英语新闻丨颐和园“最强扫地僧”：热爱古建筑，日行四万步，不想当网红

A short video showing a member of the cleaning staff at the Summer Palace in Beijing explaining Buddhist scenic spots drew a lot of traffic on different social media platforms recently, with netizens marveling at his mastery of traditional Chinese culture.

近日，一段北京颐和园保洁员向游客介绍佛教景点的短视频爆火，网友纷纷对这位熟练掌握中国传统文化的保洁员赞叹不已。

He has been dubbed the most powerful cleaning monk by netizens, originally appearing in Chinese writer Louis Cha's novel Tianlong Babu (demigods and semi-devils) as an unknown martial art master who disguises himself as a cleaning monk in the Shaolin Temple in Henan province.

网友称他为“最强扫地僧”，原型出自中国作家金庸的小说《天龙八部》。小说中的人物是不知名的武林高手，扮作河南省少林寺扫地的僧人。

In the video, the worker, Zhang Xu, 40, explains the cultural connotations of the sites to several tourists, who were doing research.

视频中，40岁的清洁员张旭向几名做研究的游客介绍了景点的文化内涵。

What makes it special is his recitation of a list of dozens of hard-to-pronounce Buddhist sites. He speaks with such ease and confidence that it seems he is doing a tongue twister. People thought he must be a tour guide or expert, yet he was wearing the uniform of a janitor and holding a broom.

最特别的是张旭背出了一连串拗口的佛教景点。他说起来轻松自信，像是在说绕口令。人们还以为他是导游或者专家，但他穿着门卫的工作服，手里拿着扫帚。

After his explanation, Zhang smiled and returned to his work as though nothing had happened.

讲解结束后，张旭笑着继续做起了他的工作，像什么都没发生过一样。

The video was posted by the researchers on social media platforms on Oct 7 and immediately became a trending topic online. Netizens expressed amazement at how ordinary people can become experts in certain areas.

10月7日，这段视频被研究人员发到了社交媒体平台上，立刻引起了热烈讨论。网友感叹，一个普通人也可以在特定的领域成为专家。

"In Beijing, no matter what you do, you can acquire a deep understanding of history and culture. Sometimes ordinary people are willing to explain things to complete strangers in exchange for a simple thumbs-up," said one netizen on social media platform Xiaohongshu.

一位网友在社交媒体平台小红书上说道，“在北京，无论你从事什么工作，你总能对历史和文化有深入的理解。有时大家都很乐意为陌生人进行讲解，只为得到对方简单的肯定。”

Zhang is better than regular tour guides, and the palace should offer him a job as a docent, another commented.

另一位网友评论道，“张旭比普通的导游还要好，园区应该安排他去做讲解员。”

Zhang lives in Beijing's Yanqing district. He said he had not thought of becoming famous online, as he only wanted to help the tourists who seemed puzzled. He told Beijing Daily that he had been interested in architecture since he was a child. His father works in the construction industry.

张旭住在北京延庆区。他说他没有想过成为网红，因为他只是想帮助遇到困惑的游客。他告诉北京日报的记者，他从小就对建筑感兴趣。他的父亲从事建筑工程行业。

He himself has been a security guard and construction worker and has always had a strong interest in traditional architecture. He often refers to books or finds information online in his spare time.

张旭做过保安，当过建筑工，也一直对传统建筑有浓厚的兴趣。他经常在空闲时翻看相关书籍或上网查找资料。

Zhang joined the cleaning staff at the palace in late 2021 and is required to walk about 40,000 steps inside the palace every day, so he knows a lot about it.

张旭于2021年底成为了颐和园的清洁员，每天要在园区步行约4万步，所以对一切都非常熟悉。

"The traditional architecture of the palace is not just an assembly of bricks and layers. These elements are friends who have deep history and know how to speak to people who understand them," he said.

张旭说，“颐和园的传统建筑并不仅仅是堆砌的砖瓦。这里的一砖一瓦都是饱含历史的朋友，能够同懂这段历史的人交谈。”

They are historic marvels with distinctive Asian aesthetic, he said.

他认为这些砖瓦都是承载着独特亚洲艺术的历史奇迹。

The Summer Palace is a well-known imperial garden originally built during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and served as a retreat for emperors to escape the summer heat and engage in political and recreational activities.

颐和园最早建造于清朝（1644-1911），是一座远近闻名的皇家花园，也是当时皇帝夏季避暑、参与政治及娱乐活动的去处。

The palace complex spans a vast area and is renowned for its beautiful landscaping, featuring an artificial lake, numerous pavilions, bridges, temples and gardens.

园区占地面积广大，景色秀美，以人造湖、数不尽的亭、桥、寺和花园而闻名。

The most powerful cleaning monk

n.最强扫地僧