Interactive transcript · 239 lines
Hello, and welcome to TalkCast Discovery, the podcast where we go off the map and into the world.
您好,欢迎收听 TalkCast Discovery,这是一档带我们走出地图、探索世界的播客节目。
I am your host, Sarah.
我是您的主持人莎拉。
Have you ever wondered what it feels like to stand at the exact geographical turning point of a
你有没有想过,站在一个文明的精准地理转折点上
civilization, a place where the rugged, mountainous north of a country meets the lush, water -filled south?
是个什么感觉?在这个地方,国家崎岖多山的北方与郁郁葱葱、水系环绕的南方相遇。
Today, we are traveling to a city in central China that has stood as a silent, powerful guardian of
今天,我们将前往中国中部的一座城市,2800多年来,它一直是历史沉默而强大的守护者。
history for over 2 ,800 years.
历史长达 2,800 多年。
It is a city known to military strategists as the gateway to the south, to literature lovers as the
军事战略家称它为通往南方的门户,文学爱好者视它为
home of legendary heroes, and to food lovers as a paradise of spicy, steaming noodles.
传奇英雄的故乡,而美食爱好者则把它当成麻辣鲜香面条的天堂。
I am talking about Xiangyang, a historic jewel in Hubei province.
我说的就是襄阳,湖北省一颗闪耀着历史光芒的明珠。
Thank you, Sarah.
感谢你,莎拉。
It is wonderful to be here.
能来到这里真是太棒了。
You know, when we talk about Xiangyang, we are talking about a city that is practically a living
你知道,当我们谈论襄阳时,我们谈论的是一座简直活生生的
character in Chinese history.
在中国历史上的角色。
I spent five years living and traveling along the Han River Valley, and Xiangyang quickly became my
我花了五年时间生活在汉江流域并沿途旅行,襄阳很快成为了我
favorite place.
最喜欢的地方。
It is a city that has a very rare combination of military strength, what they call iron -clad bones,
这座城市非常罕见地结合了军事力量——人们所说的铁打之骨,
and soft -flowing water.
与柔和流动的江水。
The moment you see the massive city walls reflecting in the wide Blue Han River, you feel like you
当你看到宏伟的城墙倒映在宽阔碧蓝的汉江中时,你就会感觉自己
have stepped right into a classic ink painting.
仿佛直接跨入了经典的水墨画之中。
Oh, that is a beautiful image.
哦,那真是个美丽的画面。
An ink painting with iron -clad bones.
一幅带有铁打之骨的水墨画卷。
I love that.
我真的很喜欢那个说法。
And you mentioned the geographic location, Daniel.
而且你提及了地理位置,丹尼尔。
Let us start there.
让我们从那里开始吧。
For our listeners who are learning about China's geography, why was Xiangyang historically
对于我们正在了解中国地理的听众来说,为什么襄阳在历史上
considered such a big deal?
被认为如此重要呢?
Why did every dynasty want to control it?
为什么每个朝代都想控制它?
Well, Sarah, if you look at a map of China, Xiangyang sits right in the middle.
嗯,莎拉,如果你看一眼中国地图,襄阳正好坐落在正中间。
Historically, China was divided into the North and the South, geographically and culturally.
在历史上,中国在地理和文化上被划分为南方和北方。
The North had horses and flat plains, while the South had rivers, lakes, and boats.
北方拥有骏马和平坦的平原,而南方则多江河、湖泊和舟船。
If an army from the North wanted to conquer the wealthy South, they had to cross the Han River,
如果北方的军队想要征服富庶的南方,他们就必须跨越汉江,
which is the largest tributary of the Yangtze River.
汉江是长江最大的支流。
And guess where the best place to cross was?
你猜猜最佳渡江地点在哪里?
Right at Xiangyang.
就在襄阳。
The city controls the Han River Valley.
这座城市掌控着汉江流域。
If you controlled Xiangyang, you controlled the water highway to the South.
如果你控制了襄阳,你就控制了通往南方的水上干线。
That is why historians say, to control the country, you must first control the Central Plains.
这就是为什么历史学家说,欲控天下,必先控中原。
To control the Central Plains, you must first control Xiangyang.
要控制中原,就必须先控制襄阳。
It was the ultimate gatekeeper.
它是终极的守门人。
That is fascinating.
那真是太令人着迷了。
So it was basically the key lock on the door between North and South.
所以它基本上就是南北之间大门上的关键锁钥。
And because it was so important, it saw a lot of battles, right?
正因为它如此重要,它经历了许多战役,对吧?
I have read that the city has a famous nickname, Iron -clad Xiangyang, or Tieda Xiangyang in Chinese.
我读到过这座城市有一个著名的绰号,叫“铁打的襄阳”,中文里也叫“铁打襄阳”。
Where does that name come from? Yes.
这个名字是从哪里来的?是的。
Tieda Xiangyang is a name earned through blood and stones.
“铁打襄阳”是一个用鲜血和城石换来的美誉。
The most famous showcase of its defense was the siege of Xiangyang in the 13th century, which lasted
其防御力最著名的体现是13世纪的襄阳围城战,这场战争持续了
for six years.
长达六年之久。
The Mongol Empire, which had conquered almost all of Eurasia, was stopped right here by the Southern
几乎征服了整个欧亚大陆的蒙古帝国,在这里被南
Song dynasty defenders.
宋朝的守军挡住了去路。
The Mongols had to use advanced engineering, including massive trebuchets called Muslim mangonels to
蒙古军不得不使用先进的工程技术,包括被称为回回炮的巨型投石机,来
finally break the defense.
最终攻破了防线。
The city walls were so thick, the moat was so wide, and the defenders were so determined that the
城墙如此之厚,护城河如此之宽,守护者们的决心如此坚定,以至于
city seemed literally made of iron.
这座城市简直像是用钢铁打造的一般。
Even today, when you look at the city wall, you can still feel that heavy, unbreakable energy.
时至今日,当凝视这座城墙,你依然能感受到那种沉重而坚不可摧的力量。
Six years.
整整六年。
That is an incredibly long time for a single city to hold off an empire.
对于一座孤城抵抗一个帝国来说,这段时间长得难以置信。
I can only imagine the stories of bravery and strategy that came out of those walls.
我只能去想象城墙内曾诞生过的那些关于勇敢与谋略的故事。
In fact, is this not the setting for some of China's most famous martial arts novels? Exactly.
事实上,这不正是中国一些最著名的武侠小说的背景所在地吗?一点也没错。
Louis Cha, better known by his pen name Jin Yang, wrote The Return of the Condor Heroes, which is
