樊錦詩 我是上海的女兒

我自幼生長在上海，我是上海的女兒。景色迷人的黃浦江，鱗次櫛比的高樓大廈，繁華熱鬧的商店公司，以及各種小吃零食等兒時印象，無一不深藏在我的腦海中。上海這座現(xiàn)代化大都會的城市文明，也給我以潛移默化的影響熏陶以及良好的學校教育，這些寶貴的成長經歷開闊了我的視野，影響了我的思維，使我終身受益匪淺。

上海是我的故鄉(xiāng)，我始終十分關注上海的變化與發(fā)展。當?shù)弥虾３晒ι贽k2010年世博會時，我倍感欣喜，這是上海代表中國這樣一個文明古國，在面向未來的世界現(xiàn)代文明舞臺上的一次亮相。

與此同時，我也想到了我腳下的這片土地——敦煌。

世博會是世界文明的際會，它面向未來，生機勃勃；而敦煌是歷史文明的積淀，它守護過往，孕育久遠。一個是象征當下的文明，一個是代表過去的文明，這兩者都是人類文明的組成部分，它們雖然朝向不同，卻都體現(xiàn)著人類文明共同的價值追求：創(chuàng)造、參與和共享。世博會在這三方面的表現(xiàn)自不待言。敦煌作為歷史上牽起絲綢之路兩端的“咽喉之地”，創(chuàng)造過東西方文明交流互通的奇跡。如今，敦煌已是人類共享的世界文化遺產，并向現(xiàn)代人提出了傳承與守護的課題。我始終相信，人類能夠站在今天眺望未來，正是因為我們腳下有深厚的歷史文明的奠基，因為我們心中有生生不息的文化的精神家園。因此，作為上海女兒、作為敦煌女兒，作為世界遺產敦煌莫高窟的守護者，我對本屆世博會有著一份特殊的情愫。

根據計劃，在本次世博會上，我們將以“敦煌與隋唐城市文明”為主題，圍繞絲綢之路與城市發(fā)展，集中展示敦煌藝術，全面參與這場盛會。屆時，絲綢之路風情、隋唐盛世圖景和敦煌藝術都將在此呈現(xiàn)它的古老風韻和現(xiàn)代活力，從而將歷史與現(xiàn)實、藝術與生活，以及敦煌與上海緊密地聯(lián)系起來。

作為上海的女兒，我期待，通過即將到來的世博會，能通過上海全景式展示和平發(fā)展的新中國取得的最新成就，向世界介紹中國的古老文明和文化藝術，展示城市文化，將上海世博會辦成世界文明史上的空前盛典。作為古文明的守護者，我堅信，上海世博會必將為我們這個古老的國度催生出創(chuàng)新的激情，推進中國現(xiàn)代化的進程，進而為我們照亮人類共同繁榮進步的未來。

到時候，我一定會回上海，看世博。我也真摯地邀請和歡迎更多的游客和市民走近、了解敦煌，接受古老中華文明的洗禮，使到中國去看敦煌莫高窟成為走進2010上海世博會的一項重要內容。

William McKinley, the 25th President of the United States, once praised the World Expo as follows: "The World Expo is the timekeeper of progress. It records the world's advancement, stimulates the energy, enterprise, and intellect of people, and promotes development of human genius."

Over the past 150 years, the World Expo has kept a kaleidoscopic eye on the progress of modern civilization. It was at the World Expo that new inventions like steam engines, telephones, computers and robots made their debut, that new lifestyles and public facilities like holiday villages, clubs, theme parks, supermarkets and vending machines gained their popularity, and that driving new forces such as the automobile era, the communication revolution and the information technology age appeared one after another. All these phenomena have propelled human society in its relentless march into the future.

I was overwhelmed with joy at the news about Shanghai's successful bid to host World Expo 2010 Shanghai. This will be a show of Shanghai on behalf of China, a nation with a long history of civilization, showcasing the future orientation of modern world civilizations.

It all reminds me of the place where I am standing - Dunhuang.

The World Expo is a pageant of global civilization and its future.

Civilization

Dunhuang, meanwhile, is a repository of our historical civilization that preserves the past and signifies eras gone by. They respectively symbolize the civilization of the future and the civilization of the past. Despite their differences, they both embody the common goals of human civilization - creation, participation and sharing. So far as these three aspects are concerned, the role of the World Expo is self-evident. Dunhuang is a historical wonder. It created a communication link between Eastern and Western civilizations as a linchpin of the Silk Road. Today, as world cultural heritage is shared by mankind, Dunhuang has preserved for modern societies their inheritance. I have always believed that mankind's ability to look to the future comes from the solid foundations of its historical past.

My attention is riveted on World Expo 2010 Shanghai because I still consider myself a daughter of Shanghai, even though I have been working in Dunhuang for 46 years. I have watched the progress of World Expo 2010 Shanghai. When I was told that it would become the largest-ever World Expo in terms of number of international participants, I was overwhelmed with pride.

The Gansu Pavilion at this World Expo will carry the theme of the Silk Road and urban development. As the earliest cradle of urban civilization, Dunhuang will exhibit its ancient charms and modern vigor during the event.

As a guardian of an ancient civilization, I strongly believe that World Expo 2010 Shanghai will elicit the enthusiasm of innovation for our ancient nation and advance our course of modernization. It will also trigger ideological scrutiny that may help us discern our future path and face the challenges and opportunities for the future of our entire human race.

I will certainly be back to Shanghai to visit the World Expo.