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"People" is a compulsory lesson

"People" is a compulsory lesson

By Lamonica AguirrePublished about a year ago 5 min read
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He was born in a remote mountain village in Yaoshan Town, Lushan County. His parents died one after another, making him taste the hardships of life too early. He lived in a low thatched hut, which leaked everywhere when it rained. However, at the age of 18, he made the incredible decision to complete his father's unfinished business and build a tile-roofed hut. This sounds like a crazy dream today, but it was a true story that happened in the countryside in the 1980s.

That summer, the inferno of coolies tortured his body and mind, throwing mud and making bricks until he almost collapsed. After that, he spent more than two months cutting wood up the mountain to make enough fuel to burn tiles and borrowed the old kiln of the production team to make bricks and tiles. The following spring, he went far into the mountains, cut off more than 200 rafters to build his house, and carried them back to the village on his weak shoulders. With the help of his fellow villagers, he built three new tile-roofed houses before the cold wave set in. He knelt at his father's grave and told him the good news.

He barely made it through high school because his family was poor. Having interrupted his studies, he was at a loss as he thought of the unknown future. At this time, Lu Yao's novel Life was playing on his neighbor's radio, and Gao Jialing's story ignited his literary dream. Under the dim tung oil lamp, he calmed down and absorbed his strength from the books. He never left his pen and paper. He would sit down to write in his spare time, and he would throw out his manuscripts one by one, only to find them all in the deep sea. At this time, almost obsessed with writing, he met a literature teacher, and under his guidance, he finally with unremitting efforts, the manuscript gradually appeared in the newspaper. With the increasing volume of manuscripts, he has been a little famous in the local.

On the recommendation and guidance of his teacher, he became a temporary staff member of the county broadcasting bureau. For this hard-won job, he took out the spirit of hard work, not afraid of difficulties and risks, and in-depth news scenes. It only took two years for him to be accepted as a formal reporter because of his outstanding work. In the following years, he became the most published reporter in the county Broadcasting Bureau, and dozens of news works were awarded successively.

As a journalist walking at the forefront of society, he came into contact with all kinds of people living at the bottom of the world. In the face of those eager eyes, he seemed to see himself in those days. Because of the dream of your dream, because of the pain of your pain, he can understand their inner helplessness. Think of himself along the way, there have been many hands holding him, pushing him, leading him on the journey of pursuing dreams. He made up his mind to give back to society, and help others as much as he could.

With his meager income, he sponsored nearly 40 students, so that those poor students can continue their study dream. He rewrote the fate of a village in Thrushcross Valley by using journalism to help the poor. Together with many volunteers, he went to the scene of snow, ice, and earthquake disasters... However, many people know his name because of his love affair with Guizhou Water Cellar.

In the spring of 2005, he was moved by Xu Benyu's story of volunteering as a teacher and first stepped on this barren land in Guizhou. It was this spiritual journey to the plateau that gave him an indissoluble bond with Guizhou. Harsh living conditions in Guizhou, villagers along the rugged mountain road back water figure...... All of them beat at his heart. He donated 24,000 yuan, which he had accumulated for years, to help villagers build 30 water cellars. Later, under his influence and inspiration, people from all walks of life extended their loving hands and donated 167 "Henan water cellars". His good deeds attracted widespread attention in the local area, and more people took an active part in this public welfare activity. Up to now, the number of "Henan Water cellars" initiated and assisted by him has reached 1,080.

His deeds spread throughout the Central Plains and were warmly followed by netizens. The poet Yang Zhiguang wrote this line for him: I do not know, from Henan to Guizhou/the number of your tired feet rise and fall/only know, your bright red clothes/bright my eyes/bright the eyes of countless people/a flag, bright and dazzling/let all the footsteps of love/all happen to coincide with you...... At this point, many people already know his name. He is Zhang Chaocen, who won the honors of being Henan Province's Top Ten journalists and Henan Province's Top ten caring people.

Some people say that he is just a "three noes" journalist who is not rich financially and does all these things just to become famous. In the face of similar doubts and criticism, he has also struggled, not to mention the fact that he is in his 40s and has grown old and his health is deteriorating due to years of travel. However, he always listens to the call of his heart and walks on the road of charity without turning back, lighting himself up and warming others with love.

He explained his belief in life in one sentence: Since God has endowed me with the attributes of being a human being, the construction of this project has become my daily homework. After going through so many hardships, I still stick to the innocence and kindness in my heart, just to write a good "person", so that every moment will glow with the glory of life. It is under the support of this belief that he completed the magnificent turn from "rural boy" to "spiritual chivalrous man".

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About the Creator

Lamonica Aguirre

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