中国文艺之悲哀

中国文艺作品为何都是大团圆

中国缺乏悲剧作品，这种情况被许多作家发现和指陈。幼时看电影，坏人终究会得到恶报，如果稍有例外，人们骂声一片，说怎么会是这样？坏人为什么没被枪毙，被雷劈，还活的好好的？后来读书，非常注意人物的结局，好人如果没有好报，坏人如果没有恶报，甚至留下点悬念，都觉得该书没有写完，作者不负责任，希望有个续集什么的，最终交待完大团圆的结局。

介入生活后发现，在我们这个一直强调作品源于生活的国家里，文艺作品的结论，与实际生活竟然相差甚远，甚至到了背道而驰的地步。那就是，实际生活中那么善良，那么纯真，以致到了使人相形见绌和惭愧的好人，常常不得不接受残酷的命运，坏人欺凌他们；恶行践踏他们；因为太善良纯洁，厄运也总捉弄他们，好几代不得翻身。

与此相反，那些文学作品里恶贯满盈最终遭到天谴和死的很难堪的，实际生活中却常常耀武扬威，春风得意路路畅通。而且众多时候，也不见“不是不报，时候未到”“种瓜得瓜种豆得豆”的规律性和必然性，几代人连续作恶，还连续一帆风顺。如果偶尔他们遇见不顺，便有人说苍天有眼，恶棍终于遭报应了，却不回头看看，好人在期间所受的灾难，许多情况下远超过这些恶棍；无辜遭殃受苦受难的好人，远远多于生活顺心的坏人。

为什么会是这样？那是因为中国缺乏宗教，文艺兼任了宗教的使命便拍手称快；否则，就认为作者没有社会责任感；缺乏良知，不代表人民大众说话；没有宣扬正确的价值观，等等。运气不佳时，还会受到政权方面的干预。于是经常会出现一种现象，那就是真正反映社会现状的作品，未必被人们所认可，反倒是虚伪的，空幻的，符合假想完美状态的东西，会得到一片喝彩。武侠小说在中国能够有广泛的市场，也是这种心态的体现。

而在信仰宗教的民族那里，人的终极价值和精神归宿，由上帝裁决。作恶了怕死后进地狱；行善，觉得灵魂能升天堂。这些预设性的结局，对自己的行为就是约束。而文艺承担的，纯粹是社会现实的描述功能和艺术加工，用不着以“文以载道”的标准去捆绑和规范文艺作品的走向，体现任何利益团体的价值观和统治意识，因而体现出现实性、可信度和亲切感。

一个没有精神寄托和终极价值归宿的民族，再遇见黑暗的现实，除了无奈，还有没有勇气对现实的直面，于是就出现了文艺的严重精神分裂：现实和文人德行是一个样子，作品又完全是另一个样子。制造精神鸦片致富是一部分人的特权；被动购买精神鸦片将自己沦为奴隶的，是另一部分人的宿命。

中国人和外国人的接触

中国人面对外国人总爱精神分裂

很少有如中国人这样攻击外国人、尤其是西方人的。

莫名其妙攻；有理由没理由攻。人家搞些慈善，就说他们是为了麻醉中国人民；人家批评一下中国事务，就说是妄图颠覆中国政权灭亡中国；人家资助中国教育，说是为自己培养代理人；人家搞些文化活动就是灌输他们的价值观。总之，从头至尾，似乎亚当夏娃制造出西方人，就是为了搞垮中国，否则就不存在西方世界。中国人还特别爱骂同胞汉奸和洋奴，和指斥他们崇洋媚外。宛如对外国和外国人的态度，是取决一个人是不是配当中国人的唯一条件。

也很少有人像中国人一样喜欢外国人的。

与攻击外国人不遗余力的现象形成对比的另一个有趣现象，却经常性地让我们所感受，那就是另一部分中国人特别喜欢外国人、尤其是西方人。曾有一个青年自豪地给我说，他有跟50个外国人的合影。如果像水均益那样，不是跟克林顿就是跟曼德拉；不是跟普金，就是跟盖茨…..那是不容易。可就一般而言，外国人多于中国人是事实，跟50个外国人留影有什么可自豪的吗？西方人很友善，取得这么多合影并不困难。外国朋友，外国老公，外国产品，外国流行款式，等等，一但多多少少能扯上些，完美的同胞就忙不迭显摆。

最不可思议的在于这样一个结果，那就是骂外国、骂洋奴特别狠的，一实际接触到外国的人，外国的钱，外国的产品，比汉奸和洋奴一点儿好不了，反倒显得极其没有态，不是如获至宝似的手足无措洋相百出，就是要什么给什么甚至人家不要也想方设法要给点什么的的殷勤。是远离人家时把他们贬斥的不如敝屣，跟人家一接触又把自己放到奴才地位的莫名其妙。总之，变来换去，总是摆不正自己的位置，也摆不正别人的位置，更摆不正互相之间的位置。说穿了，就是先是对人家情况的无知或单相思性质的嫉妒，殆及能沾点亲带点故，便以竞赛般的速度贴上去，让人大跌眼镜：这，还是那些很爱国很反对西洋人的中国人吗？

中国人看博物馆

中国人到罗浮宫里最关注的事

我到罗浮宫找中国的文物，起因于在东方艺术馆看到的中亚文物，尤其是许多刻在石头和砖壁上的象形文字，于是想关注一下中国的甲骨文和金文等有没有，于是问中国文物有没有展示。馆员有些迷茫，最后摇了摇头。一路参观过来，发现中国人问这个的不少，不过跟我找文物的不同，他们找的是“中国馆”，而且理直气壮，馆员自然更加迷茫，于是就大声议论：从中国抢去那么多，究竟放在哪里了？馆员业务不熟悉。

中国人的问题总带上浓厚的中国特色。罗浮宫的馆藏，仅仅凭借想象，就可以知道中国文物即便有，数量也微乎其微，因为展览主题是油画和雕塑，中国人不擅长这个。中国游客置身于世界上最著名的艺术宝库里，不见认真观摩，甚至连关心世界之最为乐事的罗浮宫三大镇馆之宝，也未必有心情追寻一睹芳容，就找中国的东西，爱国情操真让人感动。

西方人抢过中国的文物这一点不假，中国人想让遗失文物认祖归宗的愿望也颇为真诚，今年不就为一个皇家水龙头有中国人在拍卖场搅局、甚至请缨的吗？但是，中国文物的流失是不是都通过“抢”的方式流落到西方的展览馆安家落户的，又是需要细究的问题。中国人买卖文物之猖狂，举世罕见；又因中国人讲究入土为安，活不好都得死好，于是盗墓大案轰轰烈烈，皇家墓葬尤其难得幸免，人家是骗子或许不假，中国人从死人嘴巴里掏出文物换洋人的钱同样是真。

中国文物留在中国又能咋样？别的不说，就说中国人引以为自豪的敦煌经卷，先是莫高窟没人打理，虔诚的王道士为了换取修缮费用收了英国冒险家斯坦因200银元（也有人说是收了斯坦因的肥皂），后来许多国家的探险家和文物贩子如法炮制。此事传出，丢了中国政府的脸，于是官方出面“保护”，将其予以近乎彻底的毁灭。此事几年后，斯坦因又一次来到莫高窟，王道士痛心地提到了官员们的盗窃和毁坏，后悔当年应该将所有的文书让斯坦因带到国外，这样至少可以让它们完整、完好地保存。 可见，中国许多文物还是被抢走好，不然中国说自己是文明古国时，真还少了不少物证。

中国人到卢浮宫最眼珠子发亮的，是贝聿铭设计的玻璃金字塔——这是咱们中国人设计的，似乎没有人知道这件作品从建设之初至今，就一直遭受质疑，正在考虑修改方案。希望这件作品万寿无疆，这可是中国人在卢浮宫里的腰杆子了。

travel photos

Hua Xia clinic, Church St. London

My friend Ms Bing who runs the clinic is always very helpful, Her clinic enjoys such a huge following among the local clientele which is very much a mix of white and people from the Middle East. Two very capable TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) doctors usually practise here on alternate days. Both have over twenty years experience under their belt. A lot of chronic illnesses can be treated here. I intend to have a course of slimming session here in a few weeks time. The other friend YQ has been such a dear friend for so long that we often talk on a daily basis and on any subject. She is off to Beijing next month (August) to be with the Olympic crowd part of the time as her college has some business association with a college in the outskirt of Beijing. I have to say it is so important to have friends so close to you especially when you are far away from home. Vive mes amis!

比利时 Belgium 之行

I have been so lucky to be able to take the Eurostar from its brand new St Pancras International Station to Belgium on a mini-break. The journey to Brussels Midi (ie, Sud in French-speaking Brussels) was just short of 2 hours. We (my friend and I) dashed off the Eurostar and walked to the main concourse and found the next train to Antwerp was a mere 5 minutes wait. So we quickly got to the right platform and happily boarded the semi-fast train to our destination Antwerp. The train was nearly empty. We enjoyed the smooth ride crossing the countryside heading north.

Having checked into a super-efficient business travellers hotel on the station plaza Agora, we decided to go out and check out the town. Immediately we stepped into the diamond district of roughly 1 square kilometre with jewellery shops mainly manned by Jews. Nowadays there seem to be a lot of Eastern European Jews are running the trade. Antwerp got rich from its trade being a port offering services to Northern Belgium - the Flemish-speaking Flanders. There were the Hanseatic League around the North Seas, hence at the river front (Schelde River) there are some magnificent merchant houses as well as the stone fortification which serves as the Maritime Museum now (See the picture with the castle building ). Of course there is more to Antwerp than just the Diamond. The Diamond trade can trace its history back to the 19th century and was made famous for cutting the Cullinan Diamond into the 4 Stars of Africa for the British Royal Family in the early part of 20th century.

If you want to see to Stars of Africa, you have to come to London. The biggest cut diamond in the world is 530 carats in weight and is set on the gold Royal Sceptre housed in Tower of London - the old British Royal's residence by river Thames. In Antwerp though you can all kinds of superb quality diamond jewellery. In case you need some serious education on diamond you can visit the Diamond Museum at the Station Plaza.

From Antwerp a trip by train takes you to Brugge - another delightful town which is known as the Venice of the North. However with their canal streams and higgledy-piggledy houses you feel more like being in Cambridge. The Town Square is a good spot to stop for lunch or coffee, or simply just watching the world go by. There is a market held at the square every week. Make sure you are there before 12pm otherwise you'll miss all the hustle and bustle of the local market. (See the picture with the gabled houses)

Ghent (Gent in Flemish) is another Medieval town one can explore at leisure. It's usually very busy at Christmas time for the Christmas Fair. There are still small workshops dotted about town. We accidentally found a leather goods shop where the owner still makes some of his own leather goods such as shoes, handbags in his workshop. If you are there try them http://www.leder-reyne.com/ is their website. I got a beautiful patent leather bag there while my friend got a lovely black soft leather shoulder bag.

Antwerp itself demands a minimum of two days to appreciate it fully. The area around the National Museum of Fine Art is very much like Parisian streets and the museum itself has a fine collection of Flemish masters although it is rather poor with its collection of Sir Peter Paul Rubens paintings. For that you have to pay a visit to his own house just off the main shopping street. The house was requisitioned and opened as a Rubens House in 1937. The garden is particularly nice with grapevine twining around a pergola as well as a lot of cottage-types of flowers in blue, white and red. While we were there there was a filming crew filming the house and garden to publicise Antwerp's quality museums and art galleries.