Nathanael Dwight Pelton, also known by his Chinese name Su Ping, is an American who has lived in China for 19 years. A teacher at Suzhou Foreign Language School, he believes that "knowledge is found not only in books but also in the vast world, and one of the best ways to learn is through firsthand experience". Each year, he takes his students on trips to different countries to immerse themselves in local cultures.
Also a hiking enthusiast, he joined the Path Seekers to explore the ancient Shu Road in the transition from spring to summer. Before setting off, he told his family that this trip was an opportunity to venture onto the most authentic ancient trail, learn about the most authentic Chinese culture, and enjoy the most authentic cuisine—hot pot.
The ancient Shu Road is one of the earliest large-scale transportation relics preserved by humanity and has long been a destination Su Ping yearned to explore on foot. What kind of transportation network was the ancient Shu Road? Why did the people of ancient China choose to cross the formidable Qinba Mountains to construct it? Unlike the Roman roads built on plains, the Shu Road winds through the steep, rugged terrain of the Qinba Mountains. How did they overcome countless obstacles to carve cliffs, build plank roads, construct bridges, and pave stone paths?
With these questions in mind, Su Ping took a train from Jiangsu to Sichuan. Upon arriving, the question marks gradually turned into periods and exclamation points as he witnessed the sights and engaged in in-depth exchanges during his hike.
During the hike, Xinyue, a native of Sichuan, explained that the ancient Shu Road was once lamented as difficult as climbing to the sky. For thousands of years, the people of Sichuan reshaped the landscape with their wisdom and perseverance. The ancient Shu Road became a thing of the past after the opening of the Sichuan-Shaanxi Road in 1936. Since 1949, Sichuan has developed a comprehensive, modern transport network that integrates highways, railways, waterways, and air routes.
Passing through countless tunnels, Su Ping experienced firsthand the perilous nature of the Shu Road. At the Jian’ge section, he found himself surrounded by some of the largest and best-preserved ancient cypress trees in the world, realizing the efforts to connect with the outside world while living in harmony with nature.
As a photography enthusiast, Su Ping used his professional camera to capture the magnificent scenery along the ancient path. His lens documented the lush, ancient cypress trees of Cuiyun Corridor, the Baoji-Chengdu Railway threading through steep mountains, the historic Mingyue (Bright Moon) Gorge that has witnessed six ancient and modern transportation routes, and the steady flow of water beneath stone bridges from the Ming and Qing dynasties, still as robust as ever.
Today, it takes only a few hours to travel from Guangyuan to Chengdu. With international flight routes and freight trains, the regional Ba-Shu culture, represented by Shu brocade, continues to flourish and shines even brighter on the global stage. “The Shu Road is now incredibly accessible!” Su Ping remarked. This impression reflects not only his personal experience but also China’s development achievements, recognized around the world.
在中國(guó)生活了19年的美國(guó)人蘇平（Nathanael Dwight Pelton），現(xiàn)在是蘇州外國(guó)語(yǔ)學(xué)校的老師。因?yàn)橄嘈拧爸R(shí)不僅在書(shū)本更在廣闊的世界中，親身去體驗(yàn)是極其重要的學(xué)習(xí)方式。”每年他都會(huì)帶著學(xué)生們?nèi)ゲ煌瑖?guó)家，深入當(dāng)?shù)亟涣鳌?/p>
今年春夏之交，熱愛(ài)徒步的他，跟隨“Path Seekers 問(wèn)道中國(guó)”徒步小組，走進(jìn)古蜀道。“走最地道的古道，了解最地道的中國(guó)文化”，臨行前他對(duì)家人說(shuō)，“當(dāng)然，還有最地道的美食——火鍋！”
古蜀道是保存至今人類(lèi)最早的大型交通遺跡之一，也是蘇平心儀已久的徒步目的地。古蜀道是怎樣的交通網(wǎng)絡(luò)？中國(guó)古人為何要跨越秦巴山脈修建蜀道？不同于古羅馬人在平原上修筑的羅馬大道，蜀道分布在秦巴山脈的崇山峻嶺中，當(dāng)年要克服重重障礙鑿崖修棧、架橋鋪石，是怎樣實(shí)現(xiàn)的？帶著這些疑問(wèn)，蘇平搭乘火車(chē)從江蘇抵達(dá)四川，進(jìn)川后，這些問(wèn)號(hào)隨著徒步中的見(jiàn)聞與深入交流，逐步變?yōu)榫涮?hào)與驚嘆號(hào)。
一路行走，四川當(dāng)?shù)厝斯x歆悅告訴他，自古“蜀道難，難于上青天”，千百年來(lái)，四川先民用智慧與堅(jiān)韌重塑時(shí)空。1936年川陜公路開(kāi)通以后，古蜀道成為歷史。1949年以來(lái)，四川又沿著古蜀道線路設(shè)計(jì)建設(shè)了現(xiàn)代公路、鐵路、水運(yùn)和航空等“新蜀道”。
當(dāng)火車(chē)經(jīng)過(guò)一個(gè)個(gè)隧道，蘇平意識(shí)到，曾經(jīng)的蜀道真的“難于上青天”。徒步在劍閣蜀道，置身迄今規(guī)模最大、保存最完好的古代人工栽植驛道古柏群，又能體會(huì)到先民在想盡辦法與外界聯(lián)通的同時(shí)，堅(jiān)持順應(yīng)自然、保護(hù)自然。
熱愛(ài)攝影的蘇平，一路用專(zhuān)業(yè)相機(jī)記錄珍貴瞬間。在他的鏡頭里，有翠云廊千年蒼柏枝繁葉茂、有穿過(guò)陡峭山洞的寶成鐵路、有見(jiàn)證古今六道于此通行的明月峽，還有潺潺流水淌過(guò)堅(jiān)實(shí)如初的明清石板橋。
天塹通途，暢達(dá)未來(lái)。如今，從廣元到成都非常方便，幾個(gè)小時(shí)就能到達(dá)天府之國(guó)感受“巴適”的都市生活。一條條國(guó)際航線開(kāi)通，一趟趟國(guó)際班列飛馳，以蜀錦為代表的巴蜀文化在世界舞臺(tái)更加閃亮。“如今蜀道很通暢！”這是蘇平的感受，也是全世界有目共睹的中國(guó)經(jīng)驗(yàn)。
總制片Chief Producers / 楊力群Yang Liqun 雙傳學(xué)Shuang Chuanxue
總策劃Chief Planners / 顧雷鳴Gu Leiming 劉偉Liu Wei
總監(jiān)制Line Producer / 傅晴Fu Qing
總統(tǒng)籌Chief Coordinator / 沈崢嶸Shen Zhengrong
統(tǒng)籌Coordinators / 包聞軍Bao Wenjun 王乃毅Wang Naiyi
制作Creators / 劉瀏Liu Liu 陳澄Chen Cheng 朱娜Zhu Na 錢(qián)盈盈Qian Yingying 陳雨薇Chen Yuwei 王瑞楓Wang Ruifeng
美編Art Editor / 張迪Zhang Di
