I am a university student majoring in Chinese history. I am now writing a graduation thesis titled “The Battle of Red Cliffs: centering on Sun Quan’s* navy.” In order to collect documents for the thesis, I went to Lake Honghu in Hubei Province* in China at the end of the summer vacation. This is the lake where the Sun Quan’s navy drilled its naval soldiers to fight against Cao Cao’s* troops. The battle was fought mainly on the Yangtze River* in 208 A.D. between the allied forces of the southern warlords Lui Bei and Sun Quan and the numerically superior forces of the northern warlord Cao Cao. Lui Bei and Sun Quan successfully defeated Cao Cao in the end.
Lake Honghu is two-thirds as large as Lake Biwa. The descendants of Sun Quan naval soldiers have lived on the lake for more than 1,800 years. They live on their boats all through their lives. They move them looking for good spots to catch fish. They buy daily necessities at the water market with the money they earn by selling fish. They even grow vegetables in plastic greenhouses on the boats.
Their elementary school is on the lake, too. The one-classroom school stands on a big boat. The children study and play swaying up and down. Since they are born and grow up on the boat, they are accustomed to the floating life. They never get seasick even on a stormy day. After graduating from the floating school, they go to Honghu City Municipal Junior High School*. This is the time when they set foot on the ground for the first time in their life.
Before I went to China, I had been introduced through a Japanese tourist agent to a man named Zhou Yu*, who lives on Lake Honghu. Coincidentally, Zhuo Yu is the name of the commander of Sun Quan navy. When I reached Honghu City Hall, I presented a letter of introduction to the employee at the information desk as I had been instructed by the agent. She went away with the introduction letter and soon returned with a letter in her hand. She said to me, “This is Mr. Zhou’s letter for you,” and handed it to me. It said that he was looking forward to seeing me and that I should bring seasick pills without fail. I thought he was kind to offer this advice so that I wouldn’t get seasick. I bought a pack of seasick pills and took some while I was waiting for his boat at the harbor of Lake Honghu. Soon around 11 o’clock, his boat arrived and I got aboard.
In the boat house, I asked various and many questions that might help to improve my graduation thesis. As I had expected, Mr. Zhou explained to me how Sun Quan’s navy of 2,000 boats underwent naval training on the lake and how it destroyed Cao Cao’s fleet of 10,000 boats by a surprise fire attack. Just as he finished his talk, a strong wind began to blow and it began to rain. The boat swayed like a leaf on the pond. Mr. Zhou asked me seriously whether I had brought seasick pills with me.
I answered, “Please, don’t worry. l took some pills before I got on the boat. Thank you.”
He said hesitatingly, “I have a favor to ask you. Could you kindly give me some of the pills?”
“No problem at all,” I said wondering why he, an experienced sailor, wanted to have seasick pills. I gave him the whole pack.
He beamed a smile and said, “Thank you. Good of you to make it. To tell you the truth, the only drugstore in Honghu City closed recently and it will take some months before a new one opens. So, I felt lucky when I heard that you were going to come and interview me today. I had asked the city employee to give my letter to you when you came to the city hall. You are a great help to me. Actually, tomorrow, my second son is going to attend the entrance ceremony for Honghu Junior High School. He will land on the ground for the first time in his life. You know, I had a hard time when I took my first son to the ceremony three years ago.”
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Sun Quan: 孫権
Lake Honghu in Hubei Province湖北省、洪湖
Cao Cao: 曹操
the Yangtze River長江、揚子江
Honghu City Municipal Junior High School洪湖市立中学校
Zhuo Yu周瑜
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because of landsickness
the first son vomited again and again and again
as if he were a bad sailor
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酔い止め薬
私は中国史を専攻している学生です。いま卒論に取り組んでいますが、テーマは「赤壁の戦いー呉の水軍を中心に―」です。論文の資料を収集するため、呉の水軍が訓練をしたという洪湖に行ってきました。赤壁の戦いは中国南部の武将劉備と孫権の連合軍が兵士の数では絶対的優位を占めていた北部の武将曹操との間で、西暦２０８年長江にて行われました。
洪湖は琵琶湖の三分の二ぐらいの大きさです。この湖で現在は呉の水軍の末裔が漁業をして生計を立てています。彼らは生まれてから死ぬまで船で暮らす水上生活者です。生活必需品は魚を市場で売ったお金で買います。野菜は船上のビニールハウスで育てます。
小学校も湖上にあります。１教室だけの学校が湖に浮かんでいるのです。子供達は船に揺られることには慣れっこになっていて、風の強い時でも船酔いするなどということはありません。何しろ生まれたときから船上生活をしていますから。ただ、中学は湖上にないので中学に入学するときに、子供達は初めて陸にあがります。
私は中国に行く前に、観光業者から水上生活をしている周聖元という人を紹介されていました。洪湖市の役所でその紹介状を見せたところ、役所の人が、「周さんから伝言が来ています」と言うのです。内容は「酔い止め薬を必ず持参するように」ということでした。もちろん、船酔いしないようにという親切心からです。港で酔い止め薬を飲んで、周さんの船を待っていると約束通り１１時ごろ船が来て、私は船に乗り込みました。
乗船して呉の水軍についていろいろ質問しました。周さんは、さすが周瑜の末裔だけあって、どのように2000隻の孫権水軍が軍事訓練をしていたか、どのように10,000隻の曹操水軍を奇襲の火攻めにしたか詳しく話してくださいました。話が終わったころ、急に風が吹き出して、波が荒くなってきました。周さんは真面目な顔をして、「ところで、酔い止め薬を持ってきましたか」と尋ねました。私は「持ってきました。薬は船に乗る前に飲みましたので、安心して下さい」と答えました。すると、周さんは「すみませんが、その薬を少し分けていただけませんか」と言うのです。もちろん、差し上げるのはかまわないのですが、まさか周さんが船酔いするわけがないのに、と不思議に思っていると周さんは次のように言いました。「持ってきたんですね。それは良かった。間に合って良かった。実は最近、市場で薬が手に入らなくなりましてね、困っていたんですよ。あなたがおいでになると聞いて、無理なお願いをしました。酔い止め薬は、明日の朝、次男に飲ませるのです。明日は次男の洪湖中学の入学式で、初めて陸にあがりますので。３年前、長男のとき苦労したんですよ」
岡酔いで 長男ふらふら ゲロげーげー
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