bayedsolid Chapter 532
Chapter 532
The thirty-one colleges are scattered throughout the city, without a complete campus in the traditional sense; one could say that the entire city of Cambridge is the university campus.
After leaving the Trinity campus, Li Shibai led the way, and the group rode around the city sightseeing. After traveling about halfway, Flora realized something was wrong and asked Li Shibai in front of her.
"Let's go to King's College first. I told you this morning that I'd take Lu somewhere."
Li Shibai answered.
"Xu Zhimo Garden?"
Flora thought for a moment and guessed what place Li Shibai was referring to.
Lu Qingfeng heard it, and although it was in English, he immediately recognized the Chinese name.
Xu Zhimo.
This Crescent Moon poet went to the United States to study in his early years, pursuing advanced studies at Clark University and Columbia University, where he obtained a Master of Arts degree. Later, due to personal pursuits, he gave up the opportunity to continue his doctoral studies in the United States and came to England.
Later, through the introduction of Lin Changmin, who was Lin Huiyin's father, she met Dickinson, who was teaching at King's College, Cambridge at the time.
After the Eight-Nation Alliance invaded China, this scholar wrote a book of letters called "Letters of a 'Chinaman'". In the book, he compared Chinese and Western civilizations, criticized the economic chaos and moral hypocrisy of the Western powers, and advocated the rational beliefs and pacifist spirit of Chinese Confucian civilization.
Later, Dickinson came to China, visited Mount Tai and Qufu, and paid homage to the Temple of Confucius, gaining a deeper understanding of Chinese culture. He also published a collection of essays, "The Landscape".
It was Dickinson's love for China that led to a deep friendship between him and Xu Zhimo.
It was also on his recommendation that Xu Zhimo became a special student at King's College, beginning his studies at Cambridge.
This experience also inspired Xu Zhimo's poetry writing.
His widely circulated poem "Saying Goodbye to Cambridge Again" was written in the summer of 1928 when he came to Cambridge alone and later, on his way back to China, he created this timeless poem based on his thoughts and feelings during that trip.
The Cambridge mentioned in the book is actually another name for Cambridge.
I leave as quietly as I came.
I wave my sleeves, leaving not a single cloud behind.
Click!
Lu Qingfeng took a picture of the marble stele inscribed with this classic poem.
The Xu Zhimo Garden, built in 2018, was facilitated by Xu Zhimo's descendants and a professor like Fan Renli who actively promoted cultural exchanges between the two countries.
As fellow scholars and Chinese, Li Shibai thought Lu Qingfeng would want to come and pay homage to the glory of his predecessor.
However, he was unaware that Xu Zhimo's reputation was now mixed, especially his private conduct, which was heavily criticized, and that Lu Qingfeng had little knowledge of poetry.
But it was definitely a thoughtful gesture.
Lu Qingfeng scrolled through the photos on his phone, picked out a few that he was satisfied with, especially those related to medieval architecture, and posted them on Weibo.
Make a mark.
Since we were already there, we weren't in a hurry to leave. After sightseeing in Xu Zhimo Garden, we left King's College and headed to Carlyle College.
Upon arrival, Li Shibai led the group to a teacher who was in charge of the cultural exchange, a middle-aged woman named Klemper, who had short bob haircuts and a plump figure.
“Vans told me that I’ve been waiting for you all along. You’re that amazing violinist from the East, Lu?”
As she said this, her eyes turned to the boy beside her, filled with a mixture of surprise and curiosity.
"Hello, ma'am."
"So beautiful, you look even more radiant than I saw in the video, an incredible Eastern boy."
I don't know if she's an artist, but this teacher is even more emotionally expressive than Flora.
"Thank you for your compliment, madam. Your hands are beautiful too."
Lu Qingfeng always had a sweet tongue.
When praising someone, you need to find the right techniques. If they're not good-looking, praise their good temperament; if their temperament is lacking, praise a specific aspect of them; if all else fails, praise their intelligence.
There is definitely one point that stands out.
A smile appeared on Klemperer's face. He could tell how much the boy liked it, and his previously lukewarm attitude became enthusiastic.
"After seeing your violin performance, I really wanted to see your skills live. I didn't expect to see you at this exchange event. It just so happens that the orchestra is rehearsing right now, let's go together."
Klemper got up from his office and personally led them to the concert hall, chatting with Lu Qingfeng about the violin along the way.
Arrive at the Cambridge University Concert Hall and enter.
There were quite a few people inside. The music pit in the middle was playing, and in the center of the orchestra was a blonde girl wearing a white button-down short-sleeved dress, simple, understated, natural, and elegant.
Her blue eyes were focused on her guitar strings, and a moving melody flowed out.
As soon as Lu Qingfeng entered, he recognized the piece they were playing as "The Butterfly Lovers".
The white girl on stage was young, but her piano skills were extraordinary; she was clearly a musical prodigy.
"She is Olivia, a violin prodigy just like you."
Klemper explained in a low voice.
So she was Olivia.
Lu Qingfeng recalled the name he had heard when Li Shibai and Flora were discussing it, and realized that it must be the girl in front of him.
He observed carefully and weighed the pros and cons in his mind. He was better than when he first started learning the violin after he gained his talent, but he had not yet reached the peak level of the second stage.
Considering her age, she's already very impressive.
The group tiptoed and sat down in front.
As the distance closed, Lu Qingfeng was able to see more clearly. Judging from the technique, his opponent had learned from the Russian school.
The technical characteristics of this school are pure sound, precise pitch, and rhythm accurate to a fraction of a second.
When holding the bow, the middle joint of the right index finger presses down on the bow stick, making the melody fuller, but sacrificing some dexterity.
What struck him as odd was that he saw faint traces of his own archery skills in a white girl, though it was very faint and suggested he hadn't been learning for long.
But it's definitely not wrong.
Through years of practice, every violinist develops their own bowing and vibrato habits. This difference means that even when playing the same piece, each violinist will produce different results.
Based on his nine-tailed fox talent, Lu Qingfeng's violin playing skills are the culmination of his learning from many masters, and after countless refinements and adjustments, they are the most suitable masterpiece for him.
These skills were very familiar to him.