毛澤東時期，中國社會的苦難與血腥
我是中國貴州作家張宗銘。我的係列長篇小說，是中國第一部敦促共產黨人換位思考的作品，被文學教授推薦，連續參加諾貝爾文學獎角逐！
作家按語：《傳教士和他的女兒》描寫富有的英國傳教士亨利，32年就走進神奇的貴州山區，與純撲的山裏人結成生
死不離的傳奇故事！作品將引領喜歡旅遊和民族風情的歐洲人、美國人引入中國美麗的貴州山區，去領略解放初期，那
裏與世無爭的有趣的民族風情、以及桃花源夢境一般的山村畫卷，定讓你感覺到中國自己製造的內亂的淒楚與悲歎！
----競爭諾貝爾文學獎必須要有很好的翻譯家，而作家不懂一點英文，隻希望我的文友們看過該英譯本後，能否出手幫
助，並告訴你的郵箱及合作條件！
The Missionaryand His Daughter
傳教士和他的女兒
Zongming Zhang
張宗銘 著
Translated by Tangjin Xiao
肖唐金 譯
Part 1 Old
Chapter 1
January, 1932
Young Henry was a devout Christian. His father Charles was a petroleum tycoon in
Each time he came to
He opened his eyes in a while, and heard screams. He saw a beggar of 10 years old something lying dead on the road. He had been run over by the open car. The Japanese warriors showed no sign of remorse and guilt. They were signaling gestures of insult, instead.
Henry was in a fury. He drove his car quickly to stop the Japanese warriors. He had one thing in mind only: to punish those criminals.
Mr. Steller felt sympathetic with Henry, but replied, “No use, Henry! This is
“Do they have this privilege?”
“That’s not a matter of have-or-not-have. Henry, you know the Japanese have occupied Northeast China, and now they want to control
Henry remained angry. How could a child’s life be the cost of provocations? Did provocations mean lives as expenses? He chased the guilty car at full speed. The Japanese warriors found themselves followed by a blonde man, and knew they had made a mistake with the object of provocations. Nevertheless, they just laughed at Henry, waving their waist knives and showing their middle fingers. Mr. Steller was mild and well-educated. He showed his forgiveness, saying;
“Henry, don’t chase them. They have knives, and they are good at using them. They have six people, but we have only two. We are not their match. They just want to pick fun.”
“But they killed a life, dear Mr. Steller!”
“That’s not our business. We are British, not Chinese. We are petroleum suppliers. We come here for the sales of kerosene!” With this word, Mr. Steller braked the car. That open car had entered the Japanese concession. The warriors looked even happier, standing by the Japanese policemen.
Henry had to come back. The little beggar was lying in blood, with a number of spectators. The dead child was dirty and thin. He looked pitiful in the biting cold of winter. Henry suddenly remembered that the price of oil was 20% higher for the Chinese than for the Japanese. Wasn’t this a support to the Japanese invasion? Henry began to feel sorry for Charles his father. His father was wealthy enough, but he still made a profit from the Chinese in war and poverty.
The image of the Japanese insults and arrogance was a pain in Henry’s mind and heart. The little beggar lying dead in the freezing cold was a wound in Henry’s kind heart. That was the world! Henry carried the corpse of the poor child towards a Christian church within sight. He would ask the clergymen there to pray for this life.
Henry was much praised by Mr. Riser the priest. He prayed to Jesus on the cross, “Lord, bless the miserable Chinese! Lord, bless the poor child! Today a dignified man carried the child to you. Please accept this life in the
After the prayer, Mr. Riser told Henry, “Recently the Japanese warriors sought provocations everywhere. They tread the Chinese like ants! Henry, Lord needs men like you. If you please, join us in helping the Chinese in sorrows. In the name of a Christian, please boldly bear the cross of Jesus Christ!”
Henry accepted Mr. Riser’s request. He told the latter that he would try his best to help the Chinese. Then, he remembered the Japanese fleet admiral’s ultimatum of ordering the Chinese troops to leave
Henry came back to the hotel. Charles and Mr. Steller were waiting for him to have dinner together. Henry was in no mood of eating. The other two men were praising the Chinese dishes and tasting grape wine. Charles found Henry depressed, saying to him:
“Henry, have a try of abalone and lobster and the famous braised
Mr. Steller found Henry still unhappy. He said, “Henry, you shouldn’t fuss over what is happening in
Charles added, “Stupid!”
Henry said to his father, “Dad, I’d like you to revoke the contract you have signed with the Japanese navy.”
Charles glanced at Henry, replying, “Why the hell revoke the contract? You know the Japanese are a big client. They ask to buy 3 times more of the oil ordered by the Chinese. How could we lose this fat contract, for the war only? That’s senseless. If we didn’t have this contract, the Americans or French would have it.”
“Dad, I just couldn’t know why. I just hate the Japanese. Let me ask you one more question: Why do you sell oil to the Chinese at a price 20% higher than that for the Japanese?”
Charles and Mr. Steller laughed. They knew that Henry was being serious. Charles shook the wine in his glass, and said calmly through the dark red drink, “10% commission in silver coins is paid to the Chinese brokers. That’s the difference between the Chinese and the Japanese.”
Henry was depressed. Maybe he shouldn’t have lost his temper. That was the reality. He left the room with an “excuse me”.
Back to the hotel room, Henry felt a sense of unrest. The little beggar! What a pitiful being! His distressed looks and the inhuman Japanese cut Henry’s heart like a sharp knife. He picked up the Bible and turned the pages. It was Wisdom Better than Folly in Chapter 10 of Ecclesiastes:
“The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded than the shouts of a ruler of fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good…Whoever digs a pit may fall into it, whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.”
Henry fell into deep thoughts. He was reflecting on the Scripture. What did the prophets mean by fate, sin and wisdom? Why was it easy for people to fall into the trap they designed by themselves?
This must be the plan of God. While Henry was figuring out the meaning of these words, the firings of guns and rifles were fierce in many streets of
“My child, go to help those people in need!”
Henry rushed out of the hotel, and ran towards the Christian church.
As Mr. Riser said, the moment firings happened in
Soon, many homeless and injured people were taken to the church. At daybreak the Japanese bombed
There were many wounded people. The Christian church was too small to accept so many people in need. Henry helped to send the wounded to hospitals, and buy a lot of iodine, bandages, spirit and herbs. He was busy from morning to night. He was too busy to eat anything.
Painstakingly Charles and Mr. Steller found Henry. They bought ship tickets and asked Henry to leave
Henry was not indifferent to the blood-shedding, sorrows and weeping. He felt God calling him to stay and help the Chinese. How could he leave at this time?
He rejected his father’s request, and chose another way of living at the excuse of his ability. Charles thought Henry was still in the pains of love failure, and he would feel better and come back to
As Mr. Steller said, the Japanese wanted to control
Henry was aware that his father and he might have done something guilty before, but he felt the evils were more rampant in
The parcel was sent to Mr. Riser, a botanist and a priest, by
“May 10, 1932
Dear Priest Riser:
Thank God for my finding these rare plants in the mysterious mountains of
Please forgive me for not having fulfilled the expected duties. Sometimes I think: If someone else were willing to take my place in
Best wishes!
Yours
Henry was then at the crossroads of his life. In
Charles knew he had lost Henry. If he had revoked that contract with the Japanese, his heir would not have stayed in
Henry had no intention of going back to
Maybe God had signaled something to him. In the parcel that Mr. Riser got,
Mr. Riser knew he had no reason of rejecting this request. He said to Henry, “Dear child, I’ll write a letter for you! But it is up to you to choose between God and your parents. You have the right for either choice.”
That evening, Henry left a note for his parents. His mother was then praying while his father was smoking a cigar on the balcony. He went out of the room quietly and took the ship from
Henry was on the ship. He was amazed at the beauty of the Three Gorges. The cliffs were works of art to him! He came safely to
“Dear child, there is no turning back for you as you have become a Christian. You’ll follow God for the better and the worse. You have to bear the cross. It’s not easy to be a missionary. Some missionaries died on the mountainous paths. A short time ago the Australian priest with a Chinese name of Daotuo Bi was robbed on the way to
“
Then, Henry stayed in the Holy Association for some time. He learned the dialect of
Everywhere he went he would attempt to tell people of his background in basic
For over a month he plodded his way in the mountains. He experienced the hospitality and warmth of the local people. He had prepared a revolver for himself, but he had never undergone any violence or danger. There were not so many bandits in
Henry took many kinds of medicine with him such as aspirin, quinine and pain-killer, so he didn’t need to worry about illnesses. He climbed over steep mountains and crossed rapid rivers. Sometimes there were bright sky and clear waters; at other times there were dark clouds and dusty waters
The local people usually crossed rivers by wooden boats. But these days the rivers were flooding. Wooden boats were too weak to cross them. On a ferry gathered people of many trades, such as a mailman, peddlers and traders. These people were bargaining with three women about the ferry fare.
The mailman had to cross the river. It wasn’t the first time for him to meet floods. The women asked him to pay one silver coin as the ferry fare, yet he would just like to pay half of it. He told them he had been doing this all the time, and anyway they shouldn’t just raise the price on their own will.
The women said, “Mr. Mailman, this flood is really strong. It’s not easy to cross the road. Why do you bargain the price with us women? We are risking our lives taking you across. We promise safety to you and your mails. Ok?”
Henry witnessed the deal. He was aware of the dilemma in this wilderness. He spoke to the women in a stammering tone, “My name is Henry. I am a Christian from
The women stared at Henry. They had heard of him, that blonde foreigner. They spoke to him fearlessly, “Ok, Henry, we have heard of you, a blonde British. You are going to the mountains, right?”
Henry replied happily, “Yes. Can you help me cross the river?”
They nodded.
Henry was puzzled. “How will you take me across the river?”
They answered, “We’ll carry you on the back and cross the river.”
Henry was amazed. He shook his head. He wondered: How could the women carry men across the torrent river? Were they joking? He would like to wait and see.
The mailman was eager to continue his journey. He said, “I have many urgent mails to send. I can have my expenses reimbursed. Let’s make a deal: carry me across the river and then I’ll pay. Ok?”
The women replied, “Ok, but first put away your belongings in safe wrappings.”
The mailman didn’t hesitate. He went to the riverside with the women. One of the women took off all her dresses, so did the mailman. She threw her dresses to the ground. The mailman bound up his mails and dresses, and climbed up her back.
The woman said to the mailman, “Stick to my back. Remember that you can grasp my hair, but don’t hold my neck, nor should you hug me tightly.”
The mailman replied, “I know.” They went into the river. He stuck to her back, holding up his mails and dresses in his right hand. The other passengers just watched breathlessly and waited for their turns. The woman was like a safe boat in the torrent waters. The sailing was so safe that it made Henry’s worries needless.
Henry was now on the other bank of the river. He was amazed at the strength and even the miracle of the women in
Henry was puzzled: Why was there naked ferrying? Why should men strip themselves of their clothes before the ferrying?
He felt over-amazed. He was sorry that he hadn’t taken a picture of the naked ferrying. He had a sense of loss indeed.
The arrival of the blonde Henry was known very soon in many villages. One day he came to a small roadside village. There, something unexpected changed his life.
This village was named Bailang. There were only 10 or so households in it. He saw a pregnant woman with messy hair kneeling on the roadside, a curved knife in her waist. She knelt on a paddy sunning ground of less than 8 square meters, holding out her hands breathlessly and pleading to the indifferent people:
“Give me Ah Cai something to eat, please, whether rice or porridge.”
An old woman with a basket of fresh red peaches was beside her. Ah Cai knew there was no use of her pleading, but she still implored the old woman:
“Give me a few peaches, will you?”
Henry knew something of Miao and Dong dialects. He had thought that the old lady would give a few peaches to Ah Cai, but she replied:
“No use, Ah Cai. People say your blood is dirty. I can’t give you peaches or I’ll violate the village customs.”
Henry wondered: What local customs had Ah Cai violated?
Ah Cai and the old lady saw Henry. He was so different from them: blonde hair, fair skin, blue eyes and a hawk nose. Ah Cai thought he was a monster and retreated behind the old lady for fear.
Henry smiled and walked up. He told them, “I’m Henry. I’m a Christian from
Ah Cai waved her hands, and shrieked fearfully, “Please go away. I don’t need your help.”
