1987年刘心武在美国哥伦比亚大学演讲时说了一件事:到了罗马尼亚,在那儿看见一张地图令我大吃一惊。我从小看惯的地图是中国在中央,美国在右方,一切很恰当。而这幅地图则不相同。中国居然在最右边。美国在最左边。我的惊讶表现出我的思维方式……中国是世界的中心,古代文明的中心,当代革命的中心。这张地图让我深切地认识到,地球是圆的,处处可能为中心,而哪里也不是中心。 When Liu Xinwu spoke at the University of Columbia in 1987, he said one thing: When he arrived in Romania, seeing a map there surprised me. The map I used to see as a child was China at the center and the United States on the right. Everything was appropriate. This map is not the same. China is actually at the far right. The United States is on the far left. My surprise shows my way of thinking... China is the center of the world, the center of ancient civilization, and the center of contemporary revolution. This map makes me deeply realize that the earth is round, everywhere it may be centered, and where it is not centered.