Introduce Lebanon.

Lebanon, a small country, has always been a place where various international forces compete fiercely: Lebanon and Syria have a special relationship in history. During the 400 years of Ottoman rule, the two countries co-existed as "Greater Syria Province" for 350 years, and both were entrusted by France 1920. Since Lebanon's independence, Syria has always insisted on having special interests in Lebanon, and there are still 20 thousand Syrian soldiers stationed in Lebanon; The relationship between Lebanon and Palestine is very delicate. 1948 after the first middle east war, a large number of Palestinian refugees flooded into Lebanon, and various Palestinian armed forces harassed Israel from Lebanon many times, which directly led to the civil war in Lebanon. Up to now, nearly half a million Palestinian refugees are still stranded in Lebanon. Pro-Iran Hezbollah has established anti-Israel bases in southern Lebanon and Bekaa Valley, which complicates the relationship between Lebanon and Iran. Lebanon and Israel have been in a state of hostility. Although the border situation has eased after the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon, there are still many stimulating factors that aggravate this situation. Because the relationship between Lebanon and neighboring countries is complex and subtle, it is naturally difficult for Lebanon to be immune from the intertwined regional conflicts. After the Iraq war, the United States accused Lebanon of hiding Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, which the Lebanese government categorically denied.

If people can observe calmly, they will find that in addition to a Lebanon with numerous forces and complicated diplomatic relations, there is another Lebanon with beautiful mountains and rivers, intelligent people, long history and splendid culture. Ji Bolun, an Arab writer and famous poet with world reputation, wrote in his famous prose:

"You have your Lebanon and its problems, and I have my Lebanon and its magnificence. Your Lebanon is a political deadlock that time tries to solve; My Lebanon is a towering mountain. You Lebanese are all kinds of sects and political parties; My Lebanon is a teenager who climbs rocks, chases streams and plays ball in the square. "

Beautiful Lebanon not only appears under the poet's wonderful pen, but also appears in front of every visitor: here, the mountains are continuous, the forests are dense, and the sea and the sky are the same, which is completely different from the Arab world dominated by the desert Gobi. Because of the great temperature difference between the seaside and the mountainous areas in Lebanon at the turn of winter and spring, tourists can ski on the mountains and swim in the sea in one day. Therefore, the ski resort on the mountain is covered with snow, but the beach at the foot of the mountain is a cluster of colorful umbrellas, which has become a unique scenery in Lebanon. Beirut, the capital, is worthy of the reputation of "Little Paris in the Middle East". This city with white and red buildings as the main body is embedded between the blue Mediterranean and the lush lebanon mountains.

Lebanon in the Bible

Lebanon is famous for its profound cultural heritage. Around 3000 BC, the Phoenicians, the ancestors of the Lebanese, lived here. They are good at commerce and navigation, and have made important contributions to the exchanges between eastern and western civilizations. The 22 letters used by Phoenicians spread all over Europe through Greece, and many languages such as Greek, Latin and Slavic were derived, which can be described as the ancestors of letters in western languages. According to statistics, there are as many as 66 chapters in the Bible that mention Lebanon, which is located in the small town of Qana, southeast of the historic city of Sur 10 km. It is said that it is the place where Jesus performed the miracle of turning water into wine in the Gospel of John. Historically, Lebanon was occupied by ancient Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Macedonia, Rome, Byzantium, Arabia, European Crusaders, Osman and other powers, leaving the mark of different civilizations.

Prophet in China.

In modern times, Lebanon has become one of the cradles of Arab civilization. Being close to the Mediterranean, Christians have a large population, so they can better absorb European ideas and concepts and become an important window for Arabs to understand the western world. According to the famous historian Hitti, "the square yard of Arabs peeps into the outside world through this window." Several generations of Lebanese thinkers, writers, translators and publishers played a leading role in the modern Arab revival movement. Albert Haurani, an American scholar, devoted a chapter to nine Arab thinkers, four of whom came from Lebanon, in his masterpiece "Arab Thought in the Renaissance". The position of Lebanese writers is more prominent in modern Arabic literature. Among them, the school of studying in the United States, represented by Lebanese writers living in the United States, has become the most influential and successful school in the history of modern Arab literature. Ji Bolun, the leader of the three outstanding writers of American literature, is the most famous Arab writer in the world. His masterpiece The Prophet has been translated into 56 languages, with a total sales of over 7 million copies. Only nine years after the publication of The Prophet 1923, Mr. Bing Xin, who came into contact with this book by chance, was attracted by "the wonderful philosophy and fluent writing full of oriental flavor", so he translated this book from English into Chinese, so that China readers could see this wonderful flower of Arabic literature. A few years ago, daily prophet was selected as one of the 20th century 100 literary classics selected by China Reading News, which proves that Ji Bolun's masterpiece Thinking 1000 has countless bosom friends in China.

Lebanese literary circles are also proud of adonis, a contemporary poet and a popular candidate for Nobel Prize in Literature in recent years. The Syrian-born poet moved to Lebanon because he couldn't stand the repressive political atmosphere in his country. He has lived here for more than 30 years and obtained nationality. His long paper "Stability and Change" made a comprehensive criticism and revaluation of Arab traditional culture with rare courage, which caused widespread controversy in the Arab ideological circle. St Joseph's University in Beirut, where he studied, pushed for a doctorate, showing the same extraordinary courage and being a model of tolerance in Lebanese academic thought. Adonis, who has lived in France for many years, returned to Beirut at the end of last year, causing an uproar again. He gave a speech in Beirut today: Is this a real city or just a name? ""lashing out at Lebanon's political, social and cultural status quo, although the views are inevitably extreme and the words are inevitably sharp, has also caused a great discussion among Lebanese intellectuals about the social status quo and future. In fact, adonis's experience can reflect the tolerance of Lebanese society: the most radical, open, moderate and conservative ideas can coexist here.

Middle East Publishing Center

The prosperity of Lebanese culture is also reflected in the media, publishing, education and health. There are more than 600 newspapers and periodicals, 180 radio stations and more than 40 TV stations in Lebanon. The per capita media ownership is not only the highest in the Arab world, but also the highest in the world. Lebanese media are not only numerous but also of high quality. Many newspapers and periodicals are not only distributed in China, but also sold to many Arab countries. Exquisite and in-depth satellite TV programs also have high ratings in the Arab world. Lebanon's publishing industry has always enjoyed a high reputation. In the Arab world, there is a saying that "Egyptians write books, Lebanese publish books and Iraqis read books". In recent years, due to the war and other reasons, the cultural undertakings of some neighboring Arab countries have gone from bad to worse, while Lebanon has always firmly maintained its position as a publishing center in the Middle East. In bookstores in Arab countries, books with the most exquisite binding, unique topics and authoritative contents are often published in Lebanon. Lebanese people are generally well educated, and most of them can speak one or two foreign languages. Entrusted by France in modern times, French was widely used in Lebanon, and the signs of various shops and public facilities were marked in Arabic and French. When I was traveling in the mountainous areas of Lebanon, I asked the local people for directions several times and found that many farmers could speak English and French fluently besides Arabic, which was unbelievable.

The medical level in Lebanon is second to none in the Middle East. Lebanese doctors are famous for their superb medical skills. Before the departure of former Russian President Yeltsin, a doctor from Lebanon performed heart bypass surgery on him in the United States. In the early 1930s, Ma, the "great son of Lebanese people", obtained a postdoctoral degree in medicine in Switzerland, went to Shanghai, China, thousands of miles away, and then went to northern Shaanxi through the introduction of Soong Ching Ling. Since then, his life has been linked with China's revolution and construction, especially the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, and he has written a good story for the friendly relations between China and Lebanon.

Music, fashion and others

Lebanon's highly developed popular culture is also very distinctive. Lebanese musicians occupy almost half of the Arab world. Among them, Farouz, a female singer, is a famous artist in the contemporary Arab world, and her position is unparalleled. She is proudly called by Arabs as "the messenger sent by Arabs to the earth". Most of the beautiful, charming and hot singers, dancers and movie stars that the younger generation in the Arab world prefer are from Lebanon, although these stars are not without criticism in Lebanon. Lebanese fashion has a long-standing reputation in the Middle East. In recent years, Lebanese fashion designers are hot in Europe and America, and many people rank among the top fashion designers in the world. 40-year-old Yili Saab's fashion is favored by many Hollywood stars. In 2002, Harry Berry, the best actress at the Oscar, wore a gorgeous evening dress, which was made by Saab. He was also awarded the * * * and the National Medal by the Lebanese President. Lebanon is also famous for its beautiful women, and the beautiful women from Lebanon have been named Miss World for many times. Walking on the streets of Beirut and other cities, beautiful women with bright eyes and white teeth can be seen everywhere, and their clothes are fashionable and open. All these make foreign tourists linger, and it is hard to believe that they are in an Arab city. There are also many nightclubs, pubs, casinos and racetracks in Beirut, which are rare in the Arab world. These are mainly playgrounds of Christian communities in the east, which bring prosperity and noise to Beirut, and also form a huge contrast with the traditional, conservative and quiet atmosphere of Muslim communities in the west of the city.