| I was left to reflect on how such an amusement would be managed in the over-regulated UK – a swathe of local authority-sponsored rules; crash-helmets, elbow, and knee-guards by order; unlicensed slides destroyed by government operatives; all financial profit and prospects of fun wrung out of the thing so that it wasn't worth anybody's while… no doubt it will come to China in due course. This year the runs are made of heaped snow and much smaller ice-blocks – just as effective, but they don't feel nearly as claustrophobic. |
這讓我深思，這樣一項娛樂在制度森嚴的英國會受到怎樣的管制：地方政府推出一系列規章；按規定必須裝備頭盔、護肘和護膝；政府探員取締無照營業的滑雪橇場地；從業者利潤微薄，游客也不能盡興——結果就是所有人都對這項運動不屑一顧。到了一定的時候，這項運動肯定還是會傳到中國來。今年的滑道是用雪和碎冰塊堆砌而成的，玩起來效果相同，卻不會那么恐怖。 |
| Unlike the lakes, the waters of the Songhua River, tempered by passing through the power station, never freeze over even in the coldest of weather. Before daybreak, when climactic conditions are right, water vapour from the river produces a thick rime that settles on the willow trees that line the Songhua's banks as it flows through the center of the city. The effect is one of unearthly beauty. I was fortunate enough to see it at its best on my first-ever morning in Jilin – still disoriented by jet-lag, I got up around five in the morning and took a stroll along the banks of the river in the coldest weather I had ever experienced, through a genuine winter wonderland. |
與那些湖泊不同，松花江的水因為有水電站的調節，即使在最寒冷的天氣里也不會封凍。太陽升起之前，在合適的氣候條件下，松花江穿越市中心時，河里升騰而起的水蒸氣會在沿岸的柳樹上結一層厚厚的白霜。這是一種超凡脫俗的美。我在吉林度過的第一個清晨就目睹了這一美景，真是三生有幸。由于還在倒時差，我那天早晨五點鐘左右就起床了。盡管從未遇到過這么冷的天氣，我還是沿河漫步，穿行在一個現實中的冬天里的童話世界。 |
| This is Wu Song, one of China's four natural wonders – Jilin Rime. Lighter than thistledown, it is as fragile and ephemeral as it is stunning to behold. As soon as the sun rises, no matter how cold, the thick rime begins to disappear. By mid-morning it is gone. |
這就是名列中國四大自然奇觀之一的吉林霧凇。比薊花冠毛還要輕，脆弱，轉瞬即逝，卻有一種極具沖擊力的美。無論氣溫多么低，一旦太陽升起，那層厚厚的白霜就開始消失；到了九、十點鐘就無影無蹤了。 |
| Another feature of the Jilin winter is their fireworks. From western New Year to the end of the Chinese New Year, the streets of the city are lined with vendors. I'm not talking about the feeble boxes of "Fox's squibs" that you used to get in the shops for the week or so before Bonfire Night, and which have now disappeared into the ‘too dangerous' bin. These Chinese things are monsters. Some of them are the size of a large fridge. |
吉林冬天的另一大特色就是他們的焰火。從元旦到春節結束，城市的街道兩旁都排滿了商販。我說的可不是過去那種你常在篝火節前一周去商店里買的單薄的一小盒“?？怂贡瘛?，即使這種小炮仗現在也被歸類為高危物品而難得一見。與之相比，這些中國的焰火簡直是怪物級別的。它們中有些甚至和大型冰箱一樣大。 |
| My own favourite is a simple creature called the "er ti jiao" (two kick foot). This is a firework about the size of a rolling pin. The casing is made of cardboard about a centimetre thick. |
我的最愛是一種構造簡單的名叫“二踢腳”的焰火。這種炮仗有搟面杖大小，外殼是約一厘米厚的紙板。 |
| You light the fuse, and stand back. There is an eardrum-ripping blast that pulverises the casing, and fires a charge about sixty feet in the air. Surrounding small children are knocked to the ground. A few seconds later the second charge explodes in a similar detonation. The small children, who have got back to their feet, are promptly knocked down again. The er ti jiao is very popular. It costs about 3 yuan – 30p or 50 cents (negotiable). |
你點燃炮仗捻兒，然后退后。一聲震耳欲聾的爆炸后，炮仗的外殼粉身碎骨，把一小包火藥噴射到60英尺高的空中。周圍的小孩子都被震倒在地。幾秒鐘以后發生的第二次爆炸毫不遜于第一次，剛剛站起來的小孩子們隨即又被震得人仰馬翻。二踢腳非常受歡迎，一個只要三元（相當于30便士或50美分），還可以講價。 |
| I asked my wife if there are any regulations at all controlling who can buy what fireworks. "None," she replied. "Anybody can buy anything they want." I imagined for a moment what it would be like if things like these could be bought on the streets of Britain. The thought appalled me. |
我問過妻子，是否有任何規定制約什么人可以買哪種焰火?！皼]有，”她回答說。“任何人都可以買到他們想要的任何一種焰火?！蔽蚁胂窳艘幌氯绻@種東西可以在英國的大街上買到會是什么樣子，那景象讓我心驚膽戰。 |
![Adults and kids share the fun of sledging. [David Ferguson/China.org.cn] 大人小孩一起滑雪橇，其樂融融。](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20091116/000cf1a48b7f0c6aeb7702.jpg "Adults and kids share the fun of sledging. [David Ferguson/China.org.cn] 大人小孩一起滑雪橇，其樂融融。")
