八十年代末我第一次到成都时，成都人在茶馆里喝茶的情景就给我留下了很深的印象。后来因工作关系又几次到成都，虽然也曾刻意去寻找第一次到成都茶馆的感觉，但周围哗啦啦的麻将之声让我觉得怎么也不像喝茶的地方了。

2007年底又到成都，趁下午半天的闲暇，来到文殊院参观。看完文殊院的前后几大殿以后，寻路走向禅院的东部，过"六也亭"有一个不大的院落，摆满了竹椅，有上百人坐在里面喝茶、聊天，好不热闹。可以看出大多是成都当地人，像我这样的游客似乎不多，有几个身着寺院服装的僧人也坐在其中，我仿佛又找到了第一次到成都茶园的感觉。自取了竹椅，到卖茶处要了两碗茶，边饮边仔细观察这里的景象来。

At the end of the 1980s I went to Chengdu for my first time, and was very impressed with the style and mood of people drinking tea. Some years later I managed to revisit Chengdu several times. Although I tried hard to rekindle my first feelings of drinking tea in Chengdu, the sound of mah-jong tiles made me feel that the city had lost its spiritualconnection with drinking tea.

At the end of 2007, I journeyed to Chengdu again. Taking a trip to Wenshu Monastery, I wandered about the various halls and strolled into the eastern part of the temple. When passing the "Liuye Pavilion", I noticed a smallish yard. It was crowded with roughly one hundred people sitting on bamboo chairs and drinking tea. What a bustling place! It was easy to tell that most were local Chengdu people and not tourists like me. Several monks dressed in religious clothes were also sitting among them. It was as if I had rediscovered that feeling from the tea yard in Chengdu many years ago. Sitting myself down on a bamboo chair with two bowls of tea, I soaked up the atmosphere.

茶园是一组仿古建筑群落，红墙青瓦。院内罗汉松、腊梅数株。茶桌大多是石桌，几把竹椅被茶客们坐得吱吱嗄嗄围在周围。也许是为了能多放桌椅，一桌桌茶客的身后仅留下了供服务员穿行的窄小通路。

为茶客们添水的服务员为男性，提一把铜壶，壶把用红布裹住，上身穿黄马甲，穿梭于各桌之间。

The tea yard was built in the Chinese ancient architectural style with red walls and grey tiles. Planted for beauty were several long-leaved podocarps and wintersweets, and stone tables were dotted around with bamboo chairs creaking after years of use. All the space was filled and the waiters were forced to pass along a narrow path squashed at the back.

Attendants walked about refilling cups and I noticed that they were all male. They held a copper teapot with its handle covered by a red cloth, and were dressed in striking yellow waistcoats.

茶客中有独自啜饮的老人，有似乎是知己相聚的年轻人，也有陪着孩子在这里学习的老少一家人。距我不远一桌的几位茶客身着西服正装正在玩扑克，其中一人脚蹬踏在石桌边缘，手中拿着扑克，两眼紧紧注视着牌，嘴唇上还挂着不知是什么时候嗑瓜子留下的皮。

Among the tea sippers were old men drinking alone and some groups of youngsters having fun. Old couples and their grandchildren sat and chatted in the sunshine. I suddenly became aware of a group of people wearing suits and playing cards. One of them had his feet on the edge of a stone table, cards in hand, and was staring intensely at the game. There was a shell of a sunflower seed stuck to his lips, and I contemplated how long it had been there.

人们在这里闲暇自在，少了城市的喧闹，一杯禅茶，三五朋友，悠哉、乐哉。

People here lead a free and easy life, away from the noise of the city. A cup of Chan tea with friends in Chengdu is my idea of a wonderful life.

• spiritual [´spiritʃuəl]   a.精神(上)的；神圣的   (初中英语单词)
• connection [kə´nekʃən]   n.联系；关系；联运   (初中英语单词)
• temple [´tempəl]   n.庙宇；寺院；太阳穴   (初中英语单词)
• copper [´kɔpə]   n.铜 a.铜制的   (初中英语单词)
• striking [´straikiŋ]   a.显著的，明显的   (初中英语单词)
• sunshine [´sʌnʃain]   n.日光，阳光   (初中英语单词)
• monastery [´mɔnəstri]   n.修道院；庙宇   (高中英语单词)
• crowded [´kraudid]   a.充(拥)满了的   (高中英语单词)
• roughly [´rʌfli]   ad.粗糙地；毛糙地   (高中英语单词)
• bamboo [,bæm´bu:]   n.竹   (高中英语单词)
• architectural [ɑ:ki´tektʃər(ə)l]   a.建筑术的；建筑学的   (英语四级单词)
• intensely [in´tensli]   ad.激烈地；热切地   (英语四级单词)
• taking [´teikiŋ]   a.迷人的 n.捕获物   (英语六级单词)