遊子天涯

為了參加千禧年第一日的南京之旅，也沒有倒數計時，只是一早醒來打開電視，在客廳同步參加台北總統府廣場的升旗典禮，對於太麻里的日出有點失望，不過在搭車前往會合時的路上可以看到黃澄澄的千禧朝陽，出租車播報的盡是各地公共設施安全的通過世紀之交，並沒有千年蟲作怪。 

上海火車站前人來人往，有一點不同的是入口處加設一個行李檢查通道，像是搭空運一般，車票上的日期是2000年1月1日，也算是一張值得永久保存的票根。坐的是特級軟席座位，加上大陸是寬軌鐵道，倒也坐的很舒適。經過了三個鐘頭的旅程，終於到了南京站，同行四位夥伴一局局的接龍，也渡過了這漫長時間。

 出了車站已是中午時分，而天色是灰灰的，氣溫是冷冷的，夥伴中的識途老馬先帶著大夥到大排檔用餐，少量多樣式的菜色倒也飽餐一頓。接著一行四人徒步往旅館行去，抓不准方向時最好的方法是--問人，但至少要問兩個以上，因為即使是拿著地圖問公安的結果，初次得到的是相反方向。穿越一個大圓環，中間佇立了孫中山先生雕像，記不得走了多久的路，終於到了莫愁湖邊的飯店，走進飯店像是進了溫室一般，櫃檯標示一度到十三度。

         辦理住房登記後再出門開始探訪古蹟，自助旅遊的最高指導原則是搭乘大眾運輸工具，九號公車再大街口下車轉搭十五號公車，先到雨花臺遊覽，本想如果溫度再低一點的話或許可以看到下雪，但還不成氣候，不時看到地攤或是商店販售色彩鮮豔的雨花石，第二站到中華門，是一座建於明朝距今五百多年的南京最大古城牆，光是城牆上頭就有一個足球場一般大，時天色已暗，於是再轉搭至秦淮河畔，周邊的牌樓加上古代建築，彷彿叫人回到古人舞榭樓台的當時。

 第二天養足精神，帶著肅穆的心情到名聞中外的中山陵，距今也有七十年之久，位於鍾山南麓，以前只聽過歌曲中的巍巍鍾山，龍蟠虎踞石頭城，如今看了才領會其中意境，從入口處的刻有博愛兩字的牌坊開始，感覺好似中正紀念堂的格局，接著墓道兩旁的松柏，陵門上的民主、民權、民生，很驚訝於碑文上的中國國民黨總理葬孫中山先生於此，中華民國十八年六月一日，祭堂大廳中有孫中山先生坐像，兩壁刻有曾經為了考試背的爛熟的國父遺著《建國大綱》，正上方是中國國民黨黨徽，墓室有一白色大理石棺，一代偉人--我們的國父正長眠於此。

 接著再步行至明孝陵，是明朝開國皇帝朱元璋的墓，入口處有一石碑刻著治隆唐宋，墓道之後仍有一明樓，穿越城門後即有一牆，牆上僅僅寫了一排字--此山明太祖之墓，後才知道該墓仍未被發現，而其他明朝除了惠帝外其餘皆葬於北京有名的十三陵。接著再轉往美齡館，建於1931年，室內保留蔣介石與宋美齡的書房、辦公室、會議室等，牆上也掛了當時在此室的生活照，如此近的臨場感叫人似曾相識。

 午餐後繼續訪古，好不容易問人找到了明故宮，竟是一遺址，除了一間仿古建築的餐廳外，空盪盪的一片地，對面公園是一個明皇宮的遺址，仍可見到原宮殿巨大殿柱殘留的部分，公園後出口仍是一巍峨的古城牆，怪不得要稱南京是石頭城。接著又轉往另一古蹟，是孫中山先生於1912年1月1日就任的臨時大總統府，也是1853年太平天國在此建立了天朝宮殿，是清朝兩江總督署，著名的曾國籓、李鴻章等辦公的地方。最後再到玄武湖公園一逛，結束了兩日南京遊。

*****

公元兩千遊南京，中華門上覽古城，中山陵上偉人葬，府督古蹟世代同。

*****

Nanjing Unveiled: A Journey through Time and History

On this New Year's Day trip to Nanjing, there was no countdown, but I woke up early and turned on the TV to watch the flag-raising ceremony at Taipei's Presidential Office Plaza. I was a bit disappointed with the sunrise in Taimali, but on the way to meet up with the group, I saw the golden millennium sun. The taxi's radio broadcasted news about the smooth operation of public facilities during the turn of the century, with no Y2K bug troubles.

Shanghai Railway Station was bustling with people, and there was a baggage check at the entrance, resembling airport security. The date on the train ticket was January 1, 2000, a ticket worth preserving forever. I had a comfortable journey in the first-class soft seat as the mainland's trains have wide-gauge tracks. After a three-hour journey, we finally arrived at Nanjing Station. My companions and I spent the time playing solitaire and made it through the long journey.

By the time we got out of the station, it was already noon. The sky was gray and the temperature was cold. The seasoned traveler among us led us to a food stall for lunch. We had a variety of dishes in small portions and filled our stomachs. Then the four of us set off on foot to the hotel. When unsure of the direction, the best method is to ask people, but it's advisable to ask more than one person, as even when I asked the police with a map in hand, I initially received directions in the opposite direction. After passing through a large roundabout with a statue of Sun Yat-sen in the middle, and after a long walk, we finally arrived at the hotel by the Mo Chou Lake. Stepping into the hotel felt like entering a greenhouse, with the temperature ranging from 1 to 13 degrees Celsius.

After checking into the hotel, we went out to explore the historical sites. The highest guiding principle for self-guided tours is to use public transportation. We took Bus No. 9 and transferred to Bus No. 15 at the intersection to visit the Yu Hua Tai first. I had hoped to see snow if it were a bit colder, but the weather wasn't conducive. There were street vendors and shops selling vibrant-colored Yuhua stones. The next stop was Zhonghua Gate, the largest city wall in Nanjing built over 500 years ago during the Ming Dynasty. The city wall alone was the size of a football field. As the sky was getting dark, we transferred to Qinhuai River, where the archways and ancient buildings made us feel as if we had traveled back in time.

The next day, after resting well and with a solemn mood, I visited the famous Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum, which has been standing for 70 years. Located at the southern foot of Zhongshan Mountain, it reminded me of the lyrics of a song: "The majestic Zhongshan Mountain, where dragons and tigers guard the stone city." Starting from the archway at the entrance with the characters "Universal Love" carved on it, it gave me a sense of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall's layout. Along the tomb path were pine and cypress trees, and the democratic, people's rights, and people's livelihood characters were engraved on the memorial gate. I was surprised to find out that the founder of the Republic of China, Sun Yat-sen, was buried here by the Nationalist Party on June 1, the 18th year of the Republic of China. Inside the memorial hall, there was a seated statue of Sun Yat-sen, and on the walls were inscriptions of his famous "Three Principles of the People," which I had memorized for exams in the past. Above the statue was the emblem of the Kuomintang, the Nationalist Party. Inside the burial chamber, there was a white marble coffin. Our great leader, the founding father, peacefully rests here.

Next, we walked to Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, the tomb of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of the Ming Dynasty. At the entrance, there was a stone tablet inscribed with the words "Zhi Long Tang Song." Beyond the tomb path, there was still a magnificent Ming Tower. Passing through the city gate, we encountered a wall with the words "This is the tomb of the Ming Taizu." I later learned that this tomb had not yet been discovered, as the other emperors of the Ming Dynasty, except for Emperor Hui, were buried in the well-known Thirteen Tombs in Beijing. We then visited the Meiling Palace, built in 1931. Inside, the preserved study, office, and conference rooms of Chiang Kai-shek and Soong Mei-ling gave us a sense of familiarity, as we could see their life photos hanging on the walls.

After lunch, we continued our exploration. It was quite a challenge to find the Ming Imperial Palace, but with the help of locals, we eventually found it to be a ruin. Apart from a restaurant with an antique-style exterior, the area was empty. Across the park was the remains of a palace from the Ming Dynasty, where you could still see the remnants of massive palace pillars. At the park's exit, there was a majestic ancient city wall, explaining why Nanjing is called the Stone City. We then headed to another historical site, the Provisional Presidential Palace. On January 1, 1912, Dr. Sun Yat-sen was inaugurated as the Provisional President, and in 1853, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom established the Heavenly Palace here. It was also the office of the governors of the two Jiang provinces during the Qing Dynasty, where famous figures such as Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang worked. Finally, we visited Xuanwu Lake Park before concluding our two-day trip to Nanjing.