What kind of city is Glasgow?

Glasgow is a city full of discoveries and surprises.

Unlike London's emphasis on modernity or Edinburgh's emphasis on history, Glasgow is difficult to describe as a "flagship city", but it has a rather distinct sense of hierarchy: the 18th and 19th centuries were the heyday of Britain, during which Glasgow enjoyed great honor as the "second city of the British Empire".

As the third most populous city in Europe, after London and Paris, with a population of one million, it was the center of the world's shipbuilding industry during the Industrial Revolution. The heavy cranes on the banks of the River Clyde tell this vivid industrial narrative; at the same time, some of the best brains that changed the world came from Glasgow.

The names of Adam Smith, Kelvin, Watt, Owen and Pence have left a deep impression on human history and brought a unique humanistic atmosphere to this city. They used their own thoughts and behaviors to influence the development and path of human society, and helped to shift the laws of operation of all things in the world, while also expressing their love for this land. For Glasgow, that was the most glorious era.

The setting sun is infinite, but unfortunately, it only shines brightly in one breath. The sound of gunfire from the two world wars echoed through the British Isles, and Glasgow played an important role in it: the Scottish Rifle Regiment and the Royal Air Force both had Glaswegians involved, and thousands of bus drivers rushed to serve on the battlefield. They fought bravely in the British air battle, the North African battlefield and the Normandy landings, deserving of the honor of the "fine red line". Wreaths and monuments are the best symbols of this time in history that will never be forgotten.

After the war, the empire of the never setting sun slowly came to an end, and Glasgow also embarked on a long path of transformation - the once glorious manufacturing industry gradually declined, replaced by emerging financial services and art and cultural industries. Glaswegians, with a love of art, have painted various and lifelike graffiti on the exterior walls of many buildings, from city guardians to small animals, from university classrooms to space satellites, all of which can become objects of artistic creation; Glasgow's football teams are also eye-catching, and the same city rivalry between Rangers and Celtics always catches everyone's attention. These emerging industries have injected new vitality into the city.

The name Glasgow in Scottish Gaelic is "Glaschu", which means "green space". Just like its namesake, there is an abundance of green plants and forestry that "come late in autumn after the new rain in the empty mountains", as well as the riverbanks that "wander with the sky and clouds". People and nature are incredibly close here.

Today, as I stroll along the banks of the River Clyde, or in churches and museums, blowing through every breeze, stepping on every brick and stone, everything that this city has experienced, from glory to decline and then to revival, from industrial pearls to the city of art, from the capital of thought to Scottish warriors, is so vivid and surging in my mind. Perhaps this diverse blend is precisely where Glasgow's unique charm lies. I recall a friend saying, "Glasgow is a city full of miracles and discoveries." Yes, Glasgow is such a city, its story is so fascinating, full of discoveries, and full of miracles.

Lu Naxi is a postgraduate student majors in international relations in University of Glasgow.

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