新闻学院 李佳静

When the rooster crows, the mist is hazy, the sun is rising and the golden glow is sprinkled all over the earth.

On the flagstone road, the tiles are shimmering while the noises are gradually rising. On both sides of the long street, vendors set up stalls, silk, porcelain, spices... All kinds of goods are in full view. The shouts of the vendors come one after another, attracting passers-by.

Huo's family is a shipbuilding family. Huo's youngest son, Huo Liang, is responsible for purchasing wood every morning. One day he goes to the street as usual but finds a horde of people around the city wall, encircling the notice board layers upon layers.

Liang lets the coachman take care of the timber and goes to check it himself. He makes a bow to an old man and askes, "Excuse me sir, what happened today?"

The old man replies that the Daqin Empire has paid several horses before, both in order to show our national prestige and establish friendly relations with other countries, the court will send envoys to the Daqin Empire and now it is sending officials to recruit sailors.

"Seaman recruitment?" Liang murmurs to himself, making a bow again and hurrying the coachman back to the house.

He tells his parents and eldest brother about the news, "I want to join the recruitment!" After hearing this, his mother worries about the dangers of the trip, but his elder brother supports him: "It is worthy of our Huo family, following the royal mission to voyage is a supreme honor." His father, who touches his beard and says, "This trip to Daqin will cover several miles of ocean, but Liang has been familiar with water since childhood and has been on the sea with me several times. Without doubt, he is the best candidate to accompany the mission!"

Therefore, Liang takes leave of his family and becomes a member of the Royal Guard of Honor. On the day they start great voyage, he dresses in a leather armour and arms with a crossbow, standing on the sails. The first morning sun is shining on Liang's face with his mouth slightly turns up. The street is crowded with people who has come to see them off, men Shouting, women waving handkerchiefs. Liang's sight has been searching in the crowd, the moment he meets his family's eyes, his tears gush, smiling, they watch him drift away, smiling, he stares at their figures gradually blur.

The trumpet of the oceangoing voyage has sounded. The sail sails south, ten days later they reach Jiaozhi with following wind. When the sail slowly comes to shore, Liang marvels at the unfamiliar and excessive scenery. In the estuary, the water wheel rotates, making a creaking sound, which is intertwined with the murmuring sound of the sea, forming a natural symphony. On the sea, several small boats gently brush, creating layers of ripples. People on board or fishing, or shipping goods, busy and orderly.

Suddenly, a brown-skinned boy bumps his arm, whimpering and gestating. While appeasing him, Liang wants to find a messenger proficient in language, but the boy suddenly squats behind the wooden barrel on the ship to hide. Looking back, Liang finds that a group of menacing people seem to be looking for the boy but are stopped by the sea soldiers. After the group have left, Liang crouches close to the boy, only to notice that under his tattered clothes there are some whiplash wounds, for a moment he seems to understand something.

Thinking that the boy could not understand what he say, Liang takes out a piece of coarse grain cake from his clothes bag and gives it to the boy. The boy looks at him timidly at first, when he sees the food, he devours it. Liang’s conscience takes pity on him and leads him back to his resting place. Staying in Jiaozhi for a few days, Liang discovers that the boy is always silently working and quite proficient in water, although they can’t communicate orally, they harvest an unusual friendship.

On the day they are about to leave Jiaozhi, Liang says that the boy is proficient in water and navigation, asking the envoy to let the boy leave together. The envoy readily agrees. So, the party continue to the west, encountering a storm a few days later. Thick clouds are low and rolling, with the waves, one wave after another, rushing toward the sails like great beasts. Although there is no live danger in the end, by the time they reach Zhenla, several masts of the sail have been broken.

"What can we do? We can't sail on it." The envoy suddenly loses his mind, looking at a group of people at a loss. At this time, the boy pulls Liang's coat, Liang is surprised: "Do you have idea?" The boy draws several materials with a pen and Liang understands it, immediately discussing with the envoy to collect materials. Within a few days, the boy, with the help of Liang, makes changes to the original sails. He attaches the boats with wooden tenons and reinforces them with ropes made of bamboo fibers. The new sail has no skeleton but is extremely strong. The envoy is very dumbfounded, but also doubts, "This, this type of ship has never been heard of, can this work?" Liang replies: "This is the best solution, your majesty is still waiting for us to return from Daqin to resume our orders!"

An army of people drive the boy's transformed sail to continue on the road. The sun rises and the moon sets, the boat floats alone on the turbulent sea, the waves are like angry beasts, setting off towering waves again and again and severely hitting the fragile boat. The howling winds, mixed with the salty water, make the sail hunt and nearly tear it. After the transformation, the sail is apparently stronger, in a surge of courage and perseverance forward. Standing on the deck, Liang clutches the rope and stares ahead with resolute eyes, as if he could penetrate the thick sea fog and see the distant shore.

When the party finally set foot on the land of Shendu, the envoy weeps with joy. He grips the boy's hand tightly and his words are dying in his throat. Along the way, the boy seems to know the people's goals, he is also excited to embrace the envoy, looking back to Liang with sparkling tears in his eyes. "Your lordship is so pleased that you might as well give him a name." Liang utters. "Be courteous, simple, virtuous, and smooth. How about just the word ‘Sui’? As echoes to yours ‘Liang’. “Responds the envoy. "It's really a good name, thanks, my Lord." Then, Liang smiles and looks at the boy, "Sui, do you like this name?" Language has never been a barrier between them, the boy grins from ear to ear and nods heavily.

After a short rest, they set out on their way to Daqin. There is a red sun on the horizon, its golden light is spreading over the vast plain. In the procession, the bells of camels gently sway with their steady steps, making melodious sounds that break the silence of the morning. Liang and Sui, they support each other through the thick forest, listening to the song of birds and the roar of wild animals; they cross the winding river, pitching tents and lighting bonfires on the banks; they climb over the jagged mountains, from the top they look down on things they have never seen before.

Finally, they arrive at the city of Rome in the Kingdom of Daqin, Liang and Sui are struck by the prosperity and magnificence of the city. The magnificent buildings and exquisite sculptures are dazzling to them. "I have never seen such a unique building!" Liang exclaims. The sun falls on the wide cobblestone streets, reflecting dazzling light against the towering stone columns and exquisite sculptures on both sides. The air is filled with a mixture of spices, roast meat and fresh fruits and vegetables, which is characteristic of the Roman marketplace. Here they see bright silks, glittering gems, fine pottery, "Hey, that's our Han’s stuff!" There is a burst of pride in Liang’s heart.

Besides, they also see people in fine robes in the streets, surrounded by servants, riding in gorgeous carriages to the palace or temple; in the arena, they see the auditorium is full of people, there are gladiators in a fierce fight or battling with the beasts; in the temple, they see priests preside over the solemn sacrifice ceremony, the believers prayerfully God's blessing; in the square, as night fell, they see people light a roaring bonfire, dancing, singing and drinking around the fire. With admiration and awe, they marvel at the treasures created by strangers far away.

More than ten days later, they follow the Royal Guard of Honor on their return journey. When night falls, it seems to Liang that he is in a new world, a world in which people dress in strange costumes and hold a glowing brick in their hands and sit in square little boxes that are not carriages but are much faster than carriages. People also tell him that his hometown is called Xuwen, Jiaozhi is Vietnam, Zhenla is Cambodia, Shendu is India, and Daqin is Italy. In that world, he communicates with Sui in a language called English and they talk about interesting things about their respective hometowns, from natural scenery to local customs, from traditional snacks to navigation techniques. They also take something called a ship from Xuwen to India again, and they find that people call this road the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road……

Like a dream, Liang opens his eyes again, and he has returned to his hometown. Carriages come and go on the flagstone road, when the familiar faces of his parents and eldest brother appear in front of his eyes he realizes that this is not a dream, embracing them immediately. Since then, Sui has become a member of the Huo family, and he studies Chinese diligently every day. Liang still goes to buy wood every day and occasionally talks to people about the voyage and the beautiful dream.

教师点评

点评教师：刘力，副教授，中国人民大学外国语学院大学英语教学部教师，写作大赛评委

这篇作文以其跨越五大洲的壮阔叙事，巧妙地展现了对文化多样性的尊重和对人类共同价值观的强调。故事通过主人公Huo Liang的视角，带领读者踏上一场发现之旅，这不仅是对外在世界的探索，也是对内在自我理解的深化。

在语言上，作者以细腻的笔触描绘了从熙熙攘攘的中国市集到遥远的异国城市，每一处风景都如同一幅精美的画卷，让读者仿佛身临其境。这种对细节的执着不仅丰富了故事的文化背景，也体现了对全球文明多样性的赞美。

故事性方面，Huo Liang与随之间的友谊是故事的核心，它超越了语言和文化的界限，展现了人性中最纯粹的部分——理解与同情。这段关系的演变不仅是情节的驱动力，也是对人类共情能力的一种庆祝。

在立意上，故事深刻地探讨了文化交流的重要性。Huo Liang的每一次相遇和互动都是对全球化世界中相互理解和合作的深刻反思。这些互动不仅展示了不同文化的独特性，也强调了共同点和协作的可能性。

不足之处在于，尽管故事的节奏在后期有所加快，导致某些关键情节点未能充分展开。此外，文章的字数超出了规定要求。

总体而言，这个故事是对人类多样性、文化交流和全球化主题的一次深情而精彩的探索。让读者在读完之后，对世界和自己在其中的位置有了更加深刻的认识。