The Face Of China

EVERYBODY HAS A STORY

About

Let’s Dance

Beijing street dancers Lang Xin Long (left) and Liu Hong Wei (right)

中文

Liu Hong Wei and Lang Xin Long are two young, aspiring dancers who have moved to Beijing with dreams of stardom. On weekend evenings, they can be often be spotted dancing at a busy intersection in the heart of the city’s entertainment district. You can see videos of them performing here:





httpv://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjE4NTg1MTc2.html

httpv://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjE4NTg4MTA4.html

Lang Xin Long practices Michael Jackson-style moves, while Liu Hong Wei prefers Korean-style breakdancing. They are best friends, their relationship forged out of unity of purpose and plight. Their struggles are many and their goal is singular. Their stories are as follows:

Lang Xin Long (age 22):

Can you tell me about your early life? Where did you grow up?

I grew up on a wheat farm in Gansu (a remote province in northwest China). As a child, I helped out on the farm.

What schooling did you receive?

I attended primary school and junior high school. I dropped out when I was fourteen.

What happened after that point?

I ran away from home from home at age fourteen, due to suffering beatings at the hands of my father. I wanted to get as far away from home as possible, so I snuck onto a train bound for Urumqi in Xinjiang (the westernmost province in China). I haven’t been back since.

What did you have with you when you ran away?

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Down and Out in Beijing: The Story of a Migrant Beggar


Old Zhao in front of Propaganda nightclub in Wudaokou, Beijing

中文

“Old Zhao” is an elderly bearded beggar who spends his evenings working the streets of Wudaokou (五道口), in Beijing’s university district. After several years of plying his trade, Old Zhao, with the clinking of coins in his porcelain begging bowl, has become one of the most recognizable figures in the neighborhood. His story is a familiar one for tens of millions of working class Chinese people, even if his current choice of work is not.

For someone who has endured a lifetime of hardship and limited opportunities, he appears remarkably content with his current existence. We spoke with Old Zhao recently and found out what draws him to the indigent lifestyle.

How old are you? Where did you grow up?

I’m seventy years old. I was born in the village of Minquan, in Henan province.

Could you tell us about your early life?

I was a single child and grew up on a farm in Minquan. My mother was a cook and I learned how to cook from an early age. I picked crops on my family’s farm and also served as the village cook for the Production Team (Production Team was the basic accounting and farm production unit in the People’s Commune system that lasted from 1958 to 1984).

I got married at age twenty-four and had a son a couple years later. Now I have two grandchildren. We all lived and worked on the family farm, until three years ago, when I left. The farm has wheat, corn, and other crops. We have a self-constructed three-room house. We also have a backyard, with chickens, dogs, and pigs.

What do you think of Mao Zedong (Chairman Mao)?

He was the leader of the Revolution and the current leader of China is following in his example. I have nothing else to say.

Was life on your farm and in your community affected by the Cultural Revolution?

Not at all.

Did you attend school?

I attended one year of elementary school, but then dropped out to work on the farm. I can’t read and write. The only Chinese characters I understand are those for my name.

When did you first come to Beijing? Why did you decide to become a beggar?

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