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　　During the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, the London District of Southward was prospering(繁荣), and a very important and far reaching development was taking place at an area lying just beside the church now known as Southward Cathedral(大教堂)．The Rose Theatre, the Swan, the Hope Playhouse and the Bear Garden, were set up here along with the famous Globe Theatre, in which Shakespeare acted．

　　William Shakespeare(1564～1616)was an English poet and playwright whose works are considered the greatest in English literature．He is honored in Southward Cathedral today by the modern memorial window in the south aisle(通道)．The window was designed by Christopher Webb in 1954, after an earlier window had been destroyed in the war, and describes characters from Shakespeare’s plays．Below it is a figure of Shakespeare, carved by Henry McCarthy in 1912, set against a background of seventeenth century Southward in relief(浮雕), showing the Globe Theatre, Winchester Palace and the Tower of St．Savior’s Church．This memorial was provided by public support and was finished in 1911, and every year a birthday celebration, attended by many great actors and actresses, is held here in honor of Shakespeare’s genius．Shakespeare’s brother Edmund was buried here in 1607, and although the position of Edmund’s grave is unknown, he is honored by a marked stone．

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　　Vancouver is a young city, even by North American standards．It was not yet a town when British Columbia became part of the Canadian confederation(联盟)in 1871．The city’s history, such as it is, remains visible to the naked eye：Periods of history are formed in a neat pile from east to west along the waterfront, from cobblestone late-Victorian Gastown to shiny postmodern glass cathedrals(大教堂)of commerce．

　　The Chinese, among the first to recognize the possibilities of Vancouver’s setting, came to British Columbia during the 1850s seeking the gold that inspired them to name the province Gum-shan, or Gold Mountain．As laborers, they built the Canadian Pacific Railway, giving Vancouver a purpose－one beyond natural scenery that Royal Navy captain George Vancouver admired during his lunchtime cruise(巡游)around its harbor on June 13, 1792．The Canadian transcontinental railway, along with the city’s Great White Fleet of ships, gave Vancouver a full week’s edge over the California ports in shipping tea and silk to New York at the end of the 19th century．

　　For its original people, the Coast Salish people, Vancouver was the sacred spot where the mythical(神话)Thunderbird and Killer Whale threw wind and rain all about the heavens during their brave battles．How else to explain the coast’s changeable weather? Devotees of a later religious(宗教)tradition might worship in the bushes of Stanley Park or Christ Church Cathedral, the city’s oldest church．

　　Vancouver, with a large population of about 2 million, is developing．The mild climate, beautiful natural scenery, and relaxed outdoor lifestyle is attracting many people to settle in British Columbia’s business center, and the number of visitors is increasing for the same reasons．Many people get their first sight of Vancouver when catching an Alaskan cruise, and many return at some point to spend more time there．