We were living in the far West of China, 1800 miles from the sea, 800 miles beyond the reach of steamers, and against its becoming too hot in Chung-king, a large city, the commercial capital of Szechuan, all shut in by walls, and so full of houses as not to have an available breathing space left empty, we had rented a hill side on which to build ourselves a Summer cottage. But the Magistrate had stopped our building on the pretext that the country people were so much opposed to foreigners he dared not sanction our living amongst them; then made a great favour of having persuaded a certain Farmer to have us as tenants, and suggested that, if we went out to him for three months, perhaps gradually the people might become accustomed to us.

我們當時住在中國的西部，離海洋有一千八百英里，距離蒸汽船可到達的地方八百英里之外。由於重慶（Chung-king），這座龐大的城市——四川（Szechuan）的商業首府，被高牆圍住，房屋密集到幾乎沒有任何空地可供透氣，為了避免天氣過熱，我們租了一處山坡，準備在那裡建一間夏日小屋。但地方官以鄉下人極為反對外國人為由，禁止我們建房，並聲稱他不敢允許我們住在那裡；然後，他假裝做了極大的恩惠，說服了一位農夫願意租房給我們，並建議我們住上三個月，或許當地人漸漸就會習慣我們了。

It was very hot in the daytime and all day long I was shut up in the one Farm house sitting-room, so I started a Diary for much the same reason probably, that I have often observed people do so on a Sea Voyage. They generally do not keep it up till the end, neither did I; but I noted down everything I could observe of interest, as long as I wrote in it, and here it is, recalling many simple pleasures and some painful days.

白天非常炎熱，我整天都待在農舍唯一的起居室裡。於是我開始寫日記，理由可能和我常見人們在海上航行時開始寫日記的原因差不多。他們通常不會堅持寫到最後，我也一樣；但只要我還在寫，我就記錄下所有我覺得有趣的事情。這裡呈現的是那段日記，回憶了許多簡單的樂趣，也有一些痛苦的日子。

            "Sorrow and Shine is Life, little Annie, Flower and Thorn.”

           「悲傷與光輝便是人生，小安妮（Annie），花與刺並存。」