On February 1, the first day of the Lunar New Year, Zhang Yanqi posted a hand-drawn picture of the Year of the Tiger on Weibo. Born in 1998, this is his second life year.
This year, with the popularity of Tencent Video's panoramic immersive fire experience reality show "Moving Forward Blue", Zhang Yanqi appeared in the public eye as a new firefighter, and also injected new energy into the 24-year-old self.
At 24 years old, it's time to look like an adult. What does adulthood mean? Mature, calm, or taciturn? This young man who frankly said that he had "not been an adult for a long time" felt that 18 years old was still yesterday. However, growth is ultimately a one-way ticket that cannot be turned back.
For Zhang Yanqi, growth means seeing. He longs to take the initiative to break through himself and see the larger world and all sentient beings. Think about life from a different perspective, have more understanding, and then be more determined and brave to be yourself.
"Maybe I'm an apple tree, but I haven't seen what other saplings look like, so I need to keep expanding my horizons, trying to become other trees, such as going to 'Forever Blue', and seeing the world as a firefighter." Only by understanding what each tree looks like can I understand what this forest really looks like. ”
His upbringing and innate goodness gave him more power to think, think about the value of life, and understand nature and emotion. Gathers energy and also diffuses energy.
See love
Zhang Yanqi set up a topic on his Weibo called "Xiao Zhang's Human Observations". Whenever something funny happens, he brings up the topic and posts videos or pictures. He shared a variety of things, such as commemorating the first time he watched a play in the theater, strolling through the old streets of Guangzhou, or a touch of the slanting sun on a business trip.
2022 is the third year of Zhang Yanqi's debut. Work is getting busier and busier, and I have more understanding of life. He said that he "talked a little too much", and he was indeed willing to share his personal life and thoughts on social platforms, often posting "small essays" of one or two hundred words.
Happy to share and be shared, it is because Zhang Yanqi found that people often unconsciously fall into the "information cocoon" - only looking at what they want to see, and then becoming more and more self-contained.
"Now we have a lot of ways and platforms to receive information, but all the information is pushed to you by the platform according to personal preferences, resulting in some things that you can't understand and may never appear in your world." He maintains a sober and vigilant attitude against the information world dominated by "algorithms", hoping to turn himself into a channel that allows everyone to more or less be exposed to information that cannot be reached in ordinary life.
The invitation of "Chinese Philanthropists" to visit young people with autism is also based on such a consideration, first of all, let themselves "see", and at the same time pass on these messages to more people.
Zhang Yanqi hopes that more people can participate in public welfare and exert their own energy.
One afternoon at the end of March, Zhang Yanqi came to the Beijing Jinyuyi Disabled Children's Art Rehabilitation Service Center with care and a little trepidation to visit a group of autistic young people his age.
Zhang Yanqi claimed to have "social phobia" and was worried about not communicating well with this special group of young people before visiting, or inadvertently hurting them. However, when he met the first autistic young man, Ozawa, these worries disappeared. They introduced themselves to each other and talked about music-related topics, and Ozawa's simplicity directly relaxed Zhang Yanqi a lot. Subsequently, Zhang Yanqi communicated with Kang Rui, Zhang Shuang, Yue Liang and other young people one by one, they sang and painted together, and the notes and colors became their most direct emotional bonds.
Because of the innate social barriers, these young people may not be able to communicate well with Zhang Yanqi or give accurate feedback on his proposals. For example, when Zhang Yanqi asked everyone to sing "The Girl With Wings" with Zhang Shuang, the friends could not do it immediately.
Although there are some obstacles to verbal communication, Zhang Yanqi understands this very well. "They have a small, closed universe of their own, and they are very serious about studying some things in this world, but they can't get an answer." So we need to take the initiative to go into their world to see, to understand what they are thinking and hoping to do. ”
When visiting young people with autism, Zhang Yanqi specially selected exquisite gifts such as music boxes.
This patience and tolerance are also not unrelated to his experience as a student. When Zhang Yanqi was young, he met a classmate with autism. In life, it is difficult for this classmate to communicate with everyone, but her English score is very good, which makes Zhang Yanqi envious.
While seeing the talent of autistic patients, Zhang Yanqi also saw the lack of their teamwork ability and tried to help them establish some sense of teamwork. For example, if people sing together or beat others while they are singing, he thinks it might help them integrate into society.
Hearing that Kang Rui can get a job at the bookstore, Zhang Yanqi is happy for him. When Zhang Yanqi asked Zhang Shuang what kind of job he hoped to get, the other party did not hesitate to say that he hoped to become a painting teacher. He had conceived many career assumptions for Zhang Shuang, but the answer of "painting teacher" still shocked him. He thinks that Zhang Shuang must have gotten a lot of warmth from the painting teacher, so he also wants to pass it on to others.
"Reaching out to them once is probably more profound than what you feel ten thousand times in a book." Zhang Yanqi was deeply touched, and also called on more people to try to make some contact with autistic groups and give them more love.
In Zhang Yanqi's view, autistic people can do a lot of things, but they just need a suitable field.
In the souvenirs sent before parting, there is also a condensation of Zhang Yanqi's full of love. The music box that fascinated him in his childhood, carefully selected paint pens, drawing paper, sand painting materials He put himself in the shoes of these peers, hoping that the constantly rotating music boxes and colorful painting world would allow them to better discover themselves and find a bridge to communicate with the outside world.
Because of seeing, there is compassion; because of the heart, there is comfort. Zhang Yanqi revealed his heart and was able to let go and love others because his experience since childhood made him deeply feel the preciousness of love.
"I come from a single-parent family, grew up with my grandparents when I was a child, and a lot of times I have a feeling of gain and loss, as if everything doesn't belong to me, as if I don't belong to anyone either. I often think about who I belong to and what I need to do, and I have developed a habit since I was a child, hoping that more people can feel more love. ”
From boy to superman
In 1998, Zhang Yanqi was born in the mountain city of Chongqing. His personality carries the boldness of Chongqing people, and the growing environment also makes him somewhat sensitive and youthful. In the eyes of fans, the big boy has both a handsome and cute side and a mature rationality that has more than his peers.
In the three years since his debut, Zhang Yanqi described himself as if he had experienced a roller coaster-like growth and transformation. As a fledgling, he was particularly desperate to prove himself with success and make everyone enjoy his music. "I was in a particular hurry at that time. I think this is a stage that most teenagers will face, just like from school to society, I have to soar and make a splash. Zhang Yanqi recalled the beginning so much.
After about two years, he slowly became peaceful. "You will slowly find that a lot of things are not done well because you are in a hurry, you need to slow down, slowly look at everything along the way, and enter a state of thinking." 」
After setting up his own studio, he opened a new situation in his career: "I think it is a stage that needs to continue to sprint upwards, hoping to make more professional music that can bring strength to everyone." ”
Zhang Yanqi has not stopped thinking and learning on the road to growth. "Although everyone wants to compete for the first place, there will always be only one person in the first place. I can only be myself. For Zhang Yanqi, this is a process of continuous learning, he needs to prove himself slowly, but he must have the right mentality.
Zhang Yanqi dreams of becoming a qualified musician and expressing his ideas through music. Although it is still in the process of exploration, the original intention of making music has not changed. In his view, music is a good form of expression, just as when visiting a young man with autism, music can be a channel for transmitting emotions. He plans to integrate his thoughts into the songs in the future, so that the music can convey the differences of the world, "Maybe one day I will write the experience of public welfare visits in the song."
Zhang Yanqi hopes to express his inner thoughts through music.
In February 2022, Zhang Yanqi participated in the recording of the panoramic immersive fire experience variety show "Moving Forward Blue" and broadcast online. He experiences the lives of firefighters on the show and learns firefighting skills with them. From a "rookie" fire freshman to a qualified firefighter, Zhang Yanqi and his teammates trained seriously. At the beginning of the show, he set himself the goal of "fire pacesetter". In order to be able to complete the goal, before officially starting the life of a firefighter, he learned about the daily life of this profession, and he usually loved boxing and specially strengthened the training frequency in order to improve his physical fitness.
In the program, they need to complete high-altitude downhill, real combat exercises and other dangerous projects. Standing on a four-story platform, he tried to retreat. However, when the alarm bell sounded, the sense of mission and responsibility prompted him to go to the police quickly.
The short professional experience of firefighters made Zhang Yanqi feel a sense of mission and responsibility. Photo/Courtesy of respondents
"When your sense of mission and responsibility is greater than your fear, when you decide to dedicate your youth to more others, your own life actually becomes more powerful." 」 At the moment of making a brave move, Zhang Yanqi felt like a superman who really existed in the world, and also realized the transformation from boy to man.
Zhang Yanqi believes that as long as the public welfare is done, it is 100 points.
Every boy has a hero's dream, a martial arts dream, and fantasizes that he can save the world. Zhang Yanqi said that when he was a child, he was also a very hot-blooded boy who wanted to become a superhero. Growing up, he began to slow down and hide myself from the group. However, now he is more afraid that he will become mediocre as he grows older, losing his enthusiasm and momentum.
"I hope that 10 years later I will still be a good person, still kind, and still able to face everything with enthusiasm." It's hard because time wears away a lot of your blood and passion. ”
Walk into the forest of public welfare
After the Spring Festival in 2022, Zhang Yanqi and members of the Xiangshan Squad of "Every Day Upward" went to a Hope Primary School in Shilin Yi Autonomous County, Yunnan Province. There, Zhang Yanqi met a group of "wind-chasing girls" who loved football. He briefly served as a football assistant coach, playing and running with this group of girls on the green field.
"I didn't play very well myself, but I was very strict with them." Zhang Yanqi smiled and recalled that good time.
He talks about a girl named Guihua he met at Hope Elementary School. She loves to play soccer and trains the playground every day. Zhang Yanqi envied Guihua's self-confidence, which was a rare state in big cities - sunshine and optimism. What impressed Zhang Yanqi was the spirit of not accepting defeat in Guihua, she dared to compare herself with others, and she also firmly believed in her own excellence. "Isn't that what we're missing?" Zhang Yanqi asked himself.
He wrote about the joy of playing football with the wind-chasing girl and the feeling of visiting the countryside. These moments of public welfare are all things he is happy to share with his fans, and he even popularizes to fans what carbon neutrality is. "I also hope that fans can tell me what they see interesting." He said.
Zhang Yanqi once visited a group of children with congenital heart disease. These children have undergone heart surgery after birth, and he remembers a little girl who was only 4 years old but underwent two major surgeries, but the little girl was still very tenacious and even gave him a picture.
"Human vitality can be so tenacious. When you have some setbacks in your life, you think about those people, although it seems that I am going to help them, but they also give me strength, make my life and work more powerful. ”
Public welfare visits are a process of continuous growth for Zhang Yanqi. These experiences left a mark on his heart and brought him new energy. "Everyone says that doing public welfare is to bring energy to others, and we always like to use the word 'two-way'. Those children who seem to be vulnerable are also bringing me energy. ”
Zhang Yanqi was deeply impressed by every public welfare visit, and he hoped to write the story into the song one day.
Zhang Yanqi admires those who still struggle to live in the face of adversity. Sometimes, he would walk aimlessly down the street, observing the demeanor of passers-by and guessing their mood at the moment. Such observations sometimes reap something that is not so positive – it seems like everyone is tired, but they are trying to live.
"Everyone has their own life, and everyone has their own path under their feet." After experiencing a lap, and then returning to your own life, there will actually be a lot of motivation, and you will feel that all difficulties can be overcome. This is what a young "street philosopher" observed and pondered. Going around and back to his work and life, he also had more courage to go the way he should go.
Music is his former hobby and now his professional mission. "I want to go through the path of music to figure out what life is and what emotion is. I feel like coming into this world as a human being, you have to figure out why I'm here and what do I need to do? He hissed in music and asked in the lyrics.
"Philanthropy doesn't mean that you can really understand or help others by doing it once or twice, and I don't know what kind of results I'm waiting for." In his view, public welfare is a thing that needs to be adhered to for a long time, not to say who to do, but to do their best to help more people, and at the same time to call on more people to do public welfare together through their own strength.
"It's best for all people to come together, not to work alone." He regards public welfare as a forest, and is willing to lead more people into this forest.
Photography / Wang Lei
Photo editor: Zhang Xu
Duty Editor: Wan Xiaojun