心中的橋
〔寮國〕 李拉孔 成都紡織高等專科學校
有一天，爸爸指著門前的小橋説：“河對面有個超級大的國家，叫中國，有機會你一定要走過這座橋，到中國去尋找自己的夢想！”那是我第一次知道“中國”這個名字，爸爸的話從此就在我的心裏紮根，埋下了深深的憧憬。
人們常説，唸唸不忘，必有迴響！高中畢業後，我真的到了中國學習建築工程，第一站便是天府之國成都。成都是一座平坦和充滿活力的城市，雖然與寮國相比冬天很陰冷，但這裡有熱辣辣的火鍋和川劇，充滿了生活氣息。這裡還有熱情的中國朋友，即便是還沒熟練掌握中文的時候，我也從來不擔心在大街上迷路。這裡遍地都是自行車，仿佛是自行車的王國，出行十分方便。當然中國實在太大了，單是一個成都，讓我覺得即便把余生都用來旅遊，也看不完這裡的風景。
李拉孔在寮國磨丁經濟特 區的工作照
不過不用擔心，高鐵可以解決你的難題！四年間，我坐著高鐵飽覽了中國的大好河山，涌起激情無限。最讓我難忘的是見識到了各種各樣的橋，每一處都讓我印象深刻，用朋友的話説，我像是劉姥姥進了大觀園，看什麼都新鮮！在江蘇，我看到了小巧雅致的古石橋，靜臥在園林湖面上，橋身全部用石頭砌成，石欄上雕刻著各種精美圖案，水中荷花盛開，魚兒在荷葉下嬉戲，湖面樓閣倒映，十分好看；在湖北，我看到了公路鐵路兩用的武漢長江大橋，宏偉的橋梁飛架在兩岸，橋面上是絡繹不絕的汽車和行人，火車就在你的腳下呼嘯而過，這種景象只想一想就足夠神奇；在重慶，我看到了城市中各種各樣的立交橋，就像絲帶一般穿插纏繞，真令人眼花繚亂；在貴州，我還看到了一座連接一座令人震撼的高架橋，有的像彩虹，有的像帆船，還有的像燈塔，搭配著橙色、鮮紅色、銀白色等各種色彩，跨河越嶺，點綴在青山綠水之間，自成一道道美麗的風景，讓人不得不讚嘆中國建築技藝的高超和國力的強大。要知道，中國的道路橋梁工程可是全世界第一。每看到一座橋，我對建築的理解就會提升一些，想像力也更加豐富。
中國古詩詞裏還有不少關於橋的詩句，有“傷心橋下春波綠，曾是驚鴻照影來”的哀婉；也有“兩水夾明鏡，雙橋落彩虹”的唯美；更有“二十四橋明月夜，玉人何處教吹簫”的浪漫。這就是中國的橋，古老與現代交融，自然和人文搭配，洋溢著特有的美和蓬勃向上的氣息。對中國人來説，橋已不僅僅是方便人們通行的建築，每一座橋都有一個動人的故事。中國的橋梁之美，是促進我向漢語和中國文化深處探尋的源泉與動力。
我暗下決心好好學習，把先進的技術帶回我的國家，讓更多的人受益。中國文化博大精深，雖然專業課程安排得很滿，但我仍然會擠出時間來學習漢語，我選修了很多中國傳統文化課：國畫、書法、篆刻等。我還參加了學校的朗誦比賽，當我穿著自己國家的民族服裝，配著音樂，聲情並茂地朗誦起曹操的《短歌行》的時候，那種感覺真是太酷了！
李拉孔在 2019 年“漢語橋”—“詩琳通公主杯” 東盟國家在華留學生演講賽榮獲“二等獎”
來中國的四年時間裏，我開闊了眼界，在這裡的每一天都過得忙碌而充實。有時夜裏我也會想家，想瑯南塔的小村子。每當這時候，故鄉的小橋與中國的大橋就在我腦子裏閃現，親切而又遙遠。但我知道自己還有很多事要做，還要去努力和堅持，夢想又伴著我快樂地入眠。
2020年春節，新冠肺炎疫情發生後，我又回到了寮國。因為疫情，我沒能與老師和同學拍畢業照，這讓我十分遺憾，但在中國的留學經歷讓我的人生受益匪淺，工作的磨煉更讓我信心倍增。現在我在寮國磨丁經濟特區工作，磨丁經濟特區是“一帶一路”中國—中南半島經濟走廊熱土，與中國雲南的西雙版納相鄰。這裡有很多來自中國的工程技術人員，因為既懂寮國語又熟悉漢語，我很快成了中老兩國同事間的“紅人”，我們正一起用建築的語言和辛勤的汗水將中老文化巧妙地匯入磨丁的發展長河中。現在一座座大橋已經在寮國拔地而起，村子前那座小木橋仍然還在，但我心裏明白，不久的將來它也一定會發生改變。
成都紡織高等專科學校教學樓 ／ 李拉孔提供
轉眼回到寮國已經快兩年了，我對在中國的學習經歷依然充滿了眷念。很慶倖自己人生中有一段青春歲月是在這個美麗的國家度過，儘管時光流逝，作為一名曾在中國留學的寮國人，我將永遠感謝中國這方水土，感恩曾幫助和支援過我的中國人。回想在中國的點點滴滴，那些美好的場景依然歷歷在目。當前國際形勢風雲變幻，尤其是疫情發生後，中國受到了以美國為首的西方國家領導人的詰難，但我始終相信那麼熱情善良的中國人民和極度有責任感的中國政府永遠是這個世界的光和希望。
李拉孔在學校學習建築工程技術
成都紡織高等專科學校大學生活動中心 ／ 李拉孔提供
成都紡織高等專科學校圖書館 ／ 李拉孔提供
我曾看過一部中國電影，叫《擺渡人》，電影裏的擺渡人是城市的超級英雄，他把人們從痛苦中解救出來，用愛和溫暖抵抗這個世界的悲傷。我覺得這個擺渡人特別像中國在我心中的形象：以己之力，甘於奉獻，同舟共濟！美麗而偉大的中國又像一條大河，匯聚百川，心懷坦蕩，正以不可阻擋的姿態流向遠方！未來，希望自己也能成為這樣的一位擺渡者，若中國是此岸，寮國是彼岸，那麼我願盡我所能，努力成為溝通彼此之間的一座橋梁！
Bridge in Heart
〔Laos〕 Duangpaserth Vilakhone， Chengdu Textile College
When I was a child， my family lived in a small village in Luang Namtha， Laos． There was a small river in front of the village， which flew quietly． There was also a small bridge made of several long planks running across both sides， connecting the village and the outside world．It would creak and stagger as people walked on it． But at that time， it was my paradise there． Every summer， my friends in the village and I would spend the whole day in the river， catching fish， swimming and playing water fights． We are so happy that we often forgot to go home．
One day， my father pointed to the small bridge in front of the door and said， “There is a super big country across the river called China． When you have the opportunity， you must cross this bridge and go to China to seek your own dream！” It was the first time I knew the name “China”． Since then， my father’s words have taken root and buried a deep longing in my heart．
People often say， “Always remember， and there will be echoes！” After graduating from high school， I really went to China to study construction engineering． My first stop was Chengdu， the land of abundance． Chengdu is a flat and vibrant city． Although it is humid and cold in winter compared with Laos， there are hotpot and Sichuan Opera in Chengdu， which is full of the taste of life． There are also many enthusiastic Chinese friends． Even when I was not proficient in Chinese， I never worried about getting lost in the street． Bicycles are everywhere here， like in a kingdom of bicycles， making it very convenient to travel． China is certainly large． Even Chengdu alone has more scenery than I can see even if the rest of my life were spent in traveling．
But don’t worry！ The high－speed railway can solve your problem！ During my four years in China， I rode the high－speed railway and enjoyed the wonderful rivers and mountains of China， which inspired boundless passion in my heart． What most unforgettable is all kinds of bridges that I saw． Every place impressed me deeply． In my friends’ words， I was like Grandma Liu entering the Grand View Garden and everything seemed fresh to me！ In Jiangsu， I saw small and elegant ancient stone bridges， lying quietly on the surface of the garden lake． They are all made of stone， carved with various exquisite patterns on the stone fences． The lotus flowers in the water were fully blooming， the fish were playing under the lotus leaves， and the pavilions were reflected on the lake， which were all beautiful． In Hubei， I saw the Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge， which is both for highway and railway． The magnificent bridge flies across both sides， on which cars and pedestrians were in constant flow， and under which the train was roaring under your feet． It is magical enough just to think about it． In Chongqing， I saw all kinds of overpasses in the city， intertwined like ribbons， making people dazzle． In Guizhou， I also saw viaducts connecting viaducts， some like rainbows， some like sailboats， and some like lighthouses， decorated with various colors such as orange， bright red， silver and white， etc．， stretching over rivers and ridges， dotting the green mountains and waters， and making themselves beautiful scenery． We have to admire the superb skills of Chinese architecture and the strength of the country． You know， China’s road and bridge projects have the first place in the world． Every time I saw a bridge， I would have a better understanding of architecture and my imagination would also become richer．
There are many moving poems about bridges in ancient Chinese poetry， such as the sad lines： “It’s sad to see the spring water flowing green under the bridge， in which her stunning beauty was once reflected；” the aesthetic lines： “Two waters hold a mirror－like lake， two bridges fall like rainbows；” and the romantic lines： “On the twenty－fourth bridge on the moon－lit night， where are the beauties who played the flute？” This is China’s bridge， blended with antiquity and modernity， mixed with nature and humanism， and permeated with unique beauty and vibrant atmosphere． For the Chinese， the bridge is not only a convenient building for people to pass through， but each has its moving story． The beauty of Chinese bridges was the source and motivation for me to explore the depths of the Chinese language and Chinese culture．
I made my mind to study hard and bring advanced technology back to my home country to benefit more people． Chinese culture is broad and profound． Although my major courses were very fully scheduled， I would still try to find time to learn Chinese． I took many optional courses in traditional Chinese culture： traditional Chinese painting， calligraphy， seal cutting and so on． I also took part in the school’s recitation competition． It was so cool when I recited Cao Cao’s “A Short－Song Ballad” with emotion accompanied by music in my own national costume．
In the four years when I was China， I broadened my horizon． Every day here was busy and fulfilled． Sometimes at night I would be homesick and miss the small village of Luang Namtha． At such moment， my hometown bridge would appear on top of the Chinese bridges， warm and remote． But I knew that I still had a lot of things to do， and had to work hard and persevere． Then dream would come back in my happy sleep again．
After COVID－19 broke out during the Spring Festival in 2020， I returned to Laos． I am very regretful that I wasn’t able to take graduation photos with my teachers and classmates because of the epidemic， but my experience of studying in China has benefited me a lot and my work experience there has also boosted my confidence． Now I work in the Boten Special Economic Zone in Laos， which is a hot land on the China－Indochina Peninsula Economic Corridor of the “Belt and Road Initiative” adjacent to Xishuangbanna in Yunnan， China． Here， there are many engineers and technicians from China． Because I know both Lao and Chinese， I soon became a “celebrity” between my colleagues in China and Laos． Together， we are skillfully merging Chinese and Lao culture into the long river of Boten’s development with the language of architecture and industrious sweat． Now bridges have sprung up in Laos． The small wooden bridge in front of the village is still there， but I know that it will change in the near future．
It has been almost two years since I returned to Laos， and I am still full of nostalgia for my studying experience in China． I feel very lucky that I have spent a period of youth in this beautiful country． Regardless of the lapse of time， as a Laotian who has studied in China， I will always be grateful to China and to the Chinese people who have helped and supported me． Looking back on the dribs and drabs in China， those beautiful scenes are still fresh in my mind． The current international situation is ever－changing， and， China， particularly after the outbreak of the epidemic， has been heckled by the leaders of Western countries led by the United States． But I always believe that the warm and kind－hearted Chinese people and the extremely responsible Chinese government will always be the light and hope of the world．
I once saw a Chinese movie calledThe Ferryman， in which the ferryman is a superhero of the city， who rescues people from their pain and resists the sadness of the world with love and warmth． I think this ferryman is very much like the image of China in my heart： use his own strength， dedicate himself to contribution， and help each other！ The beautiful and great China is like a big river， accepting all streams with an open heart and flowing into the distance irresistibly！ In the future， I hope I can also be such a ferryman． If China is this side and Laos is the other side， then I would like to try all my best to become a bridge connecting each other！
