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But at the time I am going to talk about, around 2,500 years ago,
我要講述的那個時期里，大約在公元前2500年，
all this was yet to come, though China was already a vast and ancient kingdom.
這一切還全都沒有，雖然當時的中國已經是一個古老又龐大的國家。
In its fields many millions of hard-working peasants grew rice and other crops,
這個國家當時就已經有好幾百萬勤勞的農民，
while in the towns people strolled through the streets in sumptuous, silken gowns.
他們種植大米和其他糧食，而在城市里人們身穿絲綢衣服款款而行。
Over all these people a king ruled, and beneath him many princes who governed the many provinces of this immense country,
但是在皇帝統治下的這些人中還有各諸侯，這個龐大國家的各個地區分賜給這些諸侯，歸他們統治，
which was larger than Egypt, and larger than Assyria and Babylonia put together.
這個國家比埃及大，比亞述和巴比倫加在一起還大。
But soon these princes had become so mighty that the king could no longer command their obedience.
但不久這些諸侯便強大得不聽皇帝的號令。
They were constantly at war with each other, the big provinces gobbling up the smaller ones.
各路諸侯經常互相爭斗，大的省吞并小一些的省。
And because the empire was so vast that in all its corners the Chinese spoke quite different languages,
由于這個國家如此之大，以至連國家各邊遠地區的中國人也都講完全不同的語言，
it would probably have fallen apart altogether had they not had one thing in common. This was their script.
中國可能已經四分五裂了，假如他們沒有一種共同的東西的話：這就是他們的文字。
