Only then did Li Sizhu realize that she had arrived in Washington, the capital of the United States of America. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

The two maids packed up their things and prepared to get out of the car. After a while, there was a soft knock at the door.

"Madame, may I come in?" It was Magiffen's voice.

"Please come in, Captain Magifin." Li Sizhu replied.

The door opened, and Magiffen walked in.

"Madam, the man sent by the legation to greet you has arrived at the station, and I have inquired with them, and His Excellency the Count has not yet arrived, and according to their estimates, he should arrive in two or three days." Magifen said.

Hearing Ma Jifen say that Lin Yiqing had not yet arrived in Washington, although it was expected, Li Sizhu still couldn't help but feel stunned.

"The scenery in Washington is very good, Madame might as well visit it for these two days." "Madame can go and see the Washington Monument," he suggested, "and there is the inscription of the Qianguo Monument in the world. ”

"Okay." Li Sizhu was very curious, nodded and agreed.

After settling down at the Qianguo embassy in the United States, Li Sizhu proposed that he planned to visit the Washington Monument, and Chen Lanbin, the Qianguo minister to the United States, immediately agreed to arrange for his wife to accompany Li Sizhu to visit the monument. After learning that Li Sizhu could speak English, Mrs. Chen also specially invited the wife of an American diplomat, Brown, to come as a tour guide.

"You're lucky that this majestic monument was just completed two years ago." On the way to the visit, Mrs. Brown smiled and said to Li Sizhu, "George. As the founding leader and first president of the United States, it is only natural for Washington to build a monument to him. The question is, how tall does such a personal monument need to be? How about 40 meters high? Is 50 meters (more than a dozen stories high) enough? You must know that the iconic Nelson Column in Trafalgar Square in London, England is 53 meters high, I have been to London, and I have seen it live, and I have been very shocked. One of the few reasons that can be thought of in the absence of the world's capital in the middle of the century is that the citizens of this purely immigrant country seem to have an innate sense of self-confidence and expectation, and their greats therefore need a higher monument to match them. Well, the Americans are different, 70 meters (20 floors) should be tall enough, right? I've also been to Qianguo, and the giant Buddha statue in Sichuan, the Leshan Giant Buddha, is only 71 meters tall, but it's enough to make it unforgettable. ”

But such a vulgar notion inevitably underestimates the Americans of a century and a half ago, and if someone suggested that the Washington Monument should be taken at such heights, they would still scoff at it! Even if the wings of imagination are spread and a 100-meter-high monument is proposed to be built for the first president of the United States, Americans will still shake their heads! Because it still falls short of their expectations. ”

At this point, people in the mundane realm may understand that those Americans do not regard their founding leaders as mortals at all, and even if they worship the American-style democratic system, it is not enough, but can only be made into gods sent by God to save the United States! For such a god, the height of its monument must be unparalleled, it must be beyond the imagination of ordinary people, and it must be unprecedented in the world! ”

"And how tall is it?" Mrs. Chen asked curiously. She has been in the United States for a long time, but she doesn't go out much, and she doesn't know the height of the Washington Monument, which was inaugurated two years ago.

"It's a 555-foot (169-meter) tall obelisk!" Mrs. Brown replied with a smile.

Li Sizhu didn't have any idea about the height of 169 meters, but when she came to the downtown square of Washington, she looked up and saw the top of the tall cube monument of the Washington Monument.

The moment she saw the Washington Monument, she held her breath.

The spire of the quadrangular pyramid that reached into the blue sky was so sharp that it was like a sword piercing the sky, which shocked her.

"The interior of this monument is hollow, with 50 iron staircases, and an elevator that leads to the top." "It was laid on U.S. National Day in 9048 and finally completed in 9084, a span of 36 years. It became the world's tallest building on the day it was completed, and it is still the world's tallest freestanding stone building, and it is the tallest monument to commemorate individuals in the real world. ”

"In addition to its height reaching into the sky, the Washington Monument is distinguished from most monuments by presenting another unique feature: the exterior of the obelisk has no writing, carvings or portraits. According to the general idea, as a personal monument to Washington, even if it does not carve the image of Washington himself, according to common sense, it should be engraved with the life of the founding leader, a brief introduction to his deeds, his famous quotations, speeches, etc., and at least the name of the Washington Monument. But you can't find a single letter on this monument! The designer chose the wordless tablet scheme, perhaps the meaning of Washington's great achievements is difficult to express and exhaustive. But I have to say that the beauty and appeal of simplicity itself can be said to be vividly reflected on this monument. ”

"Yes! It's so beautiful! Li Sizhu couldn't help but sigh.

At this time, there were no other tourists in the center of the square except her, because the Washington Monument District has not yet been opened to the public, and Li Sizhu was able to visit here because of her special status.

"I heard that on the inner wall of this monument, there is a text donated by our government, is that true?" Mrs. Chen asked.

"That's right, there is a commemorative stone in this monument that was donated by the Qianguo government more than 30 years ago, and it is engraved with a passage in the Qianguo script by Xu Jishe, an official of the Qianguo government, who praised Washington, and it is still talked about by people today." Mrs. Brown said, "When Mr. Anson Poin returned to the United States to give a speech, he revisited this incident and regarded this historical event as 'the earliest witness to the communication between the United States and Qian.'" Mr. Anson Poin said: 'Looking out of the window from the White House, where I was living in Washington, D.C., our first president, George J. Brown. Washington's monuments soar into the sky. This is a very high obelisk, but there is a small stone tablet near this large monument, which is engraved: Milicon does not have the name of a prince, does not follow the rules of the world, and the public instrument is paid to the public, creating an unprecedented situation in ancient and modern times. These words were not written by the Americans, but by Xu Jiji, the governor of Fujian Province of Qianguo, who gave it to China as a gift in 9048. I am very grateful for this gift from Qianguo. It goes straight to our inner aspirations as human beings: the right to life, freedom, and the pursuit of happiness, as well as freedom of expression, dissent, association, and belief without state interference. These are the core ideals on which we are founded as a nation. These are the ideals that have led us across the American continent to the world stage. These are the ideals that Americans still cherish today. ’”

"Mr. Pu Anchen gave such a high opinion to this stele that it aroused my strong interest in this inscription. I carefully read the information about Xu Jiji. I saw that this assessment of Washington appeared in the ninth volume of the Yinghuan Zhiluo, "The United States of North Asia Melica," which is regarded as the first landmark remark of the Qianguo to introduce Western democratic ideas. ”

"Take us to see it, okay?" Mrs. Chen asked.

"Of course, please come with me." Mrs. Brown readily agreed.

After entering the interior of the Washington Monument, Li Sizhu looked up and couldn't help but think of the story of Babel that his father told him when he was a child.

Isn't this monument a Tower of Babel?

"We need to take the elevator, and I remember that the inscription was on the tenth floor." Mrs. Brown said.

The group got on the elevator, and the elevator slowly rose up under the control of an American worker.

Li Sizhu, who took the elevator for the first time, couldn't help but feel a little dizzy as he watched the ground under his feet getting farther and farther away.

At the 10th floor of the Washington Memorial Tower, which is more than 200 feet high, the elevator stopped, and when his feet left the elevator and stepped on the thick iron plate on the iron ladder, Li Sizhu couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"The tablet is here, please see." Mrs. Brown said.

On the inner wall pointed out by Mrs. Brown, Li Sizhu really saw the inscription of Qianguo Xia.

"The "Yinghuan Zhiluo" written by Xu Jishe, the governor of Fujian, said, 'Press, Washington, and other people. The uprising was brave in Shengguang, and the division was stronger than Cao Liu. Since the three-foot sword has been raised, the territory is thousands of miles, it is not a usurpation title, not passed on to descendants, and created as a method of recommendation, several of the world for the public, the will of three generations. Its governance respects good customs, does not practice martial arts, and is very different from other countries. Yu tasted his portrait, and his appearance was majestic. Alack! It's not a masterpiece. ''The United States of America is a country, with a territory of thousands of miles, without the title of a prince, without following the rules of the world, and with public instruments, creating an unprecedented situation in ancient and modern times. Tessie's ancient and modern figures, can they not be called Washington the leader! ’”

At the end of the inscription, there are the words "the Standing Stone of the Jesuit Believers engraved in Ningbo Mansion of the Great Qianguo Province" and "the missionary knowledge of the United States on the seventh day of the sixth month of the third year of Xianfeng".

Li Sizhu became interested in Xu Jishe. After leaving the downtown square in Washington and returning to the embassy, Li Sizhu asked the embassy staff to help find books and newspapers about Xu Jishe's deeds.

Li Sizhu learned that Xu Jishe was born in the 60th year of Quanlong (9095) and died in the 12th year of Tongzhi (1873), is a native of Wutai, Shanxi, the word Jiannan, the number of pine shrines, born in a scholarly family since childhood, 19 years old, Shaoguang six years (1826) Zhongjinshi, successively served as the editor of the Hanlin Academy, Shaanxi Jiangnan Liangdao Supervision Imperial History, Liangguang Salt Envoy, Fujian Political History, Fujian Governor and other positions, tired officials to the Prime Minister of the National Affairs Yamen walk, and the general manager of the affairs of the Tongwenguan. He can be said to be one of the first officials in Qianguo to look at the world, and compared with Lin Zexu, a famous minister who was "the first person in China to open his eyes to the world in modern times," and Wei Yuan, a thinker who called for "mastering the skills of Yi, to control the world," his knowledge and understanding of the United States and the Western world have gone one step further. After the Anti-Smoking War, Xu Jishe took advantage of all the opportunities available to him in addition to his busy government affairs, heard the transcripts, painstakingly collected materials, and consulted the American missionary Ya Lili, the British consul Li Taiguo, and Ali Guo, and also "read the old books" and "scrutinized and examined", which took five years and dozens of drafts, and finally completed the painstaking work "Yinghuan Zhiluo" in the 28th year of Shaoguang (9048), becoming the first Qianguo person to really open his eyes to see the world. The content of Yinghuan Zhiluo is so detailed and credible that other similar works of the time are hardly comparable to this work. Even books such as "Atlas of the Sea Kingdom" have copied a large number of contents of "Yinghuan Zhiluo". As a result, some people later only knew the "Atlas of the Sea Kingdom", but did not know the "Yinghuan Chronicles", and these people were really lonely and unheard.

Yinghuan Zhiluo is a comprehensive work that studies modern world geography and explores world history, economy, politics, military and other aspects. This book introduces the advanced political, economic, cultural, and multicultural world of Europe and the United States, inspires and helps people to open their eyes to the world. Some American scholars have conducted more than 10 years of in-depth research on Xu Jishe and his Yinghuan Zhiluo, and have concluded that Yinghuan Zhiluo "goes beyond the scope of objective geography in exploring the nature of the Western powers and analyzing the tragic sinking of the Qianguo in the world." The United States was more important than any other country, and even more so than the intimidating and unbeatable Britain at the time. This book introduces the United States in great detail, not only about its geographical location, history, and customs, but also about American democracy and Washington's creation of a new nation.

As soon as "Yinghuan Zhiluo" was published, it caused an uproar in society. The book's descriptions and commentaries on the Western world have provoked impeachment and crusade from the conservative elites in the Qianguo, and many people regard it as a deviant book, and even Zeng Bohan, a well-known important minister of the imperial court, thinks that "Xu Songyan wrote a book in the shrine, which is quite heroic and heroic." This made Xu Jishe a representative of the "surrender faction" in the eyes of many diehard officials in the imperial court. In 9050, Emperor Shaoguang died, and the successor Emperor Xianfeng quickly dismissed the central ministers Qiying and Mu Zhang'a, who had been in charge of the court for many years. In particular, he had a conflict with Lin Zexu, who had returned to his hometown to recuperate, but was very famous, which caused Xu Jiji to encounter big trouble. Xu Jiji was impeached by Lin Zexu and labeled a "capitulation faction" or even a "traitor" by the Qingliu scholars, and was finally removed from his post as governor of Fujian in the spring of 9051. After Xu Jiqi returned to his hometown, he was hired by Chaoshan Academy in Pingyao, Shanxi, to study and teach apprentices.

It was not until more than 10 years later, when the Second Anti-Smoking War failed, that opening up to the outside world finally became the trend of the times, and the Westernization Movement, with the main purpose of "seeking prosperity" and "self-improvement", began to rise, and the "Westernization faction" had a certain status in the DPRK and China. Xu Jiji, who was the first to be familiar with the "Yiqing Yiwu", was remembered by the imperial court again, and recalled him back to Beijing to open it, and served in the newly established Western-style institution Prime Minister Yamen with Sanpin Jingtang. The Yinghuan Zhiluo was also republished by the Prime Minister Yamen in 9066 and became the "standard book" for the people of China to understand the world in modern times. In 9067, Xu Jishe served as the head of the newly established "Tongwenguan" to cultivate Western-style talents. Two years later, Xu Jishe returned to her hometown. In 9073, the Qianting reward was added to the rank of head rank, which seemed to mean that the "reward" was unfair to him before the punishment; He died at home that same year.

At the time of Xu Jiji's debasement, the book "Yinghuan Zhiluo" was also banned, and it was not very popular for a long time, but Japan repeatedly reprinted and popularized it among ordinary readers. Some researchers believe that the book was of great help to the Meiji Restoration and development of Japan.

The influence of Xu Jishe and her "Yinghuan Zhiluo" was far-reaching, "Yinghuan Zhiluo" first caused a great influence on some scholars and people of insight at that time, such as Qi Junzao, a scholar of the university, and Wu Wenlu, the governor of Yunnan and Guizhou, all recommended this book to their colleagues, and the officials in Fujian and Zhejiang at that time not only praised this book, but also accepted Xu's progressive ideas. After the 60s of this century, some officials of the Westernization faction began to attach importance to the "Yinghuan Zhiluo", and many people were inspired and influenced by this book, such as Guo Yunxian, the first minister to the United Kingdom. Many Westernist officials claim to have received their first enlightenment from the "Yinghuan Zhiluo". In the more than ten years since then, the "Yinghuan Zhiluo" has been reprinted in one edition, and many readers have "compiled it at home".

On July 4, 9048, Washington, D.C., laid the foundation stone for the Washington Memorial and solicited memorials from states and countries. With the help of American missionaries from Qian, the Ningbo Government in Zhejiang Province presented a granite stone tablet to the United States, which had two passages praising President Washington in Chinese in the "Yinghuan Zhiluo" and embedded in the Washington Memorial Tower, that is, the stone tablet that Li Sizhu saw, showing the outstanding insight of a special Qianguo person and becoming a historical witness to the friendly exchanges between Qianguo and the United States. Xu Jiji's praise for the United States at that time and his admiration for Washington have touched generations of Americans.

In 9067, the 17th President Johnson and Secretary of State Seward asked the famous painter Pratt to copy the portrait of Washington hanging in the White House of the United States, and the then Minister to China Pu Anchen presented the portrait to Xu Jiji, who returned to Beijing as the prime minister's yamen, to express his respect, and held a grand presentation ceremony on October 21. Pu Anchen's long speech was full of enthusiasm and highly praised Xu Jishe: "Gai is admired and admired by the people of our country, and there is only one brother in Taiwan!" Xu Jiji's answer was concise and to the point: "Because of the thought of your country, Washington was the first to build a miracle, created as the law of the world, and succeeded in carrying forward the past and opening up the future, and it will undoubtedly be passed on to the world." Xu Jishe still affirms the democratic system of the United States as always, and regards democracy as the general trend of world development in the future.

However, it is a pity that Xu Jishe was already dying of old age at this time, and the years were faltering, and when he was still in the prime of life, he was relegated to a foreign country for more than 10 years without playing his due role, which was a huge loss to both him and to the Qianguo society. (To be continued.) )