阅读理解
They say that "travel is the best
teacher" and there is no better example of this idea than the Ming dynasty
travel writer and geographer Xu Xiake (1587-1641). His book The Travel Notes of
Xu Xiake, not only encouraged a love of travelling among Chinese people but
provided important scientific information about the country's land and
geography.
Born into a wealthy Jiangyin family, Xu
became interested in books about different places at anearly age and wanted to
travel. When he was 18, however. Xu's father died and so, it seemed, did his
travelling dreams. He now was responsible for the family farm and taking care
of his 60-year-old mother as tradition required.
But his mother had different ideas.
Understanding her son, slove of travel and valuing the knowledge he could get
from such experiences, this modern-thinking woman refused to keep her son at
home. She agreed that Xu could travel for three months every year, when there
was less farm work.
So at the age of twenty and with his
mother's support, Xu set off for the first time, leaving behind not only his
mother but his new wife as well. He would repeat this goodbye each year for
most of the next 30 years. During this time, he travelled throughout the Ming
kingdom, carefully studying the lands he passed through and recording his
experiences and many discoveries in a diary. This diary, which once had over
500,000 words, would eventually become The Travel Notes of Xu Xiake.
Although rich, Xu avoided comfortable
travel, preferring to go almost everywhere on foot. This way he could research
the environment in detail and get a true picture of the natural world. Many of
his trips were to hard-to-reach mountain areas, and through wild forests where
few people lived. His willingness to face hardships came at a cost however.
Progress was slow and tiring and he was frequently sick, robbed and beaten
during his journeys
Sadly Xu became seriously ill during his
last and longest journey, a 4-year trip through the Southwest of China. He died
in 1641, soon after returning to his hometown for the last time. When his diary
was finally printed years after his death, much of it had been destroyed or
lost. Although incomplete, it still made Xu a travelling legend around the
world.
