美国国家公共电台 NPR--Feud over ancient statue highlights historical divide between Japan and South Korea

Feud¹ over ancient statue highlights historical divide between Japan and South Korea

Transcript²

A court battle over a centuries-old Buddhist³ statue illustrates⁴ how Japan and South Korea are tussling over their shared cultural heritage, and the artifacts that symbolize⁵ it.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

Neighboring countries often share cultural and historical roots. Take, for example, the case of an ancient statue both Japan and South Korea claim is theirs. NPR's Anthony Kuhn reports on the case and what it says about the feuds⁶ that divide and the ties that bind⁷ the two neighbors.

ANTHONY KUHN, BYLINE⁸: Last week, a South Korean court ruled that the nearly 700-year-old statue belongs to the Japanese temple from which it was stolen in 2012. It overturned an earlier verdict saying the statue belonged to a South Korean temple. Korean Buddhist monk⁹ Wonwoo - that's his Buddhist name - spoke¹⁰ after the verdict.

WONWOO: (Speaking Korean).

KUHN: "We're quite disappointed," he said. "We wish there was a braver judge in the Republic of Korea."

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Chanting in Korean).

KUHN: Monks¹¹ chant sutras at Wonwoo's temple. The gilt¹² bronze statue at the heart of the case shows a Buddhist deity¹³ sitting cross-legged, eyes likely shut in meditation¹⁴. While the court recognized that the statue was stolen from Japan, it also says it's highly likely that the statue was previously¹⁵ stolen from Korea by 14th century Japanese pirates. University of Connecticut historian Alexis Dudden says that the best-known historical disputes between the two countries stemmed from Japan's colonial rule of South Korea from 1910 to 1945.

ALEXIS DUDDEN: The sex slaves of the former Japanese empire, forced labor¹⁶ - these are the main topics. But artifacts, cultural treasures, were certainly spirited away during this half century of rule.

KUHN: Monk Wonwoo adds that a document was found inside the statue. Like most Korean documents at the time, it was written in Chinese. It explains that the statue was made in Korea to bring blessings¹⁷ to future generations.

WONWOO: (Speaking Korean).

KUHN: "It's clear who owns it, why it was made and what was intended for the statue," he says. "So when it's found in an unintended location, the key question is, who should prove how it got there?" Kim Kyung-im is a former South Korean diplomat¹⁸. She argues that beginning in the 19th century, Japan's rulers began to see cultural artifacts like the statue as a way to justify¹⁹ their colonization²⁰ of neighboring countries.

KIM KYUNG-IM: (Through interpreter) They wanted to find proof of their ancient history - most importantly, the origin of the Japanese state and Japan's rule over the Korean Peninsula.

KUHN: For centuries, culture and technology flowed from China through the Korean Peninsula to Japan. Some Japanese scholars have tried to show that, in fact, the flow mainly went the other way. Yuko Nagasawa is a political scientist at Tokyo University. She says the statue's significance has nothing to do with cultural dominance.

YUKO NAGASAWA: (Through interpreter) The document indicates that the statue is not rooted in just one nation or culture. It shows how the Korean Peninsula at that time was a bridge between the cultures of China and Japan.

KUHN: Nagasawa points out that the U.S. played a key role in the 1965 establishment of diplomatic ties between Japan and South Korea. Then, as now, Washington wanted its Asian allies to shelve their historical disputes and focus on national security threats.

NAGASAWA: (Through interpreter) In my opinion, the two countries have yet to truly face and talk with each other. Therefore, I think the presence of the U.S. will continue to be very significant.

KUHN: For now, the statue remains²¹ in South Korea. The government has not yet said what it plans to do with it. The South Korean temple that claims the statue, meanwhile, says it plans to appeal the court ruling.

Anthony Kuhn, NPR News, Daejeon, South Korea.

1 feud   

n.长期不和；世仇；v.长期争斗；世代结仇

参考例句：

• How did he start his feud with his neighbor?他是怎样和邻居开始争吵起来的？
• The two tribes were long at feud with each other.这两个部族长期不和。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 Buddhist   

adj./n.佛教的，佛教徒

参考例句：

• The old lady fell down in adoration before Buddhist images.那老太太在佛像面前顶礼膜拜。
• In the eye of the Buddhist,every worldly affair is vain.在佛教徒的眼里，人世上一切事情都是空的。

4 illustrates   

给…加插图( illustrate的第三人称单数 )； 说明； 表明； （用示例、图画等）说明

参考例句：

• This historical novel illustrates the breaking up of feudal society in microcosm. 这部历史小说是走向崩溃的封建社会的缩影。
• Alfred Adler, a famous doctor, had an experience which illustrates this. 阿尔弗莱德 - 阿德勒是一位著名的医生，他有过可以说明这点的经历。 来自中级百科部分

5 symbolize   

vt.作为...的象征，用符号代表

参考例句：

• Easter eggs symbolize the renewal of life.复活蛋象征新生。
• Dolphins symbolize the breath of life.海豚象征着生命的气息。

6 feuds   

n.长期不和，世仇( feud的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Quarrels and feuds between tribes became incessant. 部落间的争吵、反目成仇的事件接连不断。 来自英汉非文学 - 文明史
• There were feuds in the palace, no one can deny. 宫里也有斗争，这是无可否认的。 来自辞典例句

7 bind   

vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬

参考例句：

• I will let the waiter bind up the parcel for you.我让服务生帮你把包裹包起来。
• He wants a shirt that does not bind him.他要一件不使他觉得过紧的衬衫。

8 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

9 monk   

n.和尚，僧侣，修道士

参考例句：

• The man was a monk from Emei Mountain.那人是峨眉山下来的和尚。
• Buddhist monk sat with folded palms.和尚合掌打坐。

10 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

11 monks   

n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The monks lived a very ascetic life. 僧侣过着很清苦的生活。
• He had been trained rigorously by the monks. 他接受过修道士的严格训练。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 gilt   

adj.镀金的；n.金边证券

参考例句：

• The plates have a gilt edge.这些盘子的边是镀金的。
• The rest of the money is invested in gilt.其余的钱投资于金边证券。

13 deity   

n.神，神性；被奉若神明的人(或物)

参考例句：

• Many animals were seen as the manifestation of a deity.许多动物被看作神的化身。
• The deity was hidden in the deepest recesses of the temple.神藏在庙宇壁龛的最深处。

14 meditation   

n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录

参考例句：

• This peaceful garden lends itself to meditation.这个恬静的花园适于冥想。
• I'm sorry to interrupt your meditation.很抱歉，我打断了你的沉思。

15 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

16 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

17 blessings   

n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福

参考例句：

• Afflictions are sometimes blessings in disguise. 塞翁失马，焉知非福。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We don't rely on blessings from Heaven. 我们不靠老天保佑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

18 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

19 justify   

vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护

参考例句：

• He tried to justify his absence with lame excuses.他想用站不住脚的借口为自己的缺席辩解。
• Can you justify your rude behavior to me?你能向我证明你的粗野行为是有道理的吗？

20 colonization   

殖民地的开拓，殖民，殖民地化； 移殖

参考例句：

• Colonization took place during the Habsburg dynasty. 开拓殖民地在哈布斯堡王朝就进行过。
• These countries took part in the colonization of Africa. 这些国家参与非洲殖民地的开发。

21 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。