The winter dates in Huanghua, Hebei are famous, but Li Linqing's family does not grow winter dates, and the crops are mainly wheat and corn, which are only for subsistence.
In Dongwan Village, Lin Qing, 21, is like an outsider — he has severe autism. Since graduating from elementary school at the age of 15, he has been staying in the village, with no job and no friends.
Now, he is busy with three things a day: drawing, cutting paper, and doing housework. Two years ago, that calm was shattered by the news that 6 of his paintings had sold for 1500 yuan after being exhibited in South Korea.
The mother Zhang Shuxia burst into tears, which was the first money her son earned in his life. The villagers who have been protecting Lin Qing and painting and modeling for him are also praised: I didn't expect that this baby usually didn't say a word, but was still a painter.
Not long after, Lin Qing earned a second amount of money: 2154 yuan. Unlike the stories of most autistic young painters, Lin Qing is a native of the countryside, and her parents have not even graduated from junior high school.
Group photo of Li Linqing and her mother Zhang Shuxia
The third child is finally a son, but has autism
The first two children were girls, and Zhang Shuxia sighed: "In the countryside, we all want to have a boy." ”
In 2001, the 36-year-old Zhang Shuxia was punished for giving birth to Lin Qing, despite being punished. Unexpectedly, my son still couldn't speak when he was 4 years old.
Someone in the village told Zhang Shuxia that this is called "noble people are late in speaking."
But she felt that something was wrong, her son didn't even pay attention to his father and mother, who had a "noble" look?
At Tianjin Children's Hospital, Lin Qing was diagnosed with autism. Zhang Shuxia's heart is a mess, this autism, what is it?
Zhang Shuxia, who rarely stepped out of the village before, took her son everywhere to seek medical advice. In Cangzhou, the "big city" closest to Dongwan Village, in hospitals and intervention institutions, dozens or hundreds of autistic children appeared in front of her.
She chose a private intervention agency with a monthly intervention fee of 900 to 2,000 yuan. Every Sunday, Zhang Shuxia always carried a large bag and a small bag, dragged Lin Qing, and rushed to Cangzhou by bus for more than two hours.
Lin Qing's father is a driver of a unit and sometimes sends the two women there. In order to support the family, he was busy like a top most of the time.
Zhang Shuxia's focus was on intervention, the two girls were forced to become left-behind children, only on weekends can see their mother, knowing that their mother is in a bad mood, the sisters do not dare to cry, so they have to meet and paste Zhang Shuxia.
During that time, Zhang Shuxia was like a sponge absorbing water to supplement intervention knowledge. After 8 months, she couldn't hold on, and the cost of intervention kept rising, plus rent and fares, making the family unsustainable. Zhang Shuxia cried and dragged Lin Qing back to the yellow land, cutting wheat and harvesting corn and soybeans, which were both rations and cash crops for the family.
Today, a corner of East Bay Village
For the decision of that year, Zhang Shuxia will choke up after mentioning it more than ten years later, "Maybe Lin Qing is looking for a better institution, the teacher is more professional, and he will be better now?" ”
Lin Qing, who returned home, did not let his parents worry less. Not only does he not like to communicate, but he also harms himself, and he bites the back of his hand to the wound and piles it up, and finally stacks it into layers of thick cocoons.
As soon as the mood rises, he smashes dishes and smashes glass. Another time, when the adults were not paying attention, a torch burned a large hole in the curtain.
In the face of such a son, Zhang Shuxia can only grit her teeth and intervene at home. She had little expertise, just a thought, and taught him the rules of survival, skills, and simple principles.
Seven years at the same table as the iron hit
Zhang Shuxia's most tormented thing is not Lin Qing's tantrum, but children of the same age carrying school bags through mother and son.
When Lin Qing was 8 years old, Zhang Shuxia begged the kindergarten in the village for everything, and she tossed Lin Qing in as an accompaniment.
Mothers and children who are obviously overaged are particularly prominent in the doll pile. At first, the teacher and classmates were not used to it, and Zhang Shuxia was also embarrassed.
But Lin Qing adapted quickly, performed well, and entered the primary school with his kindergarten classmates the next year, while Zhang Shuxia continued to accompany him.
In order not to disturb the classroom, mother and son sat in the last row of the classroom. Lin Qing couldn't keep up with the recitation, couldn't take notes, and the teacher naturally wouldn't order him. The students played the game and had a good time, but Lin Qing never had the will or ability to play with everyone.
Zhang Shuxia has always protected Lin Qing very well, only once, a boy in the outer class teased Lin Qing in the toilet, and after the teacher got the truth, he did justice for Lin Qing.
But in the past 7 years, Zhang Shuxia is very grateful to her teachers and classmates for their care and tolerance for her son, which has enriched the life of an autistic patient.
Children love to draw, but they give their mothers headaches
"In the whole elementary school, he didn't make a single friend." Zhang Shuxia said. Nowadays, Some of Lin Qing's classmates are studying at university, some are migrant workers, and some even start a family... Peers have stepped into the possibilities of life, and Lin Qing seems to have stopped at a certain point in time.
In the autumn of graduating from primary school, Lin Qing's classmates rode their bicycles to the town's junior high school one by one, and Zhang Shuxia thought about it again and again and stopped sending Lin Qing.
"I don't have the time or strength." Zhang Shuxia said she felt that the junior high school environment was too complicated for Lin Qing, and she was afraid that her adolescent classmates would discriminate and bully her children.
She wanted to send her son to a special school, but because she was two years old, she ate a closed door.
After returning to the village, Zhang Shuxia found that although Lin Qing could not control his behavior and emotions, but give him a pen, he could concentrate on drawing the cartoon characters in his eyes.
When the villagers saw Lin Qing's paintings, they all asked Zhang Shuxia to ask a "Bole" to cultivate him. Zhang Shuxia, who knows nothing about art, is worried, the primary school in the village has no professional painting teacher, where to find it? Helpless, she can only let the children create freely on the drawing paper.
"At that time, I didn't dare to think about what to do in the future." Zhang Shuxia originally thought that she could only get by and live, until 2018, she met Wang Ping.
In the face of misfortune, the people who are united
In the autism circle in Cangzhou, Hebei Province, Wang Ping is well-known.
Similar to the experience of rice and millet founder rice, Wang Ping's daughter was once misdiagnosed as autistic at the age of 2.
At that time, she had no language, could not go to kindergarten, and could not attend early education classes. Desperate, the mother and daughter walked into a special education school, and Wang Ping heard rows of parents whispering, "Here comes another one."
There are also parents who are distressed about Wang Ping's daughter, and use a warm tone and exaggerated expression to tease her, baby, come, call Auntie.
Understood by the autistic parents who did not know each other, at that moment, Wang Ping still lingered. Later, Wang Ping's daughter was only temporarily stunted. After stepping out of the autism circle, Wang Ping insisted on doing something for this vulnerable group.
In 2016, Wang Ping joined forces with some autistic parents to found the Autism Mutual Aid Organization Xingyue Society in Cangzhou. She studied graphic design and worked as an e-commerce business, but she is neither a parent of autistic children nor a special education teacher, what can she do for these children?
Group photo of Lin Qing and Wang Ping
Born in the countryside, her family was poor when she was a child, but her mother would take a big group photo with her family to the town every year, which inspired Wang Ping, who decided to organize a birthday party for the autistic family once a month, get together to celebrate, and then take a good photo for everyone.
As the influence of the Star Moon Society grew, Wang Ping's horizons also expanded, and she invited professional teachers to open interest classes in painting, paper cutting and calligraphy.
Chen Yixuan is a teacher in the painting class, she graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts of Hebei Normal University, and she is also the mother of an autistic child.
But her children don't like to draw, and it consumes a lot of her time and energy. Obsessed with the pursuit of art, she is bent on finding a balance between life and ideals.
At the beginning, Wang Ping's "Three Gu Maolu" style invitation also invited Chen Yixuan, who was exhausted. After witnessing the paintings of autistic people, she was immediately struck by the innocent, unadorned, and charming brushstrokes.
In this way, Chen Yixuan began to support parents in the WeChat group, teaching children basic techniques and commenting on their paintings.
"I didn't provide much substantive help, which is different from a normal lecture." Chen Yixuan said that she and the Star Moon Society hope that parents can learn to interact positively, look at their children's efforts with an appreciative eye, and encourage their children's actions.
Lin Qing is one of Mr. Chen's students, and he has always been encouraged and affirmed. After receiving professional guidance, the subject matter of Lin Qing's paintings gradually became richer, from the initial cartoon characters, to the trees, fields and sky in her hometown, and finally to the people around her.
Painting materials also advanced from pencils, crayons and colored pens in the beginning to watercolors, gouache and acrylic.
Lin Qing painted the neighbors
The painter needs a model, and after painting the family, the neighbors who are familiar with Lin Qing took the initiative to become his model in order to support him. In order to cooperate with Lin Qing's painting, the neighbors could maintain a posture for more than half an hour.
Cross the ocean to participate in the exhibition
Zhang Shuxia does not think that Lin Qing is a genius of painting, she said: "Lin Qing can embark on this road, all rely on everyone's help. ”
At the beginning of 2020, Wang Ping learned that an institution in Zhejiang was going to hold an exhibition of autistic children's paintings, and she immediately organized parents to register. With the mentality of trying it out, Zhang Shuxia, under the guidance of the teacher, selected 6 works of her son and sent them to Zhejiang for exhibition.
This group of paintings is called the "Ocean" series
"Oil paintings are more textured and suitable for competition. Lin Qing has both characteristics in the composition layout and color matching, and also shows a personal attitude. Chen Yixuan introduced.
At that exhibition, Lin Qing's works were selected and he crossed the ocean to South Korea to participate in the Exhibition of Autistic Artists in China, Japan and South Korea.
Soon after, Wang Ping told Zhang Shuxia the news that Lin Qing's 6 paintings were all bought and collected by a caring person, and all of them were transferred to Zhang Shuxia for 1500 yuan.
Zhang Shuxia cried. She was ready to take care of him for the rest of her life, and she didn't dare to think that he could make money on his own.
Shortly after selling the first group of paintings, Lin Qing's paintings were purchased by a second caring person, also transferred by WeChat, this time with an additional 654 yuan.
As for the first time, Zhang Shuxia posted the screenshot of the transfer chat in the circle of friends, she wanted to thank Wang Ping and Teacher Chen and the caring people who bought the paintings, and also wanted to give encouragement to other autistic families: Lin Qing, who has severe autism, has done it, and your children can too.
Is selling paintings the way out?
Everything that Zhang Shuxia was worried about, Lin Qing should not understand. He lacks a sense of honor and money. After the painting was sold, Zhang Shuxia shared the good news with him excitedly, saying: "My son is still happy in his heart. ”
After earning the first pot of gold, Lin Qing's works have won awards in the Cangzhou Painting Exhibition and the Provincial Youth Art Collection. Together with Wang Ping, the mother and son are still looking for a platform to showcase autistic children.
The progress of the mother and son made Wang Ping and Chen Yixuan and other teachers feel very pleased. At present, the Star Moon Society has been organizing caring people to teach autistic children to draw, cut paper, etc., and select suitable works for charity sale to help autistic families generate income.
The Star Moon Society exhibited paper-cut works by autistic people
In Wang Ping's view, no matter which way autistic people are employed, they need parents to continue to learn and grow up with their children.
The consensus between her and the parents and teachers around her is: don't panic about the difference between autistic children and their peers, and don't cling to "finding the same", and have to pull your children like other children.
Because the future is never just a thing.
Zhang Shuxia has always cultivated Lin Qing into a better self, able to take care of herself and learn to live. Now he can live peacefully with his family, have hobbies and persistence, and sell paintings in Buddhism. In his spare time, listening to his favorite red songs and watching war movies, he will be satisfied.
As for whether she can make a living by selling paintings, Zhang Shuxia said not to give up hope, but not to force it, as long as Lin Qing is happy.
His teacher, Chen Yixuan, believes that according to Lin Qing's ability level and not too many and more unstable resources, it is unlikely to make a living by selling paintings, but "it is not impossible, parents, caring people, various organizations and the whole society are taking action." ”
There may be countless autistic children like Lin Qing who have a passion for painting and painting and can't find a way out. Chen Yixuan suggested that parents should not deny their children first, and see that their children have not made much progress in painting in the short term, so they give up lightly.
Because autistic people receive information in different ways from ordinary people, and their expression is limited, they also have a rich heart, cognition and perception of the existence of the world. Painting may be a channel for them to express their emotions, a way of interacting with the world.
Writing | Bread Editor| Dangdang Editor-in-Chief | Qin Yu