Old seagull Wu Qingheng

Ten Years' Sacrifice of "Old Seagull" —— A true fairy tale of a winter in Kunming more than ten years ago

"If photography hadn't found this old seagull, the old man, together with his story with the seagull, would have been lost in the grass, unknown and remembered." Photographer Li Zhixiong turned on the computer. With the music of sarah brightman's Eternal Love, the story of "The Old Man and the Sea Gull" was left to Kunming people forever with precious images.

"Every time I show this burnt film to my students, they will cry." Li Zhixiong, who teaches photography, said while demonstrating photos.

/kloc-one day after 0/995, I had a rest at the Shadow Friends Salon opened by my friends in Cuihu. Chatting, I found an old man feeding seagulls across the street. He is different in feeding seagulls. Instead of throwing it around, he put the food on the railing until the seagulls finished eating, and then put some more until the seagulls finished eating. The next day, I saw him in the same place, feeding the seagulls. Chatting with friends, saying that the old man has been here for two days. The friend who opened the shop said that the old people often come.

I chatted with the old man with my camera. At first, the old man ignored me and didn't want me to take pictures. Later, I asked him if he was from the environmental protection department. The old man said excitedly, "Who said I was from the environmental protection department?" I am a worker. "At that moment, with my sensitivity to this theme, I knew that this old man would be a very important theme.

I chatted with the old man slowly, and our constant contact made us friends. He told me that he graduated from the National The National SouthWest Associated University and was accused of being a rightist because of his radical ideas. I was also sentenced to prison for cooking for me at a colleague's house and being accused of breaking the military marriage. After that, he avoided communicating with others. Seagulls are the only person he talks to. There was once a female photographer who wanted to take pictures of him, but she was refused by the old man very rudely. The photographer took pictures of the old man from a distance.

After getting along for a long time, I gradually understand the situation of the old man. The retirement salary for the elderly is 308 yuan per month. During the seagull's visit to Kunming, half of the old man's salary was used to buy the seagull's food. Every morning after breakfast, the old man takes the seagull food prepared the night before and feeds it to the seagulls in the city. He doesn't want to take a bus with fifty cents. Old people walk 10 kilometers into the city, and often arrive at Cuihu to feed the seagulls after noon 12. The old man will walk back to Kunming Chemical Plant in the western suburbs before 3 o'clock. When I was eating in the factory, I picked up some steamed bread thrown away by others. When I get home at night, I cut the steamed bread into pieces, and then make seagull food with flour, sugar and eggs I bought for seagulls, and bring them to seagulls the next day, and so on.

When the old man feeds the gulls, he will talk to them endlessly. Look, his eye contact with seagulls is completely spiritual. Seagulls are familiar with the old man, like the seagull with only one foot rescued by the old man. The old man called it "a foot". As soon as the old man shouts, one foot will jump out of the water, along with other gray shirts and czars. The old man has many familiar elf friends.

At this time, I will step back to take pictures and leave him alone. The old man once asked me to give him photos. Give him a set after the photo shoot. I also promised to show the old man where seagulls sleep at night.

I haven't seen the old man for two days. Suddenly, I saw the old man wearing a brand-new hand-sewn suit, stumbling to Cuihu to feed the seagulls. The old man was very weak, and sat by the Cuihu Lake and fed the seagulls in an arched curve. I greeted the old man. The old man said that he was ill these two days and only ate a bowl of noodles for three days. He felt better today and came to see the seagulls. At that time, I didn't find anything after taking photos. I didn't see the old man the next day, and I didn't wait for the old man the third day. The fourth day, I suddenly had an idea that something might have happened to the old man. As soon as this idea came out, I immediately called my friends at Camellia and the TV station. We immediately bought some tonics and drove to see the old man. I didn't know it was too late. The old man died the night before.

There is only one bed and an English-Chinese dictionary in the old man's room. Master Bao, a neighbor, said that the old man was reluctant to buy a radio for more than ten dollars. He likes listening to Beijing opera, and asks Master Bao to amplify the sound when he plays it. The only valuable things at home are six eggs and a small bag of flour, which are for seagulls. The master of the factory retirement office said that the elderly have never reimbursed medical expenses for more than 30 years. I just caught a cold before I died. There is a picture of a little seagull hanging in front of the old man's bed. It is said that he spent the money from 3 yuan and asked a photographer from Cuihu Park to help him take it. The seagulls in the picture are very small. I'm so sad to see it. I didn't do two things that I promised the old man. One thing is to give the old man a set of photos of him and seagulls, and the other thing is to take him to see where seagulls sleep. I can't believe I stood you up ...

Li Zhixiong said here, silent, stretched out his hand to wipe his eyes.

We published the obituary of the death of the old man in Cuihu. I enlarged the last photo of the old man to 24 inches and held a memorial service for the old man in Cuihu. Many people recognized the old seagull. Many people signed the photo and filled in all the blanks in the photo. The strangest thing is that seagulls stood in front of the old man's portrait for a long time. When we wanted to take a picture, the seagulls jumped up and almost flapped their wings.

When we saw the old man off, many people came to Kunming. Wang Zijiang, a teacher from the Bird Association, took a taxi to Anning Funeral Home. No eulogy, no mourning, friends came with photos of seagulls, put them in the arms of the old man, and turned to ashes with the old man.

Li Zhixiong said that the old man changed my lens. My lens is now more aimed at ordinary little people, and their joys and sorrows deeply infect and touch me.

And the photos of the old seagulls made Li Zhixiong win the gold medal of "Man and Nature" in the sixth news award.

Li Zhixiong also photographed several families who loved gulls after the old people, but "they didn't regard gulls as an indispensable part of life, as necessities of life, as their own children, and people were more embellishments of life, like the old people."