Wherever I am,I find it hard to resist the tempting call of my hometown.Situated at the north-western tip of Xin-zhu County,bordering Tao-yuan County with a small winding stream is my old hometown,the humble and bleak fishing and farming village.The residents there used to make their living by fishing in their boats on the nearest waters of the Taiwan Strait.Later,those boats were heavily outrun by modern ships.Since then,life has never been easy for the villagers,as they have to live off the tiny pieces of land.I often feel that they are peasants rather than farmers.The village is famed for its windy weather,bad for farming but good for the strengthening of character.I can still recall how those salty winds howled all the way through my childhood.But as I now look back upon those tough days and drab rural lives,I feel blessed; I seem to have gone through the ordeal and am capable of facing any hardships.As I am growing older,in my heart,my hometown has become the symbol of the deepest nostalgia and stood for an everlasting affection.I,in turn,can always seek solace through visualizing my lovely hometown.
无论我身在何处,总觉得很难抗拒故乡诱人的呼唤.朴实而显荒凉的故乡,位於新竹县西北隅,仅以一蜿蜒小溪与桃园县接壤,是一农渔兼具的村庄.居民过去在台湾海峡近海水域,以小船捕鱼维生,稍后,小船远不敌现代化船舶.从此,大多数村民的生活,就不曾安逸,因为他们必须依赖小小农地过活.我常觉得他们是小农,而非一般的农夫.村子以多风闻名,刮风的天气,对农耕不利,却有益於强化性格,我仍旧清晰地记得,童年时期咸咸的风总是吹个不停.可是当我现在回顾那段艰苦的日子和沈闷的乡野生活,反倒觉得很有福气；似乎觉得已经通过了严厉的试炼,而现在任何苦难都能面对.年纪渐长,心里觉得故乡已经象徵最深沈的乡愁,也代表永恒的依恋,而我只能藉著慕想故乡的影像以寻求慰藉.
