When it comes to Guìyáng, everyone agrees that the symbol par excellence is Jiǎ Xiù Lóu. This historic building was built for the very first time in the Ming Dynasty, destroyed, renamed, and rebuilt, as well. However, this historic beauty, whose facts remain in the past but lasted up to now, is not just a pavilion itself, but an estimable standard of the visual representation of the concept elegance.

说起贵阳，人人都会说这里的地标是甲秀楼，初建于明朝，后又历经毁坏、改名、再建。这个充满历史气息的景点，让过去的记忆一直留存至今。它已不单是一座楼阁，更成为优雅的代名词。

Jiǎ Xiù Lóu has many special features though there is something different that can be sensed when being there, that is the place’s soul. If you consider yourself a sensitive person, you will be able to feel that. Regarding to this, it comes to mind an anecdote related to this matter, an acquaintance told us something about Chinese typical buildings and their styles. He said, literally, “Seen one, seen them all”, and I thought that the understanding of some people is rather null.

甲秀楼有许多不同于其它地方的特别之处，在那儿你会感受到这个地方的灵魂。如果你是一个敏感细腻的人，就会在那里立刻感受到这一点。提及甲秀楼，让我想起一个故事。一位朋友曾和我们聊过一些关于中国建筑的事。他说：“它们其实都千篇一律。”我认为，一些人对于中国建筑的理解是相当空洞的。

Every building, every place, every piece of art, and every culture expression has a soul making it a sentient being. They are not just apparently similar; they are not just glittering futility but strong witnesses to the China’s history and culture. Each of them has some feature, however small, which makes it unique.

每一幢建筑、每一处地方、每一种文化，都有其独特的灵魂，从而赋予这些事物以生命。它们不仅有明显的共通之处——华丽耀眼的外表，还是中国历史文化强有力的见证者。每一座建筑，都拥有一些既细微又独一无二的特色。

This jewel displays a wide offer to the visitors due to its versatility as well as the surrounding area. From having a coffee to going for a walk; from just sitting and enjoy the moment while having a break to taking photos. I personally enjoy the city life by looking at a couple dancing or the elderly doing a sort of exercise with a tennis ball. I would be watching them all the day…

从品尝咖啡到河岸漫步，从落座小憩到“打卡”拍照……甲秀楼，这颗“明珠”，因其自身和周边旅游资源的多样性，吸引了大量游客。我很享受在这儿的都市生活。或望着一对情侣翩翩起舞，或静静看着老人打羽毛球锻炼身体。有时，我甚至能在那里待上一整天……

No matter whether you go or come but just enjoy. As Soren Kierkegaard said, “Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced”.

过往行人，都很享受这里的时光。正如丹麦宗教哲学心理学家、诗人索伦-克尔凯郭尔所说：“生活不是一个需要解决的问题，而是一个需要体验的现实。”

Beauty is not ephemeral as well as inner beauty can last more than a lifetime, everlastingly. In fact, that is what actually happens with this scenery. We have been sold the beauty idea as a short-haul concept. As far as I’m concerned, Jiǎ Xiù Lóu has become a sentient being rather than a building because this particular place, its inhabitants and visitors has been feeding back each other for a long time, and still do so, as if it was a real love story…

这里的美，并非那种浮于表面、稍纵即逝的美，而是那种深入内里、永恒持久的美。甲秀楼就是如此。我们曾一度认为这里的“美”是一种走马观花的美。然而，我发现，甲秀楼之美，已远超建筑本身。居民与游客相伴相生，在甲秀楼上演了一个又一个真正的爱情故事。

It springs to mind two quotes which reflect what I feel when visiting such a stunning place:

“Everything has beauty, but not everyone can see it” (Confucius).

“Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not” (Ralph Waldo Emerson).

彼时，游览此地，曾有两句话跃入脑海：

“虽有嘉肴，弗食不知其旨。”（孔子）

“尽管我们走遍全世界去找美，我们也必须随身带着美，否则就找不到美。”（拉尔夫-瓦尔多-爱默生）

Finally, just to say that the more you open your eyes, the better discoveries you’ll find out. They will bring you to see the soul of the things.

最后，我只想说，视野越开阔，越容易发现更多美好的事物。它们将带你遇见万事万物的灵魂。

特约撰稿人：Victoria B. Santisteban

翻译：赖盈盈 高鑫

编辑：彭义 胡锐

编审：闵捷