Bodhi rain

Author: Huang Yuxin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-09-01
Features: In the heart of Berlin, a straight street lined with six rows of lime trees stretches from the famous Brandenburg Gate southward to Alexanderplatz. Known as "Unter den Linden," this historic street offers a glimpse into the past. Through a time tunnel, one can almost see the 17th-century Elector of Brandenburg riding high atop his horse along this tree-lined avenue, with the sound of Frederick the Great's cavalry hooves echoing in the distance.
Unter den Linden No. 2 was once the magnificent arsenal of the 17th century. Today, it has become the German Historical Museum and is located opposite the Royal Palace, where the Treaty on the Final Settlement of the German Question was signed. The Opera Palace, connected to the Royal Palace by a bridge, served as the residence of Prussian princesses in the 19th century. Along the way, other historical landmarks include the Federal Center Memorial, the Maxim Gorky Theater, Humboldt University, the National Opera, and St. Hedwig’s Cathedral.
This 1.2-kilometer-long, 60-meter-wide street encapsulates the glories and vicissitudes of Germany’s past. It bears witness to Berlin’s transformation from the capital of Prussia’s "German Empire" in 1871 to the artistic hub of the Weimar Republic, from Hitler’s "Reichstag Fire" to the city’s division into East and West in 1961. On a late night in 1961, a high wall suddenly rose between East and West Berlin, separating families and bloodlines. From then on, the city was ruled by two social systems until one day in 1989, when the wall, once deemed indestructible, was breached by an excited crowd and collapsed irrevocably. The following year, with Germany’s reunification, Berlin once again regained its status as the capital.
This book records the author’s reflections on this street. Whether in passionate songs or gentle lullabies, these thoughts are a true reflection of life as seen through my eyes. Like scattered raindrops in the sky above Berlin, these musings drift and fall upon Unter den Linden.