我經(jīng)歷的一次國(guó)慶游行

文/艾德文·馬厄 譯/艾博

我經(jīng)歷的一次國(guó)慶游行

文/艾德文·馬厄 譯/艾博

On Parade

2009年10月1日國(guó)慶群眾游行也是一道亮麗的風(fēng)景

2009年，是中華人民共和國(guó)成立60周年的日子，屆時(shí)將舉國(guó)歡慶，有兩個(gè)主要慶祝內(nèi)容：10月1日國(guó)慶節(jié)當(dāng)天上午的閱兵游行儀式和晚間盛大的煙火表演。

當(dāng)我知道2009年會(huì)有閱兵式的時(shí)候，我非常希望能夠登上天安門(mén)的觀禮臺(tái)，看坦克開(kāi)過(guò)，看飛機(jī)從天空飛過(guò)。我到處打聽(tīng)，所有的回答都是：閱兵式不向公眾開(kāi)放。那是因?yàn)楣芾砣巳悍浅Ｂ闊?，更不用說(shuō)安全問(wèn)題了。

我最后試著給北京市政府打了個(gè)電話，跟一位辦事人員通了話。他認(rèn)出我的名字，也知道我是央視的播音員。但是，我還是不太可能作為被邀請(qǐng)的嘉賓上觀禮臺(tái)，所以我放棄了，打算在電視上看。不過(guò)，這可是在中國(guó)，什么事情都可能發(fā)生，而且還真的經(jīng)常發(fā)生。兩天之后，我上班時(shí)接到一個(gè)電話，是個(gè)叫李中洲的人打來(lái)的，他是北京外事辦的。我的心開(kāi)始怦怦直跳，然后我問(wèn)，我是不是可以被邀請(qǐng)去觀禮臺(tái)觀看閱兵式？“觀看？”李中洲回答道，“我們希望你能參加游行?！?/p>

2009 marked the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the country was going to celebrate big time.Two major events were planned - a military parade on the morning of National Day, October 1 leading up to a grand fireworks display at night.

When it became clear a parade would take place in 2009, I wondered if I might be lucky enough to reach the main viewing point in Tiananmen Square to see the tanks go past and the planes fly overhead. All my enquiries came to nothing, and as those in the know pointed out, the parade would not be open to the public because crowd control - let alone security - would be a nightmare.

My last attempt was a call to the Beijing Municipal Government where I spoke to a staff member who recognized my name and relationship with CCTV. But it seemed unlikely I would be among the invited guests and I resigned myself to watching it on television. But this is China, where anything can - and often does -happen. Just two days later I received a phone call at work from Li Zhongzhou, an officer in the local government’s Foreign Affairs Office.My heart started beating as I wondered - then asked - if I was going to be invited to watch the parade after all. “Watch it?”

我扶住身邊的椅子坐了下來(lái)，我不是聽(tīng)錯(cuò)了吧？還沒(méi)等我回答，李中洲說(shuō)：“游行隊(duì)伍當(dāng)中會(huì)有幾輛彩車(chē)，分別展示60年來(lái)中國(guó)人生活和成就的各個(gè)方面，從太空探險(xiǎn)到體育項(xiàng)目都有。有一輛彩車(chē)是給外國(guó)朋友乘坐的，我們想讓你也上去。”我立刻回答：“當(dāng)然愿意?！彼宦?tīng)，笑了，說(shuō)：“你會(huì)出名的。”

以前的游行主要都是軍用車(chē)輛和裝備的展示，外國(guó)人從沒(méi)有在國(guó)慶閱兵游行隊(duì)伍里出現(xiàn)過(guò)！這又將是一個(gè)新的改變。李中洲說(shuō)：“會(huì)有兩三次彩排，時(shí)間很長(zhǎng)，而且得提前幾小時(shí)到場(chǎng)?！?/p>

我們的彩車(chē)名叫“同一個(gè)世界”，造型像個(gè)上面撒著糖霜的大生日蛋糕。李中洲給每個(gè)人都發(fā)了一張站立位置示意圖，我看到我得站在前排右邊。李中洲還說(shuō)：“右邊可是風(fēng)水寶地。站在右邊意味著經(jīng)過(guò)天安門(mén)廣場(chǎng)的時(shí)候，領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人和觀眾能看得到你。”我們彩車(chē)的下面，有一組年輕人，他們的工作非常重要?！巴粋€(gè)世界”彩車(chē)是內(nèi)燃機(jī)車(chē)，萬(wàn)一機(jī)車(chē)壞了，他們5個(gè)人就得跳下去，用手推動(dòng)彩車(chē)前進(jìn)。雖然他們離排氣管很近，但是不管是坐車(chē)還是推車(chē)，這都是千載難逢的機(jī)會(huì)。

這次星期五的夜間彩排氣氛獨(dú)特，比接下來(lái)那周的正式游行氣氛輕松許多。因?yàn)椴皇擒娛虏逝攀腔ㄜ?chē)彩排，所以人們可以在馬路旁觀看，節(jié)日氣氛很濃。成千上萬(wàn)的人擠在游行路線的兩旁，照相機(jī)閃個(gè)不停，人們還向我們熱情地?fù)]手，出于好奇，也出于支持。

路過(guò)居民區(qū)前往長(zhǎng)安街的時(shí)候，我們這輛彩車(chē)上的外國(guó)專家引起了人們的歡呼，特別是在人行道上的外國(guó)朋友和來(lái)中國(guó)玩的外國(guó)游客。彩車(chē)上的不少人都認(rèn)為，僅這次的彩排就已經(jīng)讓人心滿意足了，場(chǎng)面夠熱烈，節(jié)日氣氛夠濃。跟在彩車(chē)兩旁的中國(guó)人和外國(guó)人也形成了一道風(fēng)景線，為這次彩排增添了色彩和活力。

有人說(shuō)：“不知道電視直播上能不能看到我們？”我相信，大多數(shù)人都在想著同樣的問(wèn)題。不過(guò)，攝影鏡頭得在受邀人群、國(guó)家領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人、軍車(chē)和彩車(chē)之間不斷切換，路過(guò)觀禮臺(tái)時(shí)，我們能不能被家人認(rèn)出來(lái)，那全得靠運(yùn)氣。每個(gè)人都接到通知，告知要穿顏色鮮艷、代表各自文化的衣服。我為這次游行特地買(mǎi)了一件大紅襯衫，配了一條印有毛利圖案的領(lǐng)帶，以示我的出生地——新西蘭。李中洲和其他工作人員都說(shuō)：“你們看上去都非常精神?！庇《鹊纳雏悺⒎侵薜膫鹘y(tǒng)長(zhǎng)袍、還有其他各國(guó)的服飾給這個(gè)盛大的活動(dòng)增添了新的活力。

我們的巴士在天亮前到達(dá)工體，但是遲遲不見(jiàn)日

出，空中濃云密布，似乎要下雨，證明天氣預(yù)報(bào)準(zhǔn)確無(wú)誤。在正式出發(fā)之前，我們都忙著拍照，互相合影留念。雖然我們也惦記著天氣，不過(guò)我們的心情越來(lái)越激動(dòng)。我們跟新朋友合影，多是剛剛認(rèn)識(shí)的，可能今后再也不會(huì)見(jiàn)面了，但是隨著照相機(jī)快門(mén)的迅速按下，這些珍貴的時(shí)刻被保留了下來(lái)。

Li responded , “we want you to be in it.”

I grabbed the nearest chair and sat down in case I was imagining what he had just said. Before I had time to answer, he explained,“the parade will incorporate a number of floats in a pageant depicting all aspects of China’s life and achievements over the past six decades - from space exploration to sport. One float will contain foreigners and we would like you to be one of them.”I gave him a quick “of course I would” to which he laughed and added, “you will become famous.”

More important was that foreigners had never appeared in the anniversary parade before, marking a new turn in the traditional composition of mainly military vehicles and hardware. Li pointed out, “two or three rehearsals will be very long and involve having to arrive at the meeting point several hours early.”

Our float, bearing its name, ‘One World’ was shaped like a giant birthday cake topped with white icing. Li gave us each a sheet of paper showing where we would stand. I was to be in front on the right side. “Right not just in direction,” he said, “but right to be seen by the crowd when the parade passed the leaders and audience in Tienanmen Square.”Below us in the depths of the float was a team of young men whose job would be even more crucial. While the diesel motor of the truck which carried ‘One World’ moved slowly along, the five man crew were on standby ready to drop into open sections to physically push the vehicle if it broke down. Though close to the exhaust fumes, this would also be their chance of a lifetime whether they just rode or pushed.

The Friday night rehearsal had an atmosphere all its own, and one much more informal than the real parade the following week. People were able to come out and look because this was a rehearsal not for the military, but the floats.There was a festive atmosphere as thousands of visitors made their way to the edge of the parade route, their camera flashlights popping and hands waving in a genuine show of curiosity and support.

Making our way around the residential streets leading towards Chang’an Jie,our float of foreigners drew special cheers from the many expats and foreign visitors standing on the footpath. Many on the float agreed this one appearance would have been satisfying enough, the buzz so intense, and a real carnival atmosphere.More than one hundred Chinese and foreigners chosen to walk beside the float added another splash of color and vitality.

Some were saying, “ I wonder if we’ll be seen on the telecast?” I am sure most were thinking the same question but with cameras changing shots between the invited crowd, the senior leaders, military vehicles and the floats, it would be more luck than design if any of our faces were recognized by the home audience as we passed the main viewing platform. Everyone had been asked to wear bright colored clothing and something of our own culture. I had bought a bright red shirt for the occasion and combined it with a flag bearing Maori motifs representing my birth country, New Zealand. Li and his fellow organizers agreed “you all look great.”

艾德文（左）、杜大衛(wèi)（中）等外國(guó)專家在“同一個(gè)世界”彩車(chē)上

我們被告知不要遠(yuǎn)離彩車(chē)。到了10點(diǎn)鐘，大家都回來(lái)聆聽(tīng)最后的指示，各就各位等待一小時(shí)之后游行正式開(kāi)始。幾星期之前，我還在四下打聽(tīng)自己是否可以觀看游行。現(xiàn)如今，我竟然出現(xiàn)在游行隊(duì)伍之中，但這并不意味著我能看到全部，因?yàn)椴受?chē)在坦克和其他軍用裝備車(chē)輛之后進(jìn)場(chǎng)。

但是我們?nèi)阅苈?tīng)到揚(yáng)聲器里中國(guó)國(guó)家主席兼中央軍委主席胡錦濤宣布閱兵式開(kāi)始。他的命令似乎使現(xiàn)場(chǎng)的氣氛達(dá)到新的高潮。恰在這個(gè)時(shí)候，北京灰蒙蒙的天空奇跡般變成湛藍(lán)色。云層不見(jiàn)了，雨也不會(huì)下了，日近正午，陽(yáng)光如此強(qiáng)烈，以致有人被輕微曬黑了。

閱兵式開(kāi)始了。我們的彩車(chē)似乎落在千里之外。我們等啊等，聽(tīng)著中國(guó)自制的戰(zhàn)斗機(jī)從我們頭頂飛過(guò)。它們?cè)俜祷貋?lái)，施放彩色煙霧。這時(shí)，我們的彩車(chē)終于行進(jìn)到紫禁城外正對(duì)著天安門(mén)廣場(chǎng)的觀禮臺(tái)前。

站在我身邊的是個(gè)高個(gè)子美國(guó)人，大衛(wèi)·杜爾，中國(guó)人都叫他“杜大衛(wèi)”。他因?yàn)樽栽附o北京的英語(yǔ)標(biāo)識(shí)糾錯(cuò)而受到認(rèn)可與褒獎(jiǎng)。他以前是陸軍上校，手臂特別長(zhǎng)。在隊(duì)伍行進(jìn)時(shí)，他靠我太近，讓我覺(jué)得不舒服。我一直站在指定的位置——前排

靠右，而他的右手臂一直在我面前揮來(lái)?yè)]去，有時(shí)候還兩手一起揮，他的身體的右側(cè)擋住了我的視線。我不想讓朋友們和同事們失望，因?yàn)樗麄兌贾牢視?huì)參加這次游行，我得趕緊想個(gè)辦法。于是我決定不揮右手，而是舉起了左手揮舞起來(lái)。這樣一來(lái)，我把他的手管住了，同時(shí)我也有活動(dòng)的空間了。這可是個(gè)公開(kāi)亮相的機(jī)會(huì)，誰(shuí)想錯(cuò)過(guò)啊。

Indian saris, traditional African robes and other flowing outfits from a wide spectrum of countries, gave the float new life for this most lively event.

Our bus arrived at the Workers Stadium just before dawn.But there was no sign of the rising sun, heavy clouds threatening to produce the forecast showers. The hours until we moved off at the official starting time were occupied taking pictures with others also waiting and wondering about the weather, but happy on the ‘high’ of the buildup. People posed with new friends they had just made among the participants and may not see again, but preserving the precious moments as their cameras clicked at high speed.

We were told not to move far from our floats, and by 10 a.m. all were back to get the final commands and be in position for the parade leaving one hour later.After my initial enquiries weeks earlier to see if I could watch the parade, the fact that I was now in it didn’t mean I could see everything with the naked eye. The floats which formed the pageant would make their entrance after the tanks and other military hardware.

Still we could hear the sound on huge loudspeakers as Hu Jintao in his dual role of Chinese President and Chairman of the Central Military Commission called for the parade to begin. His commands seemed to have reached a new peak. As if on cue, Beijing’s grey sky miraculously turned bright blue. The clouds were gone, there was no sign of rain, and the late morning sun was so bright, some of us later revealed mild sunburn. As the parade started, our place in the line seemed a lifetime away as we waited and waited, hearing the domestically made fighter jets fly ahead of us. They would return, releasing their multi-colored smoke trails once we finally approached the main reviewing stand outside the Forbidden City which faces Tiananmen Square.

Standing next to me was a tall American, David Tool, known locally by his Chinese name, Du Dawei and mentioned earlier as being recognized and awarded for his volunteer work correcting English signs in Beijing. A former army colonel, Tool possessed long arms which came too close for my comfort zone in China’s big parade. Retaining my assigned position very close to the front on the right hand side of the float, his right arm kept waving in front of my face. Sometimes he would wave both hands, but his right was still obscuring me.Not wanting to dash the expectations of friends and colleagues who knew I was taking part, I had to think quickly.Instead of waving my own right hand, I decided to put the left into action and this way I kept his wave in check and my own space clear. Talk about publicity seekers - none of us wanted to miss this camera opportunity.

當(dāng)講解員宣布我們進(jìn)場(chǎng)，說(shuō)這是外國(guó)人士第一次參加中國(guó)國(guó)慶游行，人群開(kāi)始鼓掌歡呼，一浪高過(guò)一浪，聲音幾乎蓋過(guò)了嘹亮的軍樂(lè)演奏。我體內(nèi)的腎上腺激素也不斷噴放。與夜間彩排相比，這次的游行有條不紊，也讓我終身難忘。

彩車(chē)的左邊，數(shù)千位群眾身穿色彩繽紛的中國(guó)傳統(tǒng)服裝，動(dòng)作優(yōu)美，我們頭上方的投影儀不斷旋轉(zhuǎn)著，好像是沒(méi)有采取安全措施的蕩秋千的雜耍藝人在翻轉(zhuǎn)著。在右邊，我站的位置，有巨大的電視屏幕，播放我們的彩車(chē)經(jīng)過(guò)時(shí)的圖像。我們所在的“同一個(gè)世界”彩車(chē)由100位外國(guó)人士簇?fù)碇?，走過(guò)中國(guó)首都的政治中心，彩車(chē)周?chē)耐鈬?guó)人邊走邊揮舞著手里的彩旗。我使勁地?fù)]手，左手也沒(méi)有打到杜大衛(wèi)的右手。我們下方的那些人最終是輕松搭乘彩車(chē)，司機(jī)也因彩車(chē)沒(méi)有出故障而松了一口氣。

游行持續(xù)了兩個(gè)多小時(shí)，而經(jīng)過(guò)天安門(mén)城樓主看臺(tái)卻用了不到半分鐘。當(dāng)我們從長(zhǎng)安街拐入一條小路，遠(yuǎn)離身后歡呼的人群時(shí)，我聽(tīng)到手機(jī)的聲響，短信如潮水般涌來(lái)。我從口袋里拿出手機(jī)一看，已經(jīng)有16條短信，接著第17條，接著是更多的短信。一條短信是這樣寫(xiě)的：“剛才在電視上看到你了?！绷硪粭l更簡(jiǎn)單：“看到你了。紅襯衫很漂亮?！辈受?chē)上的每個(gè)人都在跟家人和朋友們通電話，說(shuō)看到誰(shuí)誰(shuí)了，或者說(shuō)好像是看到了。

有一段錄像使我個(gè)人對(duì)這次的游行感覺(jué)分外珍貴。阿德里安在墨爾本的家里看CNN的轉(zhuǎn)播。在我們剛進(jìn)入天安門(mén)廣場(chǎng)之前，他給我發(fā)了一條短信，說(shuō)他很可能看不到我，因?yàn)镃NN已經(jīng)中斷這次直播，報(bào)道印尼地震的情況。

但是在游行結(jié)束后我查看短信時(shí)，阿德里安又發(fā)了一條：“回家后查郵件，你絕對(duì)想不到?！彼米约旱臄z像機(jī)對(duì)著電視一直拍，以備CNN隨時(shí)繼續(xù)轉(zhuǎn)播游行。就在“同一個(gè)世界”彩車(chē)進(jìn)入鏡頭的那一刻，CNN又開(kāi)始繼續(xù)轉(zhuǎn)播北京的實(shí)況了。阿德里安原以為在電視上看不到我了，現(xiàn)在竟然看到他爸爸在向他揮手，他高興地叫了起來(lái)，這一叫聲也被他的攝像機(jī)錄了下來(lái)。攝像機(jī)里保留了他的聲音。這是我們兩個(gè)人的意外收獲。難忘的一天！

As the commentator announced our approach pointing out that foreigners were taking part in China’s National Day parade for the first time, clapping and cheering from the crowd increased, almost drowning out the band playing its rousing selection of Chinese military marches. The adrenalin was really pumping now and while a very controlled atmosphere compared with the nighttime rehearsal, the scene was unforgettable.

To our left, thousands of Chinese in traditional costumes provided a gymnastic routine of color and movement, while the overhead projector swung and whizzed above us like a mechanical trapeze artist without the aid of a safety net. On the right where I was standing, giant television screens showed our progress. Accompanied by the 100 foreigners chosen to walk around the float waving flags, we were now in our ‘One World’ passing through the political heart of China’s capital. I waved as hard as I could and there were no collisions between my left hand and Tool’s right. As it turned out our below deck crew went along literally for the ride, the driver relieved his job was completed without incident.

While the parade and pageant lasted more than two hours, the climax of passing the main viewing area was over in less than half a minute. But as we turned off Chang An Jie into a side street to park away from the crowds cheering floats behind us, I could hear by mobile phone receiving a flood messages. Lifting it from my pocket I could see 16, then 17, and still more. ‘Just saw you on TV’one said while another simply read, ‘saw you, loved the red shirt’. Everyone from the float was on the phone getting reports from family and friends and discussing who had been seen, or almost. I treasure one extra video which made the occasion even more personal. Adrian was watching the telecast at his home in Melbourne, via CNN. Just before we entered Tiananmen Square, he sent me a message saying it was unlikely he would see me because CNN had interrupted its coverage to report an earthquake in Indonesia. But when I checked my phone as the parade ended, Adrian had sent another message: ‘Check your email when you get home. You’ll never believe it’. He had kept his personal video camera running in front of the TV set in case CNN resumed its coverage of the parade. At precisely the point where ‘One World’ came into view, the network switched back to Beijing.After thinking my appearance had been lost, Adrian saw his Dad waving to him, letting out an exclamation of joy picked up on his own camera, and providing a bonus for us both. What a day!