carve to complete an art work. In the past，people here used paper to cover their windows， so pasting papercut window decorations was very popular. Common patterns include harmonious natural scences such as fish playing on lotus leaves，an eagle catching chicks hiding behind the hen， among others.Therearealso various displays that have developed on the YellowEarth，suchas stone carvings，Huayin ballads，andshadow puppetry.

回顧歷史，無論時代如何變遷、生活水平如何提高，黃土地始終是陜西人心中不可替代的家園，是他們一生的牽掛。他們的生活、情感、文化和精神，都與這里緊密相連。每年返鄉的人們總是要看到這一方黃土地才能真正安心。可以說，黃土地不僅是上天賜予這里的生活保障，也是文明發展的重要載體，延續著人們的歷史記憶和文化情感。

Looking back at history， no matter how times and living standards change， the loess remains an inreplacable home for the people of Shaanxi，and it is their lifelong focus. Their lives， emotions，culture and spirit are all closely tied to it. Each year those who return to their hometown find solace in the sight of this enduring piece of yellow land. It can be said that the loess is not only the gift from Heaven that provides the means of livelihood here， but also an important vehicle for the development of civilization， carrying forward people's historical memory and cultural sentiment.