In 1988, when I was 25 years old, I was invited to participate in a nationwide children's literature conference held by the China Federation of Literature and Literature and the China Writers Association in Zhifu Bay, Yantai. Many of the children's literature predecessors who participated in the conference have now passed away, such as Chen Bochui, Tian Di, Pu Manting, Ren Dalin, Ren Daxing, Fan Fajia, Zheng Ma, Kang Zhiqiang (Mrs. Yan Wenjing) and so on. It was at this meeting that I met Mr. Chen Bochui, which was also the only chance I had to meet Elder Chen when he was alive.
At that time, he was already in his old age, and everyone respected him as "Elder Chen". He wore a light gray mountain suit, fresh and fresh, and the buttons were meticulously fastened. Thin and thin figure, full of silver wire, the voice is very small and soft.
Probably because among the participants, Chen Bo was the oldest and my age was the youngest, so during the meeting, when I went to Penglai Pavilion, Liugong Island and other scenic spots, the task of helping Chen Bolao fell on me.
It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get up close and personal with this old man. Chen Bo's spirit is strong, in fact, there is no need for me to support him, only when climbing higher stone steps, I will hold him arm in arm for a while. His body was so light and thin, like a small child. I helped him to climb Liugong Island, Danya Mountain and Penglai Pavilion together, and took a group photo under a famous plaque with the words "Moral Immortal".
When I sat on the side of the road and rested, I asked curiously: "Elder Chen Bolao, your name is very special, is there any special meaning in this?" Elder Chen Bo smiled and said, "Oh, I have been explaining this to my friends almost all my life." Then he carefully explained to me the ins and outs of his name. His original scientific name was "Ru Xi", and later when he was studying at a private school, mr. Shi changed his name to "Bo Chui", from the "Shijing Xiaoya He Rensi": "Bo Shi Chuan, Zhong Shi Blows." "Bo shi refers to the elder brother. Because he was the eldest of his brothers and sisters. When he first published his work in 1926, it was signed "Chen Bochui" as a pen name.
In 1996, Mr. Song Shuguang, a poet who worked at Tianjin Daily, asked me to write a manuscript celebrating Children's Day, and I gave him four small poems. Shuguang published "Four Children's Poems" in the supplement of Tianjin Daily, "Literature and Art". After these four poems were selected by the Selected Journal of Children's Literature, they were honored to win the 15th Chen Bochui Children's Literature Award. This is the first time I have received this award.
Ten years later, in 2006, at the invitation of Shanghai Youth Literature and Art, I wrote a reportage "Silent Lamplighter - Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Children's Literature Artist Chen Bochui", which selected several key moments in Chen Bo's life and told young readers some extraordinary life experiences and creative stories of this children's literature master. But after all, it is only a 10,000-word article, which cannot show the twists and turns and long life of the protagonist in detail. But since then, I have had a small wish: how good it would be if I could use a simple writing to write a relatively complete "The Story of Chen Bochui" for young readers!
"The Story of Chen Bochui" by Xu Lu
After another ten years, in 2016, I finally realized this long-cherished wish: the long biography I wrote, "The Story of Chen Bochui", was published by Guangxi Normal University Press. This is a piece of heart incense that I offer to commemorate the 110th anniversary of Chen Bolao's birth and the 20th anniversary of his death. On the back cover of the book, I wrote the following sentence: "Mr. Chen Bochui's life is the life of a young person." He devoted his life's work to sprinkle clear spring water on young shoots and seedlings. ”
The fate with Chen Bolao and the "Chen Award" is not over. The following year, I was honored to be invited to serve as the final judge of the 2017 Chen Bochui International Children's Literature Award, and two years later, my long children's novel "Pursuit" won the 2019 Chen Bochui International Children's Literature Award.
"Pursuit" by Xu Lu
The unquenchable light emitted by the red candle that Chen Bolao once praised in "The Candle of Light" praised the fire of human civilization in "The Gift of Mankind": "Burn a hot pot, and the mother and the child sit together... The house was as warm as spring. Recalling the past two or three times with Elder Chen Bo and the "Chen Bo Blowing Award", my heart is also full of spring-like warmth. (Xu Lu)