Essay11: Parting Impressions

WE ARE born into this world, we experience its joys and sorrows, and then we die.

The museum in Urumqi houses the famed Loulan mummy. Only her eyelashes bespeak of her past beauty. What is left of kings and palaces?  Only stones bear testament to their past glory. We were to depart from Urumuqi for Kuala Lumpur so I darted into some shops to buy titbits to bring back home. The shops are well-stocked. There was a fruit cart parked on the unlittered pavement. The nearby mosque is well-maintained and towers over the square.

Urumqi, like Kashgar, was once an oasis settlement. They are now modern cities with five-star hotels, restaurants doing brisk business and orderly traffic in well-lit streets. I had to remind myself that we were on the edge of a vast arid desert where the wind blows cold and the sun beats down. With our own eyes we had seen how the harsh desert had been tamed and transformed into cotton fields providing an economic lifeline for the people.  We bore witness to how the energy of the elements has been harnessed by human endeavour and ingenuity.

The baby I saw in Kasghar was plump; the toddler played in security and the schoolchildren we met spoke to us with confidence. Old people, including those with limited mobility, came out and enjoyed each other’s companionship. There is a certain quality of life.

How would life be ordered in the Garden of Eden or in Shambala? I mused. Surely not too different from life in Southern Xinjiang, was my conclusion. 

Photo / 摄影 : LeowYL

离别感言

我们来到这个世界，经历它的欢乐和忧伤，然后离开。

乌鲁木齐的博物馆收藏了著名的楼兰木乃伊。只有她的睫毛能够略示她曾经的美丽。国王和宫殿留下了什么？只有石头见证了它们过去的辉煌。

我们即将离开乌鲁木齐前往吉隆坡，所以我匆忙进入一些商店购买零食带回家。商店货架上摆满了货物。路边停着一个装满水果的推车，周围的人行道干净整洁。附近的清真寺保养良好，高耸于广场之上。

乌鲁木齐，像喀什一样，曾经是一个绿洲城镇。它们现在是现代化的城市，拥有五星级酒店、生意兴隆的餐厅、井然有序和照明良好的街道。

我不得不提醒自己，我们身处于一个广阔干旱的沙漠边缘，这里的风很冷，阳光炽热。我们亲眼见证了严酷的沙漠如何被驯服，并转化为棉田，为人们提供经济效益。我们亲眼目睹了人类通过努力和智慧如何驾驭自然元素的能量。

我在喀什看到的婴儿胖乎乎的，我们遇到的学生自信满满地和我们交谈。老年人，包括行动不便的人，出来享受彼此的陪伴。

这里有一种特定的生活品质。

在伊甸园中生活会是怎样的呢？我思索着。我得出结论，与南疆的生活并没有太大的不同。