| 08 August 2011 |
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田間小路 默默交流
從志願者借住的仙緣村小學到橋點大概步行25分鐘，每天我們要在這條路上往返兩次，所以每天都有一個半鐘頭左右的時間行走在這條路上。這是一條田間小路，30公分寬，只夠一個人行走，偶爾對面走來兩三個背著一簍烤煙的村民或是遇上在田間嬉鬧的小朋友，他們都會主動站在一旁，先讓我們通過。每當我跟他們擦身而過的時候總是下意識的看著他們的眼睛，很多村民會對我相視一笑，我笑著跟他們說“你好”，他們也會略帶些不好意思的樣子微微低著頭回應說“你好”。但是，更多村民會默默站在一邊，靜靜地看著我們從身邊走過，沒有甚麼表情。他們其實不知道應該怎樣或者不太敢用語言跟我們交流，只是純樸的眼神中帶著愉悅的閃爍。田埂兩旁種著不同植物，沿途景色步移景異，最多烤煙和玉米。烤煙是當地村民的主要收入來源，玉米是他們的重要糧食。
每次走在這條路上，或是趕去橋點工作的途中，或是返回營地吃飯休息，同行的志願者總是抱怨這條路太長，特別是在回營地的路上，因為那總是大家辛苦了半天最疲勞飢餓的時候。但我非常享受走在這條路上的感覺，不僅僅是從景觀建築專業的角度去理解它的美，更多的反而是除去了專業的束縛，單純欣賞這樣的自然美好。在這純樸美中，每每跟其他志願者三五人一條線邊走邊聊，說說今天工地裡發生的趣事，聊聊各自的生活學習、將來的打算，或是有誰說了個冷笑話逗大家起哄，幹活時的疲勞和辛苦好像在這一刻都不見了，很快地就走完了這條路。原來這條路也沒有這麼長。
特殊標記 五年情緣
這是我參加無止橋活動的第五年。五年中，我參加了五座橋和一個村子示範建房手冊的繪製工作，這次在雲南麗江仙緣村的清華港大百年校慶無止橋是我的第五座橋，更是第一座我完整地參與整個過程的無止橋。更加不同的，是我從內地志願者轉換身份成為香港志願者的第一座橋。從07年參加第一座橋開始，“無止橋”這三個字好像就一直成為我身上的一個特殊標記，跟隨我從內地到了香港。我現在還記得當初接到通知成為新志願者那天，我給擔心我因此耽誤學業的媽媽打電話，很堅定地告訴她：「我一定要參加無止橋！」現在想來，當時那句或許是賭氣話，又或許是一個新志願者的新鮮感和榮譽感作祟。當時一定沒想到這一參加就是五年或更久。當時也一定沒有想到，到第五年我才完整參與了一座無止橋的修建過程。
戰友情誼 無止心橋
相信很多志願者都會被問到為甚麼參加無止橋，我想每個人的答案都是不同的。無止橋的神奇魔力也在這裡，每個人抱著不同的目的和想法來，建橋結束後都會體會到相同的感受。這也許就是“殊途同歸”。很多志願者在建橋結束後都沒想到是這樣。不管你之前期待會從無止橋得到甚麼，也許有意外，但一定不會是個讓你失望的結果。我不知道是否有官方統計，參加過無止橋的志願者有多少百分比願意在條件允許的狀況下繼續參加，但在我參加無止橋五年來認識的志願者們，沒有誰跟我說過下次不想參加。我想這應該叫“歸屬感”，或許是無止橋的“魔咒”。
對我來說，無止橋除了給我一個良好的學習鍛鍊平台、各種實踐學習中得到的經驗、一個引以為傲的志願者身份，更重要是許多非常要好的朋友。這些良師益友在建橋前是我的長輩、同學、學弟妹、師兄姐及陌生人，現在卻是帶給我無數歡樂，伴我成長的好朋友。我們有著“戰友”的情誼，卻不帶一絲戰爭的凝重。“無止心橋”是一座無形但無比重要的橋。
今年我已經從香港大學畢業，在我離開母校的時候，能成為一名志願者為母校百年校慶活動“SERVICE100”其中一個項目獻出自己的力量，以自己的方式為母校慶祝百歲生日，應該是我送給自己最好的畢業禮物！
香港大學建築學院景觀建築專業研究生 甘果
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This was not the first time I have participated in service projects on the Mainland, but this trip definitely brought me the most precious and unforgettable memories.
The bridge we built at Xianyuan Village, Lijiang of Yunnan was the first Wu Zhi Qiao (Bridge to China) project I have joined. In the past, I would never have thought that a bridge could be so useful to the villagers. Before it was built, the villagers had to wade daily across the fast-flowing river that separated the village and the farmland. Therefore, the new stone and wooden bridge helps to ensure their safety and make their daily lives a little easier.
For me, the most fruitful part of the project was not the physical construction work, but the link established between us and the local villagers. During the six days we stayed in the village, we had lots of chances to interact with the villagers. We learnt about their daily lives, their needs and befriended them. Seeing our limited manpower, they also came and helped by lifting and moving heavy stones and materials. By the time the bridge was finished, we all shared the joy and success. The bridge links not only both sides of the river, but also the hearts between us and the local villagers.
Participating in the WZQ service project was not just about giving, but also about taking and learning. I learn a lot from the villagers’ attitude to life. I hope to join WZQ again in the future to serve those in need and also understand more about the lives of the people living in poor villages.
Clement Tam (BSc, Year 1)
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Our "Bridge to China– Tsinghua-HKU Centenary Celebration Bridge Building Project" began right at the moment when our feet stepped out of Lijiang airport, when our noses breathed in the fresh air of 20°C and when our eyes captured sight of the glittering blue sky.
The Bridge
The 21-metre-long bridge seems like a mini project not worth noticing, yet it was important for Tsinghua University and HKU, to the villagers of Xianyuan and to all the volunteers. The bridge marked a collaboration between the two hundred-year-old universities, especially because it was built by students of the two universities standing shoulder to shoulder, filling every single rock into the foundations of the bridge.
The bridge also provides convenience for children and farmers during the rainy season and prevents accidents. Some people, me included, might have doubted the usefulness of this tiny bridge but, listen to this: “An old lady came to me a few years ago after a bridge was built at her village and wished that the bridge had been built one year earlier, before her son drowned...” said Professor Edward Ng, Chairman of Wu Zhi Qiao (Bridge to China) Charitable foundation. My doubts vanished because no one can predict when the next torrential rain will come and flush away valuable lives, so we have to do whatever we can do whenever possible to prevent someone else from wishing the old lady's never-coming-true wish again. This may sound like what saints may say but this is something all ordinary people can do.
Outside the Bridge
Constructing the bridge was a meaningful event and concerned people who use the bridge with equal intensity as building the bridge brightens the whole event.
During family visits, the incomes of farmers became my greatest concern. People in Xianyuan have a GPD of around RMB 1500, mainly from planting and selling tobacco leaves. But a secondary one student there spends RMB 3000 one year. We can all imagine the toughness of people in this rural region.
However, pitying them was not the first thing that came to my mind. I wondered why tobacco planters earn so little a year while the price of cigarettes in developed areas is so high. I was also concerned about the education of children because many of their parents work in towns, leaving the elderly and the children at home. The quality of education is unimaginable. There are still dozens of issues related to low-knowledge, low-income rural areas waiting for us to investigate and to generate solutions.
As university students, we can try to understand all these things as much as possible and make as much change as possible. Yes, change is an endless process, yet everything we do now drives that change. That is why we should not hesitate.
The Most Unforgettable Moment
There was a pair of eyes, a pair of blurry, wrinkled eyes which I will never forget. Those eyes belonged to an old lady who came across the bridge and grabbed my hand in both of her shivering hands and squeezed it with all her strength, muttering "Thanks". I could not fully understand her dialect but I could see the gratefulness from her expression and I felt every hardship we went through in those seven days.
I experienced a lot of surprises and discovered a lot about the country that most of us belong to. I treasured every moment of the trip and I bet nobody regretted what they did in that week.
Yann Lam (BSc(Sp&HearSc), Year 2)
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Wu Zhi Qiao (Bridge to China): http://www.bridge2china.org/