HSK 4 · Advanced AdventureNatureTravelSlice of Life

Chasing the Light - 追光的人

Lan is an amateur outdoor photographer, twenty-four years old.

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shìmíng业余yè yú户外hù wài摄影师shè yǐng shī今年jīn nián二十èr shísuìyòngliǎo整整zhěng zhěngsānyuède时间shí jiān自行车zì xíng chē记录jì lù云南乡村xiāng cūnde山路shān lù风景fēng jǐngde相机xiàng jī已经yǐ jīngcúnliǎobǎizhāng照片zhào piàndàn一直yī zhízàiděngzhāng特别tè biéde

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Lan is an amateur outdoor photographer, twenty-four years old. She spent three full months cycling and documenting the mountain road scenery of rural Yunnan. Her camera already held hundreds of photos, but she had been waiting for one particular shot.

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zài网上wǎng shàng看到kàn dàoguòzhāng照片zhào piàn:云南mǒuzuò山脊shān jǐshàngde日落rì luò天空tiān kōngshìshēn橙色chéng sè紫色zǐ sède非常fēi cháng罕见hǎn jiànzhāng照片zhào piànràng心跳xīn tiào加速jiā sùcháliǎohěnjiǔ终于zhōng yú找到zhǎo dàoliǎo那个nà ge地点dì diǎnér那里nà li只有zhǐ yǒu骑车qí chē才能cái néng到达dào dá

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She had seen a photo online: a sunset from a certain mountain ridge in Yunnan, the sky a deep orange and purple, extremely rare. That photo made her heart race. She searched for a long time and finally found the location, and the only way to get there was by bike.

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那天nà tiān早上zǎo shang,澜本来běn lái打算dǎ suàn点出diǎn chūdàn收拾shōu shi行李xíng lihuāliǎotài多时duō shíjiān结果jié guǒdiǎncái上山shàng shān心里xīn li有点yǒu diǎn着急zháo jí因为yīn wèi知道zhī dào只有zhǐ yǒu在下zài xiàdiǎnbàn之前zhī qián到达dào dá山脊shān jǐ才能cái néngpāidào那个nà ge光线guāng xiàn

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That morning, Lan had originally planned to set off at six, but packing took too much time, and as a result she didn't get on the mountain road until seven. She felt a little anxious, because she knew that only by reaching the ridge before five-thirty in the afternoon could she capture that light.

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山路shān lùhěndǒu一个yī gewān接着jiē zhe一个yī gewān随着suí zhe海拔hǎi bá越来越yuè lái yuègāo空气kōng qì变得biàn de越来越yuè lái yuèliàng风景fēng jǐng越来越yuè lái yuè开阔kāi kuò。澜停下来tíng xià láipāiliǎozhāng照片zhào piàn心情xīn qíng慢慢màn màn放松fàng sōngliǎo一些yī xiēxiǎng:“zhètiáo本身běn shēnjiùhěnměi值得zhí de好好hǎo hǎo记录jì lù。”

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The mountain road was steep, one switchback after another. As the altitude climbed higher and higher, the air grew cooler and cooler, and the scenery opened up more and more. Lan stopped to take a few photos, and her mood gradually relaxed a little. She thought: "This road itself is very beautiful, it is worth documenting properly."

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下午xià wǔliǎngdiǎnduō,澜正在zhèng zài用力yòng lì踩踏cǎi tàbǎn突然tū rán听到tīng dào一声yī shēnghěnxiǎngdepēng”。赶紧gǎn jǐn停下来tíng xià lái发现fā xiàn后轮hòu lúntāiliǎo翻遍fān biànliǎo所有suǒ yǒudebāocái发现fā xiàn自己zì jǐ根本gēn běn没有méi yǒudài补胎bǔ tāi工具gōng jùzhànzài山路shān lùbiān一时yī shí不知bù zhīdàogāi怎么办zěn me bàn

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Just past two in the afternoon, Lan was pedaling hard when she suddenly heard a loud bang. She quickly stopped and found her rear tire had punctured. She searched through all her bags, only to discover she had not brought any repair tools at all. She stood at the side of the mountain road, momentarily at a loss for what to do.

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kànliǎokàn时间shí jiān已经yǐ jīngliǎngdiǎnbànliǎodào山脊shān jǐ还有hái yǒu将近jiāng jìnliǎng小时xiǎo shíde路程lù chéng心想xīn xiǎng:“就算jiù suàn现在xiàn zàinéng修好xiū hǎo来不及lái bu jízàidiǎnbàn之前zhī qián到达dào dáliǎo。”kàozháo自行车zì xíng chē坐下zuò xialái感到gǎn dàohěn失落shī luò

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She checked the time. It was already two-thirty. There was still nearly two hours of riding to the ridge. She thought: "Even if I could fix it right now, it would still be too late to arrive before five-thirty." She sat down leaning against her bike, feeling very disappointed.

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这时zhè shí山路shān lù上方shàng fāngzǒuláiwèilǎo农民nóng mín背着bèi zhe一个yī ge大竹Dà zhúkuāng看起来kàn qǐ lai六十liù shíduōsuì看到kàn dào澜,走过zǒu guòláiwèn:“姑娘gū niang怎么了zěn me le?”澜解释jiě shìshuō轮胎lún tāiliǎo没有méi yǒu工具gōng jùlǎo农民nóng mín放下fàng xiàzhúkuāngcóng里面lǐ miàn拿出ná chū一个yī gexiǎo工具gōng jùshuō:“这里zhè lǐyǒuyòng。”

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Just then, an old farmer came walking down from above on the mountain road, carrying a large bamboo basket on his back, looking to be in his sixties. He saw Lan, walked over and asked: "Young lady, what happened?" Lan explained that her tire had punctured and she had no tools. The old farmer set down his bamboo basket, took out a small tool from inside, and said: "I have one here, use it."

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接过jiē guò工具gōng jùdàoliǎoxiè开始kāi shǐxiū轮胎lún tāi以前yǐ qiángēn朋友péng youxuéguò一点yī diǎndànshǒu有些yǒu xiēdǒuxiūliǎo将近jiāng jìn四十sì shí分钟fēn zhōngcái修好xiū hǎolǎo农民nóng mínjiùzuò在旁zài pángbiānde石头shí tou上等shàng děngduōshuō什么shén me只是zhǐ shì偶尔ǒu ěrkàn一眼yī yǎn

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Lan took the tool, thanked him, and began fixing the tire. She had learned a little from a friend before, but her hands were shaking a bit, and it took nearly forty minutes before it was fixed. The old farmer sat on a nearby rock waiting for her, not saying much, only occasionally glancing over at her.

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修好xiū hǎo之后zhī hòu,澜工具gōng jù还给huán gěilǎo农民nóng mín再次zài cìdàoliǎoxièkànliǎokàn天色tiān sè已经yǐ jīngkuàidiǎnliǎo就算jiù suàn现在xiàn zàidezàikuài知道zhī dào来不及lái bu jí赶上gǎn shàng那个nà ge日落rì luòde光线guāng xiànliǎo

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After fixing it, Lan returned the tool to the old farmer and thanked him again. She looked at the sky. It was already nearly four o'clock. No matter how fast she rode now, she knew it was too late to catch that sunset light.

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还是hái shishàngliǎo山路shān lù继续jì xùwǎngshàngzǒu随着suí zhe太阳tài yang慢慢màn màn落下luò xiàshānshàngde光线guāng xiàn变得biàn de柔和róu héér温暖wēn nuǎnzhěngpiàn山坡shān pōrǎn成了chéng le金黄色jīn huáng sè停下来tíng xià lái举起jǔ qǐ相机xiàng jī开始kāi shǐ拍照pāi zhào

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Lan still got back on the mountain road and continued upward. As the sun slowly set, the light on the mountain became soft and warm, dyeing the entire hillside golden yellow. She stopped, raised her camera, and began taking photos.

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本来běn láixiǎngpāi山脊shān jǐshàngde日落rì luò结果jié guǒpāidàodeshì山路shān lùshàngde黄昏huáng hūn镜头jìng tóuyǒu弯弯曲曲wān wān qū qūde山路shān lùyǒu远处yuǎn chùde村庄cūn zhuāng还有hái yǒu刚才gāng cáiwèilǎo农民nóng mín走过zǒu guòde地方dì fang留下liú xiàde脚印jiǎo yìn觉得jué de这些zhè xiēhěn值得zhí de记录jì lù

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She had originally wanted to photograph the sunset from the ridge, but as a result she captured the dusk on the mountain road. In the frame there were winding mountain roads, distant villages, and the footprints left where the old farmer had just walked. She felt that these were also worth documenting.

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天色tiān sèàn下来xià lai之后zhī hòu,澜骑车qí chē慢慢màn màn下山xià shānxiǎngzháo今天jīn tiān发生fā shēngde一切yī qiè心里xīn li不再bù zài失落shī luòliǎo户外hù wài拍摄pāi shè本来běn lái就是jiù shì这样zhè yàng计划jì huà永远yǒng yuǎn赶不上gǎn bù shàng变化biàn huà即使jí shǐ没有méi yǒupāidàozuì想要xiǎng yàodezhāngzhètiān值得zhí de

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After the sky darkened, Lan slowly cycled back down the mountain. Thinking about everything that had happened today, she no longer felt disappointed. Outdoor photography was just like this, plans could never keep up with changes. Even without capturing the shot she most wanted, this day had still been worth it.

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回到huí dào住处zhù chù今天jīn tiānpāide照片zhào piànzhāngzhāngdekànliǎo一遍yī biàn虽然suī rán没有méi yǒuzhāng山脊shān jǐ日落rì luò但是dàn shìpāi到了dào liǎohěnduō真实zhēn shíde东西dōng xitāide自行车zì xíng chēlǎo农民nóng míndezhúkuāng金色jīn sède山坡shān pō山路shān lùshàngde脚印jiǎo yìn其中qí zhōngzhāng到了dào liǎo网上wǎng shàng

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Back at her lodging, she looked through the photos she had taken today one by one. Although there was no ridge sunset, she had captured many real things: the punctured bicycle, the old farmer's bamboo basket, the golden hillside, the footprints on the mountain road. She posted a few of them online.

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只有zhǐ yǒu真正zhēn zhèng走过zǒu guòzhètiáo才能cái néngpāidào这些zhè xiēzài照片zhào piàn下面xià miànxièliǎo一句话yī jù huà:“随着suí zheyuèzǒuyuènán看到kàn dàode东西dōng xi越来越yuè lái yuè真实zhēn shí。”然后rán hòu关上guān shàng电脑diàn nǎo闭上bì shang眼睛yǎn jinghěnkuàijiù睡着shuì zháoliǎo

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Only by truly walking this road could you capture these things. She wrote a line beneath the photos: "With the road getting harder and harder, the things you see become more and more real." Then she closed the laptop, closed her eyes, and quickly fell asleep.