“第十九届斯诺研讨会”嘉宾发言推送的第三篇来自美国作家、中央电视台常任媒体评论员马意骏。

马意骏致辞中文译文

在中国生活21年，我收获到了意想不到的快乐。1999年，洛杉矶的一位中国朋友邀我来华。在此之前，我无论如何也想不到中国将会成为我今后人生的一部分。那位朋友的家乡在重庆。1999年，我多次往返中美两地，我终于意识到将要在中国开始自己的新生活。

时间快进21年，就在最近的几个月，我体验到了意想不到的快乐，对埃德加·斯诺的经历及其对中国的描述越来越感同身受。在座各位都比我更熟悉斯诺，我还有很多的功课要做，先讲讲今年5月我受邀参加的一个非常重要的媒体节目。

今天我必须有保留地与大家分享这段经历，因为它虽然精彩有趣，但这个特别的媒体节目是一部纪录片，将在未来几个月内上映，根据制作合同中很常见的保密协议，在上映之前，我们未经许可不能透露它的具体内容以及宣传此片。当然，我很乐意择出一些关键点，以飨大家。

我做过一个新媒体项目，就是《马先生中国历险记》（Mr. Ma’s China Adventures），就在那时，我受到启发，决定要做一件事……在三十多天里，我加入一个摄制组，沿途拍摄纪录片……我们沿着长征最后三分之一的路线，行驶5000多公里，跨越甘肃和陕西两省。

一行人沿着毛泽东、周恩来及其他先辈的足迹，访问长征沿途的城镇和旧址。在路上，我担任该纪录片主持人，经常阅读斯诺经典之作的著名段落。

我们这段旅程从红军穿越危险的大草地，进入甘肃的阶段开始。当时甘肃的环境对红军更有利，群众基础好。

在甘肃，我们沿着盘山公路行驶，拍下沿途的风景，也了解到当地的风土人情，来到定西县和宕昌县的哈达铺镇。当地的医生曾经成功医治了周恩来的肝病……我们还去了渭源市、白银市的会宁县、庆阳市的华池县等地。一路上太多激励人心、饶有兴味的发现，比如我居然发现岷县是中国当归之乡。

我们终于抵达陕西省，来到著名的陕北地区。我们去了榆林市、吴起县、志丹县等地，参观了定边县的盐湖群，还访问第一所列宁学校，还有，我们怎么会错过南泥湾的那段峥嵘岁月，最后我们在延安参观宝塔山，旅程如期结束。

下面分享的内容对我来说颇有意义，多少算是我的自白。我在中国生活多年，经历过许多起起落落。所有人经历过的狂野与奇异，大部分我都经历过。我在这个国家生活了20年，我不是一个孤立的旁观者，而是一个本地人，我有一位中国妻子和完全不懂英语的岳母。

2003年，我成为海南岛第一个向中国银行申请贷款的外国人，当时他们完全不知道如何应对，不过最终我还是拿到了贷款，在大东海海滩上买下一套梦幻般的公寓，那时地图上还很难找到三亚。如果我没有早早把房子出手了，也许现在还可以自夸是一个有远见卓识的人，说起来实在可惜。

关于中国故事，大家已经珠玉在前，今天时间也比较仓促，我就不再赘述。不过，我关于中国的第三本书最近已经由海天出版社出版……但是我必须承认，我一直以为了解中国，其实不然。对中国一知半解是不行的。

我接受中央电视台邀请，与电影摄制组沿着“长征”之路，走过其中的五千公里。有时在路上，我不禁热泪盈眶，觉得就在此时此刻，发现了中国精神，中国人深深扎进土地里的根。在抗击新冠疫情中，中国政府带领人民众志成城，有效应对，进一步促进了这个国家的团结，振奋了人民的精神，增强了他们的自豪感，这使得我在长征途中与摄制组一起经历的一切，在今天与大家分享时，成为一种更为深刻、更为强烈的体验。

尤其是考虑到我以中国为家，而且还会继续在这里度过许多更为精彩的岁月，我当然认为，这次经历以及今天有幸与各位共聚一堂，增进我们的友谊和相互理解，是真正无价的。

Speech at the 19thEdgar Snow Symposium

Mario Cavolo

Event Theme: Carrying Forward Edgar Snow Spirit, Passing On Genuine Friendship. The History, The Friendships, The Mutual Understanding, The Experiences

I have had the unexpected pleasure of living the past 21 years of my life here in China. I would never have imagined before that would happen because in no way at all was China part of my life’s plans before I was invited to come in 1999 by a Chinese friend in Los Angeles, whose hometown “laojia”was Chongqing in Sichuan province. I traveled back and forth a few times in 1999 finally realizing that my new life in China was where I would continue.

Fast forwarding 21 years to this recent few months, I have had the unexpected pleasure of meeting and becoming closer to the experiences and words of Edgar Snow. Many others here are far more familiar and I have plenty of catching up to do which began just this past May when I was invited to be part of a very important media project.

I must share the story , as wonderful and fascinating as it is, carefully today though, because this particular media project is a documentary which will be released in the coming few months but since it has not yet been released, as is common in such a production contract, we are not allowed to reveal specifically what it is and promote it until after it is released. However I will enjoy teasing all of you with some of the key points.

I’ve launched a new media project called Mr. Ma’s China Adventures and this is really when I was inspired to do that.....For over 30 days I joined a film crew and our Director on a road trip production....We traveled over 5000km together following the path of the last third of the journey of the Long March which took place in Gansu and Shaanxi provinces.

As we visited the towns and sites following the path of Mao Ze Dong, Zhou Enlai and so many other of China’s heroes, I was the host of the documentary being shot and I was often reading passages Snow’s well known classic.

Our leg of the journey began after the armies had crossed the treacherous grasslands and finally headed down into the friendlier, supportive environment found in Gansu province

We visited, we learned, we shot scenes traveling along the beautiful terraced mountainsides of Gansu province to Dingxi city and Hadapu in Min county where the local doctor successfully treated Zhou Enlai’s liver troubles....and Weiyuan county, Baiyin city in Huining county and Qingyang city in Huachi county. So many heartwarming and fascinating discoveries including our time in Mingxian which I discovered is China’s most famous source of Danggui, Angelica herb.

Our journey finally took us to Shaanxi province, the famous Shanbei area where we visited the salt lakes of Dingbian, Wuqi, Zhidan, Yulin counties, we visited the first established Lenin school and yes we did not miss precious time spent in Nanniwan and our journey ended as one might expect at Yanan exploring the Baita area.

The meaningful takeaways I believe I should share are a bit of a confession. I have spent many years in China, I have experienced many ups and downs, I am certain I can match most of the wild, crazy, strange stories we all have to share, I have lived in this country for two decades as a local, not in an executive bubble, with a Chinese wife and mother in law who doesn’t speak a wink of English.

In 2003 I was the first foreigner to ever ask for a mortgage from Bank of China on Hainan Island and they had absolutely no idea what to do and didn’t want to do it but in the end I did get my mortgage and owned my fantasy condo on the beach at Dadonghai back when Sanya was yet barely on the map, such amazing foresight I had as long as you don’t sell it too soon which of course, I did sell it too soon.

There’s no time today to add another dozen stories to all of your stories, even as I have had most recently had my third book on China published in Hong Kong by Skylark publishing....but there’s the big confession, I thought I did know China, but I didn’t. I knew just enough about China to be dangerous, right?

When I was invited by (CCTV) to spend 5000km on that journey with that film crew to follow along that Long March, I was at times, in tears, I discovered the spirit, the deep root of this country, this China, which is right here right now today. And with how well this country, this govt, this generation of citizens, together united faced and handled the pandemic, this further brought a togetherness and pride and spirit to the country now. That made what I experienced journeying together with the film crew along the Long March an even deeper and more poignant experience to share with all of you today.

Especially considering that I regard China as my home and will be here for many more amazing years, I must call this experience as well as being with all of you today a truly priceless increase in friendship and mutual understanding. Thank you.

作者：陈 医

编辑：刘鑫慧