Discovering Confucius’ Legacy Through Travel游覽中華大地，領略儒家文化

布魯斯·康諾利 范婕

At Tianjin’s Shangri-La Hotel， I watched with fascination a historic daily pageant performed in its expansive lobby. Artists dressed in elegant costumes went through classical rituals. The troupe was brought north by the tourism bureau of Shandong province’s Qufu， hometown of renowned philosopher Confucius. I was fixated as they moved gracefully against backdrops displaying insights into that great sage’s longstanding legacy.

It also provided a chance to reflect on my earlier days of China travel. Those journeys across this vast land were always a learning experience. At school level back in my native Scotland， very little was understood of Confucius or his influence on Chinese thought and culture. But I would at times hear things like， “As Confucius said， ‘Do not do to others what you do not want them to do to you.’” As a geographer， I also became fascinated with the Chinese relationship with land and water， and how this influenced building design and construction. Confucius wrote， “The wise delight in water， the virtuous delight in mountains. The wise are active， the virtuous are tranquil. The wise are happy， the virtuous are long-lived.”

Confucius （551-479 BC） was a teacher and philosopher from China’s Spring and Autumn Period （770-476 BC） who has had a lasting impact on Chinese culture. Today he is recognized internationally for his writings and sayings. His philosophy emphasized morality， correct social relationships， justice and sincerity. He championed family loyalty， respect for ancestors and elders by their children. Confucian thought has been influential through much of China’s long history and continues to be held in high esteem.

Qufu is a relatively small city I first came upon in 1996. Then， it was an intermediary stop on the railway between Beijing and Shanghai. In my early days of travel before today’s high-speed services， rail travel was much slower. But an on-board service， now gone， were announcements about each station stop. In Chinese and in English they would tell of the geography， history and distinguished persons associated with each town. At Qufu they spoke of Confucius and his legacy. As I mentioned， I was not so familiar with him except his name and some well-recited phrases. It was fortuitous to listen and appreciate my proximity to his birthplace. I never disembarked at Qufu， as my time was limited.

I was fortunate enough to meet Mr. Kong， chairman of the Qufu Tourism Bureau and Peter Qu， general manager of the Qufu Shangri-La Hotel. We talked extensively about the role of Confucian tourism in and around Qufu， and how the city’s contemporary prosperity has in part been driven by its history. The Qufu Shangri-La brought two of their head chefs to Tianjin who were veterans on Confucian cuisine， and they helped prepare a range of dishes to recreate the Qufu culinary experience. That area is renowned for Kong Family Cuisine， based on the Shandong cooking style with added imperial influence and a touch of Huaiyang flavor from South China.

To understand some of China’s history， it is useful to appreciate Confucius. So where better to start than some of the temples and schools dedicated to him nationwide？ In the mid-1990s I lived along a traditional Beijing hutong， a short walk from Lama Temple or Yonghegong. Nearby sat Beijing’s Confucian Temple or Kong Miao， and the adjacent former Imperial College. Throughout several dynasties that school was the national center of administration for learning in a very traditional educational system. It included the teachings of Confucius and a very strict examination requiring intensive personal study.

During my early years exploring the area， the temple was often quiet. I found it excellent for relaxation and reflection. Its crimson-colored buildings represented a grand Ming Dynasty architectural style although construction initially dated from 1302 during the Yuan period. After Qufu， it is China’s second-largest Confucian temple. Today classes on early Chinese culture including Confucian philosophy， calligraphy， music and more are held within some of its smaller halls.

I would go on to discover more of the Confucian influence. In 2017， I visited Pingyao in Shanxi province. From the walls still enclosing the Old Town I looked across to the sloping roof of its Confucian temple， known as “Wenmiao”. Founded as early as the Tang Dynasty （618-907 AD）， it is one of the oldest and best preserved structures of its kind in China. It was a personal joy to stay in a hotel built in the historic Chinese style and literally adjoining the temple.

Nanjing was another city where I experienced elements of Confucian heritage. Nanjing， whose name literally means “Southern Capital”， had an active temple in what is today the Fuzimiao tourist district on the north bank of the Qinhuai River. That temple dates from 1034， though the current structure was built in the 19th century. When I first visited in 1996， it was a quiet area， but what I wanted to see were the exam booths. Stories abound of students confined into cramped spaces， spending considerable time trying to achieve the highest possible grade. That was many years ago， but when I came to China in 1992 to work within the higher education sector of Guangdong， I personally witnessed students studying for many hours. I still see elements of this in the modern bookstores opening across China.

I have always felt that it is the people who make a city， something I certainly feel about Tianjin. I recently delighted in exploring its Confucian Temple. One of the oldest buildings in Tianjin， it is also the largest traditional architectural structure in the city. It has survived since the Ming Dynasty （1368-1644） largely intact. Almost palace-like in design， it features decorative archways， goldfish ponds and ancestral halls where students would pray for success in their academic studies.

It is only a short distance along the Haihe River from that temple to the Shangri-La Hotel. There I found the recent cultural performances centering around Confucius quite stimulating. Watching the rituals unfold had me thinking again of China， of no matter how long we stay here there is always something new to discover. There is so much to revisit to gradually put together a picture of what I feel constitutes China， including its fascinating Confucian heritage.

在天津香格里拉酒店寬敞的大廳，每天都有關于古代文化的演出活動，身穿優雅古裝的演員們表演種種古典禮儀，我看得入迷。這個藝術團是山東省曲阜旅游局帶到北方來的，曲阜正是著名思想家孔子的故鄉。演員們動作優美，背景幕布上展現著那位大哲人經久不衰的文化傳承，我完全被吸引住了。

這種演出還讓我回憶起了初到中國旅游的日子。游歷于這片廣闊土地，我總能學到新東西。在我的祖國蘇格蘭，上學時對孔子及其對中國思想與文化的影響都知之甚少。但有時，我會聽到這樣的話：“子曰：‘己所不欲，勿施于人。’”身為地理學家，我對中國人與水土的關系以及這種關系如何影響了建筑設計和建造也深感興趣。孔子曾寫道：“智者樂水，仁者樂山;智者動，仁者靜;智者樂，仁者壽。”

孔子（公元前551—前479）是中國春秋時期（公元前770—前476）的一位教育家和思想家，對中國文化有著深遠影響。如今，其著作和語錄也讓他獲得了全世界的認可。他思想理念的重點在于道德、良好社會關系、公正和真誠。他倡導要忠于家庭，小輩要尊敬長輩和祖先。在中國悠久歷史進程的大部分時間里，孔子的思想一直頗具影響力，并將繼續受到高度尊重。

曲阜是一座較小的城市，我第一次到那里是在1996年，當時火車的京滬線會在曲阜經停。我早年在中國各地旅游時，還沒有今天的高鐵，火車速度比現在要慢很多。但有一種如今已不復存在的服務：中途每經停一站，火車上都會響起中英雙語廣播，介紹這個站所在城鎮的相關地理、歷史和杰出人物。在曲阜站，廣播里講的是孔子和他的文化傳承。如上所述，我對孔子了解并不多，只知道有這么個人和他的一些名言。當時得知自己就身處孔子故鄉，也是純屬巧合。因為那時候我時間有限，所以并未在曲阜站下車。

后來，我有幸結識了曲阜旅游局局長孔先生和曲阜香格里拉酒店的總經理彼得·曲先生。我們一起聊了很多，說起儒家文化旅游對曲阜市內和周邊發揮的作用，談到這座城市如何在一定程度上因其文化歷史取得現在的繁榮。當時去天津的還有曲阜香格里拉酒店的兩位掌勺大廚，他們是做孔府菜的高手，現場就幫著準備了幾道菜品，展現來自曲阜的飲食文化。曲阜的孔府菜是非常有名的，該菜系以山東菜的烹飪方式為基礎，帶有皇家風范，又有點兒華南淮揚菜的味道。

想要對中國歷史有些了解，認識孔子這個人是很有幫助的。那么，認識之旅的最佳起點莫過于中國各地關于孔子的一些廟宇和學校了吧？20世紀90年代中期，我住在一條老北京胡同里，距離雍和宮走路也就一小段路程，北京孔廟和與之相鄰的國子監也在附近。那所學府在好幾個朝代都是國家的教育管理中心，實行非常傳統的教育體制，教學內容包含孔子學說，考試很嚴格，要求學生自主勤奮學習。

起初那幾年我在這片地區四處游逛的時候，孔廟里常常很安靜，是個讓我覺得可以休息放松、靜心思考的好地方。北京孔廟雖然始建于元朝時期的1302年，但建筑群整體呈深紅色，體現了明朝恢宏的建筑風格。它僅次于曲阜孔廟，是中國第二大的孔子廟。如今，幾個比較小的禮廳里會上一些關于中國古代文化的課，包括儒學、書法、音樂等。

我繼續著旅程，去發現更多儒家文化的影響。2017年，我去了山西平遙。這座古城仍然被一圈城墻包圍著，這里的孔子廟也叫文廟，從城墻上望去，我看到了文廟的斜面屋頂。早在唐朝（618—907），文廟就動工開建，是中國國內歷史最悠久、保存最完好的同類古建筑之一。文廟近旁有一家古香古色的酒店，住在這里，我感到身心愉悅。

南京是我感受儒家文化元素的另一座城市。南京這個名字的字面意思是“南方之都”。在秦淮河北岸如今的夫子廟旅游景區有一個曾經人氣很旺的廟宇，雖然它現在的外部結構建于19世紀，但其歷史可追溯至1034年。1996年我第一次去的時候，那片地方還很清靜，不過我想參觀的是古代的考場小隔間。有很多故事講到，考生被限制在這些狹窄空間，忍受著漫長的考試，努力取得最好成績。雖說那是很久遠的事了，但1992年我來中國在廣東從事高等教育工作期間，目睹學生們一連好幾個小時埋頭學習。如今，在中國各地的現代書店里，這樣的情景也屢見不鮮。

我一直認為，一座城市的面貌是由住在其中的人決定的，天津當然也是如此。最近我非常喜歡逛天津的孔廟。它是天津最古老的建筑之一，也是天津最大的傳統建筑，從明朝（1368—1644）至今基本保存完好。天津孔廟設計得幾乎像宮殿一般，有裝飾拱門，有金魚水池，還有宗廟祠堂，學子們在這些祠堂里祈求自己學業有成。

從天津孔廟沿海河走不遠就是香格里拉酒店。我覺得最近在那兒舉辦的孔子題材文化演出頗有啟發意義。看著演員們表演種種禮儀，我不禁再度思考中國這個國家，不禁想，無論我們在這里待多久，總能發現新的東西。有很多東西需要重新審視，方能慢慢拼成一幅我心中的中國大圖景，其中就包括讓人著迷的儒家傳統文化。

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