3000 Mile Hair by Hai-Wen Lin

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MILE HAIR written by Hai-Wen Lin translated into Chinese by Yu-Teh Lin & Hui-Ju Huang

中 文 翻 譯 | 林 雨 德 、 黃 慧 如

作 者 | 林 海 聞

3000 Mile Hair 青絲三千哩

written by Hai-Wen Lin translated into Chinese by Yu-Teh Lin & Hui-Ju Huang 作者：林海聞 中文翻譯：林雨德、黃慧如

I remember when Hai-Wen first came to visit me. Their hair was short. They told me that before moving here, they had shaved their head bald and the hair had just started to grow out now.

Their hair stood on its ends reaching out as far as it could, not quite falling in any particular direction. Hai-Wen had come from California to work at a new job. They didn’t know anyone here, but they said I looked familiar, and sought me out. It reminded me of a time long long ago. Before I was given the name “Chinatown.” My hair had not quite grown out either and though my body was young, it was already covered in railroad scars.* Chinese men had come from the West to see me, reaching out as far as they could. A group of bachelors with no ties or connections, their families still in China. They had been driven away due to discrimination, and I had provided refuge. Hai-Wen stood before me and asked if I could look over them as well.

* The area known today as Chinatown was originally established in the 1840s for railroads and row houses. New immigrants took up residence here; Chinese men began to arrive in the 1870s.

我第一次見到海聞的時候，他的頭 髮很短。他告訴我，在搬到波士頓 之前剃了光頭，現在頭髮剛發出來 不久，用力伸長，像野草般，隨意 往各方向伸展。他是因為一份新的 工作從加州搬過來的，初來乍到， 不認識這裡的人，因為我看起來很 眼熟，於是就來找我。這讓我想起 了很久以前的一段時光，遠在我被 賦予“中國城”這個名字之前，我 的頭髮也還沒有長長，但年輕的身 體已經佈滿了鐵路劃下的傷痕*。中 國來的男人們千里迢迢從西岸來見 我，當時社會的歧視容不下這群無 親無故、家人還在中國的單身漢， 他們來到東岸，而我提供了庇護。 現在海聞站在我面前，問我是否也 能照看他。

*今天被稱為中國城的地區始於 1840年代建立的鐵路和排屋。新 移民在此落腳，中國人在1870年 代開始來此居住。

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Hai-Wen came to visit me again during the New Year. Their hair was sopping wet from the rain. They said that it felt comforting to be near me and wanted to celebrate the festivities together despite the poor weather. They said there was something that felt familiar about me. I thought perhaps it was because our hair grew in similar ways. I took them to see the dancing lions that day and I sang obnoxious songs that sounded like clanging gongs and firecracker explosions, but Hai-Wen cheered through it all. “There’s so many people here just to hear your loud singing!” Hai-Wen laughed. I just smiled. The rain was cold, but our good spirits kept us warm. I didn’t want to tell them of all the times the city had accused me of being a threat and a nuisance.

I didn’t want to tell them of the day the city attacked me and cut a wide scar down my middle.* I didn't want to tell them how much strength it took me to refuse to move after all these years. * Chinatown is located on both sides of a street named Harrison Avenue.

The city attempted to drive the Chinese out of Boston in the late 1800s by widening Harrison Avenue, which cut off many buildings and homes.

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海聞再次來訪是在農曆新年期間， 他的頭髮被雨淋得濕漉漉的，他 說，在我身邊很自在，儘管天氣不 好，還是想來跟我一起慶祝新年。 他說，我給他一種似曾相識的感 覺，我想或許是我們的頭髮生長方 式相似吧。那天，我帶他去看新春 舞獅，我拉著破嗓子唱著五音不全 的歌，聽起來像鏗鏘的鑼鼓和噼啪 的鞭炮聲，海聞一路歡呼，笑著說 “這裡有這麼多人，都是來聽你大 聲唱歌啊!”我只是笑了笑。那天下 著冷冷的雨，但好心情讓我們覺得 溫暖。我不忍告訴他，這個城市曾 多次指責我是個威脅，是個討厭 鬼；我不忍告訴他，這個城市曾 經傷害我，在我的身體留下一道 寬大的傷疤*；我不忍告訴他， 這麼多年來，我花了多少力氣拒 絕搬離此地。

*中國城位於哈里森 大道兩側。19世紀 末，市政府經由拓寬 哈里森大道，拆除 了許多建築物和家 屋，試圖將中國人 趕出波士頓。

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Hai-Wen’s hair was long and flowing when they came to see me again. But it wouldn't last for long. “I’m looking for something new” they told me and so I pointed them to Kalai Hairstyle, a small mom and pop hair salon hiding in a basement. With every snip, Hai-Wen’s hair got shorter and shorter. Hai-Wen was patient, but nudged the auntie along in broken Chinese, “還可以短 一點” (it can still be a little shorter).

Like a secret password, the small bit of Chinese seemed to open up the auntie’s expression. She smiled and joked that she was being careful because of how long and beautiful Hai-Wen’s hair was.

The hair had over 3000 miles in it after all, not to mention a new job, and a new apartment! As Hai-Wen’s hair fell, I thought about my own: how much history was held in the lengths of my hair? It had been singed by World Wars, and tousled by Urban Renewal*. What style would look good on me now? I sat there watching the auntie blow dry the finished cut and wondered how long it would take for Hai-Wen’s hair to grow back. I had just watched it get cut with my very own eyes, and yet I knew it would grow back just as beautiful. It was resilient like that. * Described as an area of “death, disease, and poverty,” Boston’s Housing Authority began Urban Renewal projects in the mid 1900s that destroyed homes and displaced hundreds of Chinatown residents. After outrage from the public, affordable housing and community facilities were built to help stabilize Chinatown.

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當海聞再來找我時，頭髮長而 飄逸，我知道這長髪維持不久 的。他告訴我，“我在尋找新的 東西”，於是我指向嘉麗髮廊， 一個隱身在地下室的小型家庭髮 廊。隨著謹慎的剪刀聲，海聞的頭 髮慢慢地變短，他用蹩腳的中文向 剪髮阿姨說：“還可以短一點”。這 句短短的中文像通關密碼般，綻開 了阿姨的表情，她笑著說，她之所 以小心翼翼，是因為海聞的頭髮又 長又漂亮, 不可輕率啊。畢竟，海 聞的頭髮有3000多英里長啊！更不 用說新的工作，和新租的公寓了！ 當海聞的髮屑飄落，我想到了自己 的頭髮：我的頭髮藏有多長的歷史 呢？它曾在世界大戰中被燒毀，在 城市重建*中被打亂。現在我要什麼 樣的髮型才好看呢？我坐在店裡， 看著阿姨把海聞剪好的頭髮洗過、 吹乾，想著海聞的頭髮要多久才能 長回長髪的樣子？我親眼看著頭髪 被剪短，我知道它還會再長長， 像以前一樣漂亮。它是堅韌有毅 力的。

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*波士頓住房管理局在20世紀中期開始了城市 重建計畫，摧毀了被描述為“死亡、疾病和貧 窮”的中國城地區，使數百名居民流離失所。 在公眾的憤怒抗議下，政府建造了經濟合宜的 住房和社區設施，以協助穩定中國城。

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Hai-Wen disappeared for a while. A plague had taken over the world. A cruel virus that stopped families from seeing each other. There were no more lions dancing in the streets or firecracker songs. No one came to join me for dim sum. No more games of Chinese chess.

My hair fell out with all the stress, anxiety, and despair crowding my head.

I had survived the lashings of new roads and highways*, but this disease ate me from the inside. I was accused of playing a part in creating the virus and worst of all, my friends were beaten simply for being Chinese. It hurt me to see them suffer. But I stayed resilient. I had already stood here through too many battles to fall apart now. I remembered the day when Chinese people, who had previously been banned from the country, were finally allowed in again. I remembered when my friends were finally reunited with family members who had traveled from China. We would all be together again. I knew it. My roots were strong.

My hair would grow again.

*Also during the period of Urban Renewal, many homes were seized and destroyed in order to extend the Massachusetts Turnpike.

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海聞消失了一段時間。這期間，一 場瘟疫席捲全世界，殘酷的病毒阻 絕了家人之間的往來互訪。新春的 街頭沒有舞獅，沒有鑼鼓鞭炮聲， 沒有人來和我一起飲茶吃點心，也 不再有中國象棋遊戲。這些不預期 襲來的壓力、焦慮和絕望充斥腦 海，我的頭髮因而掉落。我曾經承 受道路拓建*的鞭笞，但這場瘟疫 從內部噬嚙了我。我被指控參與了 病毒的製造，最糟的是，我許多朋 友僅因為是中國人而被毆打，看到 他們受苦，我很難過。但是我保持 著堅韌不拔的精神，我已經在這裡 經歷了無數的戰鬥，是不會輕易被 打倒的。我永遠記得那一天，以往 被拒絕移民的中國人，政府終於允 許他們入境， 我的朋友們終於和遠 洋而來的家人團聚了。我堅信，我 們都將再次聚在一起，我的根基牢 固，我的頭髮會再次豐滿。

*在城市重建期間，為了擴建馬薩諸塞高速公 路，中國城許多房屋被沒收和摧毀。

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Hai-Wen returned in the summer of next year. Their hair fell long past their shoulders. We had both weathered a lot. They told me they had come to get a perm. When I asked why, they told me those same words that they said a few years ago: “I’ve been looking for something new.” But it wasn’t just their hair this time. Hai-Wen had been accepted into a Master’s program to study fashion. They were moving to Chicago in a little over a month. I was happy for them. I ushered them over to Le’s beauty salon and gossiped about how I used to dabble in garmentmaking and was good friends with many seamstresses back in the day. When Hai-Wen finally emerged, new curls and all, I told them that I had been looking for something new too. I told Hai-Wen my hair had started growing again and excitedly showed them some bright new murals on my skin. Hai-Wen stopped by a bakery to buy a cake to celebrate one last treat with me. “Come back and visit when your hair is twice as long,” I told them. “We’ll have lots of catching up to do.”

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海聞在隔年夏天回來了，他的 頭髮長長地落在肩上，我們 都經歷了許多風霜。他説 是來燙髮的，當問及原 因時，他告訴我幾年前 他說的那句話:“我一直 在尋找新的東西”。原 來，海聞不僅是頭髮有 變化，他已申請到碩士 學程，將在一個多月後搬 到芝加哥學習服裝設計， 我為他感到高興。我把他 領到紫菱髮廊，跟他聊起我 也曾有服裝製作的經驗，並與 當時許多女裁縫結為好友。海聞終 於燙好頭髮，展現出一款捲曲的新 髪型。我告訴他，我也一直在尋找 新的東西， 經歷了一年多的紛擾， 我的頭髮也漸漸長多、長長了，並 興奮地給他看我身上的一些嶄新壁 畫。海聞順道在一家麵包店買了蛋 糕，慶祝離別前的最後一次相聚。 我告訴他：“等你的頭髮長到兩倍長 的時候，一定要回來找我！”“讓 我們好好聊聊。”

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