Britain is Old Fashioned, isn’t It? | 一个老套的英国
Written by: Gu Hongyan | 顾红艳
Translated by: Wang Luyu
Editor’s Note:
This article is excerpted from Haha! Britain — a charitable bilingual publication co-produced by The Mothers’ Bridge of Love (MBL) and River Cam Breeze. The book is a lively collaboration between 42 Chinese authors living in the UK and 36 university-based volunteer translators. With wit and warmth, the stories capture the everyday realities of Chinese communities in Britain, offering an honest look at the cultural clashes, humour, and adaptation that arise in the space between Chinese and British ways of life. Haha! Britain has been warmly endorsed by several well-known figures in UK-China relations, including Stephen Perry (former Chairman of the 48 Group Club), Luise Schäfer OBE (former British diplomat and Chamber of Commerce chair), Professor Hugo De Burgh (former BBC editor and academic), and British scholar Martin Jacques. The book’s title was handwritten by celebrated British-Chinese artist Qu Leilei, its cover illustrated by bestselling Chinese author and poet Feng Tang, and the postscript contributed by Xue Mo, a prominent voice in contemporary Chinese literature.
Illustrated by Tian Tian
In the spring of 2017, I was about to travel from Nanjing to London. An old colleague wished me a smooth journey and asked, “Is air pollution still bad in London?” Being a literature enthusiast, he had read many of Dickens’ books. Perhaps Oliver Twist left an indelible impression on his mind. For a place you have never visited, preconceived notions about the place are often based on literary works, movies, TV shows, news, the internet and hearsay.
What is life in the UK really like? I set off on the journey to immerse myself in British culture. It strikes me that unlike the Chinese, who are in a golden age of innovation, the British, in many ways, are still comfortably nestled into their traditional lifestyle, their old school and their old fashion.
Clothing, food, housing and transportation are vital to daily life. Let’s start with clothing. Many of my Chinese colleagues would have brought back Burberry trench coats from the UK, as if the trench coats could give them a British flair. However, in Nanjing, people rarely have the chance to wear a trench coat. Although summer temperatures can easily exceed 35°C, in winter, you can feel the chill in your bones. As seasons of transition, the spring and autumn only last a few weeks. Especially during the rainy season, more than protection from the elements, a Burberry trench coat is more likely to cause heat rash, especially if worn in the humid alleyways of Jiangnan during rainy season.
I have lived in Somerset for more than six months this year. In late October, I visited the Hauser & Wirth gallery in Bruton, with my landlord Mark. The garden was surrounded by prickly shrubs covered in purple-grey berries. At first glance I thought they were blueberries, but Mark explained that they were sloes. “We can make sloe gin and enjoy a drink this Christmas,” he said excitedly.Sloe gin was mentioned in many novels I had read. I was keen to try it in person! Mark tried to pick the sloes off the prickly branches. There was a dense clump of berries high up that pricked his fingers when he grabbed them. I heard a ripping sound and saw that the left sleeve of his 25-year-old Barbour waxed jacket had been torn. Undeterred, he poured our spoils into his big jacket pockets and my straw hat. We ended up with 1.3 kg! Enough to fill a good-sized bottle.
The British believe in books. They follow recipes as if conducting a science experiment. Whereas Chinese recipes often call for a pinch of salt or a tablespoon of rice wine, British recipes include exact quantities of each ingredient. Thus, the British need to use kitchen scales and measuring cups for cooking. They also tend to follow instructions meticulously.
I suggested that Mark should repair his jacket. “I would rather not,” he said. I then asked if he intended to buy a new one because the jacket was old. “Why? Its design is quite rare now. The two pockets are so practical! Perhaps I need to re-wax it”, he replied. Barbour offers a service that allows their customers to return Barbour jackets at any time to be re-waxed, repaired or altered. Even the Queen used to walk her corgis wearing a headscarf and a Barbour jacket, just like any other Brit. Especially in the countryside, a Barbour jacket and a pair of Wellington boots are the ultimate in style.
When I first saw a pair of green Wellington boots at the writer Xinran’s house, the boots had already trudged through plenty of mud in the English countryside. They became pots for green plants in her London home. The Wellington boots belonged to her husband, Toby Eady. Although Toby had been gone for years, his boots and lucky bamboo were still with his family.
I often hear people complain that British cuisine is too bland. They eat nothing but fish and chips! A wide range of British tableware may make up for this.
I once held an empty plate in the kitchen, and said to Mark, “You know, the willow tree plate reminds me of my hometown.” “What? In China, there are widows in trees?” He asked, surprised. I immediately realised that he heard “widow” instead of “willow”, due to my poor English. When he realised what had happened, he began laughing hysterically.
This joke was repeated to the merriment of others at the local pub. “Just for the willow tree, I went all the way to Stoke-on-Trent,” I said.
Stoke-on-Trent is the home of Spode, a classic British ceramic brand that has been producing willow patterned tableware since the 1790s. I quipped that it was the UK’s answer to Jingdezhen: China’s ceramics hub. “Yes, of course, china from China,” said Matthew, a local gardener and pub regular.
The intricate Chinoiserie willow pattern became popular in Britain in the late 18th century. At the time, British ceramic artists were inspired by luxury hand-painted blue-and-white porcelain imported from China. But rather than hand-painting their ceramics, the British printed their version of the pattern onto special paper, and then transferred the design from the paper to the ceramics. The same willow pattern they applied to the production of tableware has been in use for over 230 years.
Although there have been changes to some details over the years, the British willow pattern features a pair of birds, a bridge and a pavilion surrounded by trees. It may remind some Chinese people of Chinese poetry, but this was unlikely deliberate. More than poetry, the British are more focused on shapes and design. In the spring of 2020 I took a British willow plate to Suzhou because I wanted to show it what an authentic Chinese classical garden would look like.
In addition to tableware, the British love their countryside. Most people dream of owning a manor house, castle or even a simple country cottage. After a walk with your dog, you will see lintel and window panes surrounded by roses from afar on your way home. You open a wooden gate in your garden, and step into your house. In the house, a fireplace is burning bright, and a tea kettle whistles. You may want to enjoy a good cup of tea in the afternoon.
There is a Peony Cottage owned by an artist Nigel in Butleigh. The blue limestone walls are so thick that wi-fi doesn’t get through the walls very well. Thus, routers need to be placed in accessible locations. The main house has a thatched roof. Peony Cottage is one of the oldest properties in the village of Butleigh, and a Grade II listed building. It was once the home of the Oscar- winning playwright Robert Bolt, who wrote Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago and A Man for All Seasons. I once told Nigel that I had visited the Ashmolean Museum to see an Arab robe worn by T.E. Lawrence. He raised his eyebrows, smiled and said, “Well, you have already explored a lot in England.”
Walking through the village, you can see various styles of cottages. Books are all freely available on outdoor wooden shelves, and clusters of lavender along garden walls often catch your feet. A giant ginkgo tree is in the east of the village. Gold leaves fall from the tree in late autumn, just like they do in China.
The village of Butleigh is lucky enough to have a wonderful trail around it. In the 1970s, a local historian called Ms. Ansell researched the big and small houses in the village. Nearly 30 of them were over 100 years old. The oldest extant building was a farmhouse by a bridge, which was built in the 16th century. Villagers created house plaques with interesting historical texts and property photos. For example, No. 17 High Street was a two-unit house built in the late 16th century. Charles Saddler rented the property – £5.5s in 1863 from Squire Neville-Grenville. By 1947, the rent had increased to £16.4s. Although the house signs were not placed in prominent positions, it was easy for pedestrians to find these house signs in gardens or on walls. Thus, it wasn’t littered with ostentatious house plaques when you shot village photography. And your photos of the picturesque village aren’t dominated with intrusive signs and flags. Later, the 500-year-old walking route in the village was named Ann Heeley Heritage Trail.
The more you see, the more you know.
About the author
Gu Hongyan is a volunteer at the Mothers’ Bridge of Love and a traveller and learner.
In 2021, she obtained a master’s degree in Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies at theUniversity of East Anglia.
2017 年春天，当我准备从南京启程去伦敦的时候，一个老同事祝福我路途顺利之余，问：“伦敦的空气污染还跟过去差不多吗？”爱好文学的他读过很多狄更斯的作品，也许对于《雾都孤儿》这样的书名印象太深刻了。对于一个未曾到访过的地方，先入为主的印象往往来自于文学作品、电影电视、新闻报道、互联网，还有道听途说。
英国到底啥样？有一天，我踏上旅途，自己去看去听。一路走来，有一点感受颇深：与我们的日新月异、翻天覆地相比，在某些方面大不列颠仍然安步当车、怡然自得地享受着他们的“老套”、“老派（old school）”和“旧俗（old fashion）”。
这衣食住行最能体现日常了。先说这衣服。以前好多职场朋友去英国旅游，都喜欢拎一件巴宝莉的风衣回来，似乎穿上它就能显得特别有职业范和英伦风。但是在南京，那种能让人意气风发、大步流星地走着，让清风在不经意间撩起衣襟一角的机会却并不多；在一个夏天动辄 35 度以上，冬天又阴冷刺骨的城市，这身衣服显然用不上。即便是春秋，也常是匆匆数周，便跳转到下个季节。尤其是梅雨时节，要是套上一件巴宝莉风衣行走在燠热的江南雨巷，难保不捂出痱子来。
今年在萨默塞特郡住了半年多。我的房东马克有一件全天候的防风防水的巴伯尔（Barbour）油布外套，已经穿了 25 年了。
最近，左边的袖口上被撕开了一个口子。那是 10 月底，我们一起去逛布鲁顿的豪瑟沃斯画廊，那里的花园被多刺的树篱环绕。当无意中看到那 2 米多高的灌木上结满了紫灰色的果子时，我忍不住欢呼起来，以为那些是蓝莓，再仔细端详，似乎有些细节不对，赶紧请教马克。他觉得这可能是 sloe，犹豫了一下，他拿出手机搜索，果然是！可是我根本不知道这 sloe 为何许物。这回轮到马克兴奋起来了：“我们可以做 sloe gin，圣诞节就可以喝上一杯了！”哦，原来这就是小说里经常提到的黑刺李杜松子酒。于是他一手拽开带刺的树枝，一手捏住小小的果子摘下来。高处有一丛密密匝匝的果子。当他抓住那枝条，长长的刺扎了他的手指，情急之下缩回的时候，刺啦一声，袖子上被拉开了一条口子。原本我们是两手空空去参观画廊的，现在只好把意外收获的蓝紫色的果子放在他的巴伯尔外套的大口袋里，放到我的草帽里。按照他搜索的黑刺李杜松子酒的配方，一公斤果子该配多少杜松子酒、糖，放进多少容积的可密封的玻璃罐子里。我们得达到这个起步数吧。结果，回来后一称，我们采摘了 1.3 公斤！
英国人相信甚至几乎是“迷信”书本。烹饪书上写什么，他们就照本宣科地像做化学实验一样烹饪。我心底嘀咕，不就是跟我们泡青梅酒、枸杞酒一样嘛，毛估估也不会有多大出入。我们的菜谱上往往写“盐少许”“黄酒一勺”之类，自由写意地下厨，
更有那讲究情境的，什么下雪天烤鹿肉，还要即景联句作诗。而他们的菜谱上总是明明白白地写着什么食材多少克，厨子还要准备好磅秤、量杯，照着说明严谨地烧饭。于是乎，大厨们也不停地出书，以满足大不列颠对于鱼和薯条之外美食的多样化需求。
我问马克衣服破了怎么缝补啊？他说不用补。我问这衣服这么“古老”了，你打算买一件新的吗？他说，为什么？我这个款式现在很少了，你看这两个口袋多实用，我要考虑的是也许要给它打蜡了。巴伯尔一直有这个服务承诺，任何顾客买了它家的外套之后，无论过了多久，随时都可以拿回去进行重新的防水处理及维护。以前女王也喜欢头上系着丝巾穿着巴伯尔夹克遛她的柯基犬，就像任何英国人一样。尤其在乡下，一件巴伯尔外套，一双威灵顿靴，几乎是标配。
当我在作家欣然的家里第一次看到那双草绿色的威灵顿靴时，它已经完成了在英格兰乡村风雨里跋涉的使命，成为伦敦家中绿植的花器。那是她的先生托比·伊迪的靴子。虽然现在托比已经离开经年，但是他的靴子和生长茂盛的富贵竹还在陪伴着家人。
常听到有国人抱怨英国的食物太单调，除了鱼和薯条乏善可陈。也许是为了弥补这一不足，英国的食器却尤其多姿多彩。
有一次在厨房里，我掂着一个盘子对马克说：“你知道吗，当我看到这盘子上的柳树（widow tree），我就想到了我的家乡。”他很吃惊：“什么？在中国，树中也有寡妇？”我立即知道哪里不对头了，为我可怜的英语嘟嘟囔囔地解释：“很对不起，我想说的是柳树（willow tree）。”完了完了，他已经忍不住大笑起来。
这也成了日后村里酒吧里的一个经典笑话。在一阵善意的哄笑之后，我说：“好吧，就为了这个柳树。”我还专门去了特伦特河畔斯托克——相当于英国的景德镇，可是自 1790 年代就生产柳树图案餐具的斯波德（Spode）工厂已经停产，转印陶瓷用的画纸还保留在筹备中的博物馆的展厅里。花匠马休端着他的苹果酒杯，故意摆出一个遥望远方的样子，制造一个梗，说：“是的，当然，陶瓷来自中国（china from China）。”
这种独特而精致的中国风柳树图案是从 18 世纪末在英国流行起来的。当时，它是英国陶瓷艺术家受从中国进口的昂贵手绘青花瓷器的启发而开发的。不同的是，英国人将图案雕版印刷在画纸上再转印到瓷器上，而不是手绘。当我们将师徒相传的手工瓷器销往全世界的时候，走进工业革命的英国人却将东方风情的装饰应用到标准化生产的食器上。从斯波德品牌开始形成影响和量产，柳树图案历经 230 多年一直延续使用至今。
在这个设计中，虽然后来偶有细节的变化，但是桥梁、中央的一对鸟，以及亭阁和周围树木的构图体现了英国柳树图案的标准范式。要是国人或许立马会联想到“似曾相识燕归来”、“落花人独立，微雨燕双飞”、“燕子飞时，绿水人家绕”……估计不列颠人是不知道这样的在中国传诵千年、张口就来的诗文土壤的，这一点上他们更取乎形，而且衍生出他们自己的阐释。2020 年春天，我特地带着一只英格兰的柳树盘子到苏州，带它访祖探亲，看看正宗的中国古典园林长啥样。
住在城里还是乡下？这对英国人来说不是个难题。如果有可能，他们一定会在乡下留个落脚点。除了少有人能企及的庄园、城堡，拥有一栋小草屋也是多少人田园牧歌式的梦想。和心爱的小狗散步归来，远远就看见玫瑰环绕的门楣和窗棂，推开花园的木栅栏，三步两步走进家门，壁炉里柴火烧得正旺，灶上的茶壶嘟嘟作响。怎能不来一杯下午茶？
在巴特利村，画家奈杰尔的牡丹小屋就是这样一个所在。青色石灰岩砌就厚厚的墙壁，以至于 Wi-Fi 很难穿越，往往不得不在各个需要的空间分别安置路由器。主屋的顶上苫盖着茅草。牡丹小屋是巴特利村最古老的房产之一，国家二级保护建筑。这里曾经是作家罗伯特·博尔特的家园，他是电影《阿拉伯的劳伦斯》、
《日瓦戈医生》和《四季皆宜》的编剧，曾经两次获得奥斯卡最佳编剧奖。有一次我跟奈杰尔说：“我专门去阿什莫林博物馆看正在展出的 T.E. 劳伦斯的阿拉伯长袍了。”他扬扬眉毛，笑着说：“好吧，看来你对英格兰探索了不少。”
行走在村里，到处可以看到风格各异的小屋，门洞的木架上可以自由取阅的图书，围墙上的一丛薰衣草会时时绊住你的脚步。村东头那株高大的银杏树也如同它中国的远亲们一样，每到秋深，从树冠到满地落叶，一片金黄。
巴特利很幸运，在村庄周围有一条美妙的小径。上个世纪 70年代，当地的历史学家安希利女士逐栋研究了村里的大房子小屋子，其中有近 30 栋都有百年以上的历史。现存最早的是桥边的农场小屋，建于 16 世纪亨利八世时期。村里的人们把这些房产及其历史的有趣文字记录和照片做成一个个小牌子。比如其中提到，高街 17 号是一座建于 16 世纪末的两单元小屋。马具制造商查尔斯·戴尔 1863 年以 5.5 英镑的价格从乡绅内维尔·格伦维尔那里租下了这处房产。到 1947 年，这里的租金为 16.4 英镑。
牌子被安置在行人容易看到的花园里或者墙上，但又不在核心位置，这样不至于在你拍摄这个诗意的小村的时候到处是穿帮的、醒目的标牌和招摇的旗帜。后来，人们把村里这条串起了 500 年历史的步行线路，起名为“安希利遗产小径”。
用脚步去丈量，用时间去体会。这些都是我的“道听途说”。
作者介绍
顾红艳，母爱桥伦敦总部志愿者；行者，学习者。2021 年获得英国东安格利亚大学文化遗产和博物馆研究专业硕士学位。
Both the Chinese and English editions of Haha! Britain can be purchased at the following platforms:
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