Bi Xinyuan
Xinyuan Bi, Grade 19 Photography Major/Undergraduate, Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts:
In 1970, my father, Bi Mingtao, was born in Wendeng City, Shandong Province, the second eldest in the family and the eldest son in the family. In my memory, my father was always tall and serious, and this has never changed.
In the rural areas of the 1960s and 1970s, most people's families generally did not have enough to eat, clothing and warmth, forced to make a living, grandparents moved to Zhuanghe, Liaoning With a pair of children shortly after the birth of their father, and like many Shandong people, they left their hometown to "break into the Guandong". Later, he went north to Qiqihar, Heilongjiang, and then to Arong Banner in Inner Mongolia. To go to new places to try to open up, it can be seen that their courage and determination.
In 1972, this is a souvenir photo of my father's family of four when he was 2 years old, grandpa holding his aunt and grandma holding his father, due to the restrictions of family conditions, this is also the only photo of his father's childhood.
With the hard work and efforts of the grandparents, the conditions of the family have gradually improved, and they have several other children. In the past few years of living in the northeast, because of frequent moves, my father's primary school has also changed several times. In order to enable the children to receive a better education, in 1988, Grandpa moved back to his hometown in Shandong Province. The problems of living and living, the education and upbringing of children, everything has to start again. As the eldest son and pillar of the family, school, field, and family, my father had to rotate at three o'clock every day to help the family share the pressure.
Poverty was a common phenomenon in society at that time. Due to the large number of children in the family and the lack of living, Grandpa was really unable to support his father, who was still in high school, to continue to study, so he had to let his father drop out of school and return home, and let his father help the family. Father said that since dropping out of school, he often sat alone under a tree in a daze. How to escape from the countryside to change his destiny, he was worried, he was depressed.
At that time, enlistment was an opportunity, the only way out of the countryside except for college. Dedicated to the country, honored by the family, and changed the fate of the family. The slogan of "glorious enlistment in the army and defending the country" swept through the city and countryside like a tide, which was also the dream of a generation of young people in that era. Whenever he saw a soldier in the village who came back to visit his relatives, his father would immediately put down the matter in his hand and walk behind the people for half a day, as if he could also stain his luck. Sometimes the village organizes open-air movies, as long as it is about the subject of soldiers, my father will always actively rush to the front, afraid of not being able to sit in a good position and delay watching the movie. When he told me about these past events, he stood up on the couch.
In 1989, his father pulled his aunt and changed into a set of "military uniforms" in the photo studio, taking such a photo to satisfy his inner desire.
However, the family conditions are difficult, grandpa does not support his wishes, after missing two opportunities to recruit, the father secretly registered with the family. In March 1990, he finally received a letter of enlistment.
After enlisting in the army, my father cherished the hard-won opportunities, so he also actively performed, whether it was ordinary training or technical competitions organized by the army, the results could always be among the best. In 1997, my father was recommended to enter the Jinan Army Command School for systematic study and became an honorable OFFICER in the People's Liberation Army.
In 1990, my father (third from right) took a group photo with his comrades in the recruit company in Nanjing.
In the years when his father joined the army, he was most impressed by his participation in the flood relief in 1998. That year's flood was once in a hundred years, fierce and abnormal, and my father was ordered to lead a small team to transport sandbags from Zibo to Wuhan to block the water. Running day and night for three days and two nights, in the middle of which except for eating, going to the toilet and refueling, did not dare to stay for a minute, and followed the car in front of me to avoid falling behind. He recalled that when he arrived in the mountains, because the road was narrow and he could not get into the car, he and his comrades could only get out of the car and carry sandbags, several kilometers, and after several rounds of going back and forth, they could deliver all the things.
In the Spring Festival of 1997, my father returned home for the first time after becoming a soldier. His father, dressed in a cadet uniform, could see his inner excitement, and his grandparents were also sincerely happy and proud of his achievements.
In the Spring Festival of 1997, in the family portrait taken in the compound of my hometown, my grandparents sat in the front, and from left to right, my second aunt, eldest aunt, third aunt and sister-in-law were, and in the back row were my uncle, father and fourth sister-
In the photo, the second sister was also wearing a military uniform at that time, and under the influence of her father, she later joined the army and is now a glorious people's policeman. Later, the uncle and sister-in-law also entered the army, and the sister-in-law also joined the air force, so it can be said that the family of the father's generation can hang several "glorious home" nameplates.
In 1997, in the photo taken by his father and his second aunt near the Pier in Qingdao, the brothers and sisters were very happy, for the realization of their dreams and for the beautiful future of life.
In 1998, under the introduction of my fourth sister-in-law, my father and mother were able to meet. My mother was a nurse, and it happened that the fourth aunt was also interning in the hospital, and when she came and went, she inadvertently became a red bride. Looking back at the old photos of that year, the parents now seem to be living more and more.
In 1998, the parents were in love at the Jinan Botanical Garden.
This photo of the love period now seems very vivid - they should not be familiar with each other, whether it is dressed or the slightly awkward hand that the father put on the girl's shoulder, the breath of the times is coming. At that time, people were shy and shy, neither men nor women dared to take the initiative, subtle, or even dull, even holding hands could be happy for several days.
One year on Valentine's Day, our family sat at the dinner table after eating and chatting, and my mother recalled the youthful love time, she said: "When I was in love with your father, every time I ran to him to find him, your father was in the army, it was not convenient to come out usually, I could only save a shift to take a break to take a train to see him..." My mother was lucky, growing up in the era after the reform and opening up, there was no arranged marriage of the older generation, cautiously but relatively freely in love. I was lucky they found each other and later had me.
On April 2, 2000, my father greeted him.
In 2000, the groom in military uniform was excited to pick up his bride. The village is also very lively, men, women and children gather on the street to watch this military boy get married, and they are also mixed with joy.
On April 2, 2000, the standard Chinese wedding, the photographer left a scene of "Two Worship High Hall".
The parents' wedding was simple and took place in their own compound. After the marriage, the mother said that they had traveled to Shanghai, Nanjing and Wenzhou, and at this time the two were no longer restrained when they took photos, and their faces were full of happiness and joy of the newlyweds. Especially the mother, whenever she recalls this sweet and happy time, the corners of her mouth can't help but rise.
In late April 2000, my parents took a honeymoon photo.
Although his father retired for many years, his wardrobe always hung one of his favorite military uniforms. Whenever he opened the closet, he would always say "This outfit is really not wearing enough", and sometimes he would open the photo album, which contained his heroic appearance in a military uniform.
Barracks life profoundly affects a person. For his father, his meaning is no longer as simple as breaking away from the countryside and changing his life, and his experience in the melting pot of the army has shaped his world outlook, values, outlook on life, and the character of the soldiers who are hard-working, honest and kind, responsible and responsible, and he takes this as a criterion for life and also affects the people around him. I think that to a certain extent, this kind of personality of his also reflects the character of our Chinese soldiers and the temperament of the army.
In 2001, my 100 days.
At the end of the story, the first post-00s in our family was born. I lived in the city, grew up and didn't go to the army like my father, and now I'm a sophomore in art school. Sometimes I feel that my father's dream is really fulfilled, and it is reflected in all aspects of my life; my mother once said that her biggest dream was to go to college and become an announcer, and I can count her half wish.
【Afterword】
From south to north, from east to west, a vivid family story, but also carry a vivid memory of the times, the surging news / vision to collect old photos in the family photo album, please tell you about the unforgettable story behind the photo.
The gaze of old photos, like a review of the past of the self and even the entire family, and the connection with the past, those stories also unconsciously constitute the evidence of our existence. It gives us a short period of comfort and also provides the power to continue this year.
I would like to write a family photo album of the times.
Editor-in-Charge: Liang Yanjia
Proofreader: Liu Wei