Photo/ Yuan Feng
The small park I am talking about is neither the royal garden of Beijing nor the famous garden of Suzhou, but the name of the unknown, not the "garden" of the garden, and calling it a park is really a title of "love". It is a small green space between Building 16 and No. 20, District 8, Xinghua Village, Longfeng District, Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province, and most of the residents are the families of Daqing Petrochemical (ethylene) employees. It is said that he is small, not only between the buildings, that is, between the five buildings, but also because it is less than 100 meters long and 80 meters wide. Most of them are planted between trees and flowers, and the space for people to move is only about 50 to 70 meters, and it is surrounded by more than 10 flower ponds. One of the most used platforms is a platform with a diameter of about 25 meters. But this small circle, which seems too small to be small, has a huge stone sculpture (abstract art) towering in the middle. However, in the hearts of the elderly, it has become a small park for fitness, entertainment, speech, dancing, twisting songs, exhibition pictures, flag-raising ceremonies and culture and art to display positive energy "big stage" - a paradise shared by dogs and birds, and a paradise for the elderly.
Built in 1995, the small park is simpler than the surrounding park, and the small circle is too simple to be simple. One has no gazebo and two have no seats. For 27 years now, groups of elderly people here have walked around in circles in the morning to greet the early sun, talk and laugh, walk and chat at night, and send away the sunset. Coming, "walking" again, coming again, day after day, year after year, the activities of the small park are more active and more innovative, more popular, and more fun. People say: The small park is a big stage that is getting better and better, and the happy "Temple of Heaven" of the retired e-family. As the saying goes: How big the heart is, how big the heavens are, and if you listen to it, how big the heart is, how big the world of our activities will be. So the small park has become a big stage in the eyes of the old people.
For more than twenty years, people do not come to play because it is small, do not snub it because it is not set, but become active day by day. The great man once said: "Of all the things in the world, people are the most precious, as long as there are people..." Because of this, the small park has gradually become a big stage for the retired e-people. How are people playing here? And listen to me slowly.
The small park is a great place to walk and chat. Every morning, there is a morning exercise session from about 6.30 to 7.30. About a dozen people, more than twenty people, old men and old ladies walked and talked, talked about the world, talked about the ancient road, rice, oil and salt, news and interesting things came out of the brain, nagging a cheerful. Occasionally there are jokes and jokes, and there is no shortage of sadistic jokes, as the saying goes: the plan of the day lies in the morning, which is counted as the first meal of the old people, or the condiment of the spiritual life of the day.
At the same time, he also stretched out his arms and legs, spit out the old and new, and there were also birds who fed birds, known as bird mothers. A few people play tai chi, eight duan jin, and a few people walk a dog on the side, and those who play parrots carry it on their shoulders and on their heads, as if they are proud and forgetful, that is called full fun. Then they went home separately.
The small park is an open-air dance hall for singing and dancing. In spring, summer, autumn and winter, the song and swallow dance are full of music in the garden. If you are interested in taking a look, almost every day around 1.30 to 3 o'clock in the afternoon, the old people with sticks, wheelchairs, hand-carried cushions, carrying novel styles, expensive texture, expensive shoulder pockets, dressed in different styles of Tingting, invariably come one after another. No one organizes, no need to call, that is called self-realization, self-amusement. One person began, the crowd sang and sang, and the song suddenly began.
In the old people's own words: that's called singing "Hi"! What "Honghu Red Guards", "Guerrilla Song", "Farewell" are all red songs, calling themselves the Red Song Team... Often it is three songs and five songs, not full of excitement, ten songs and eight songs are still energetic. There are also some northeast folk songs, two people turning, Hebei Zizi, Henan Pendant also from time to time to a few sentences or paragraphs. Sometimes I forget to sing the words while singing. Everyone laughed... What is even more interesting is the 85-year-old Mr. Yu, occasionally in the gap he will drag Lao Qi, shout a few voices: holding a saucer in his hand, the action is really like a little girl, making people lean forward and backward, bursting out a string of laughter, that moment is simply happy!
I remember that more than ten years ago, Mr. Zhang Yanxiu, who walked the bend in the small park earlier, often burned DVDs, made pictures, and recorded songs before he died. His "Ode to the Red Sun Album" is often played, which has really created a joyful atmosphere for the small park and brought happiness to old friends. He "left", and his old friends still remember it. So far, it has become the norm for old people to open their mobile phones at any time to play songs.
Every New Year's Day, the small park is lively, just like the "July 1st" in 2021, the centenary of the founding of the party, the old party member Gao Yongcai brought a bunting flag, wrote slogans, hung colored strips, and decorated it with new decorations. A collective performance was also held, and more than thirty elderly choirs organized by Du Yawen performed in dress: without the Communist Party, there would be no new China, socialism is good, singing mountain songs to the party, remembering the party's words, red Meizan... In the eyes of the old people, it seems that this is the Beijing Grand Theatre or the "Temple of Heaven" in Beijing.
The small park is a dance world. Whenever the weather is good, He Fengming will take a fan, bring a stereo, jump up involuntarily, dance, especially the Northeast Song as the most, twist up and look, even the 94-year-old old lady on crutches is not lonely, stepping on music, following the team to walk a few laps. How about the twisted posture and do not ask, just that happy, full of smiles, enough to make you "happy to forget the worries", only that moment of work, a few circles of twisting, smiles on the face, don't mention the heart of how happy. Imagine the secretion of endorphins is enough to keep you physically and mentally healthy! A wave of music down, is the free dance, street dance, ballroom dance dancing, more active, refreshing!
The small park is also a place for calligraphy and painting exhibitions. Every festival, Gao Yongcai, known as the "Lei Feng" of the community, will display banners, such as: "Commemorating the Centenary of the Founding of the Party", written by Guo Wen, director of the National Mao Calligraphy Association; Long live the motherland. Mr. Yuan's small poem: Qing Qiyi. Today, on Mother's Day 2022, Mr. Li Daoyu, who loves calligraphy, exhibited a painting: Only mothers are good in the world. Mr. Gao also served with a vase and inserted lilies. It really adds to the festive atmosphere. Xiao Li (Li Chao), the housekeeper of Jewel Flower Property, brought a blooming carnation and presented a bouquet to the grandmothers, and said: Happy Mother's Day! The old ladies were also happy to close their mouths. Thank you.
On April 20, 2022, a special calligraphy exhibition was held for Mr. Li Daoyu, with seven banners and nine squares. Not only the elderly appreciate, but even the pedestrians who pass by, the residents of the nearby community are also attracted to stop and watch, and appreciate youjia. To this end, the author also wrote a report "Look at Mr. Li Daiyu's Calligraphy Exhibition and Testimonials", accompanied by a picture of Li Daoyu holding up "China Taking Off", which was published on the Baidu platform. It received frequent praise from audiences across the country.
The small park is also the stage for speeches. Let's say that we are greeting the centenary of the founding of the Party, Mr. Gao Yongcai, has given five speeches: the origin of the Ship on the South Lake, the august 1st Uprising, and the adventure story of the Long March... Win the praise of the people. Having not only studied the history of the Party, but also increased his knowledge, it can be described as full of positive energy. In particular, the small park is a propaganda position that combines cultural, artistic and political studies. Small parks are also the source of my creation. Great place to enlighten the soul.
Elder Yu (Yu Yongji) felt that when he entered the small park, he wanted to dance when he heard music, and he wanted to sing a few words when he heard the song, and sure enough. The little park gave me a lot of inspiration. For more than twenty years, more than thirty of my manuscripts have been based on small parks. Such as: old ladies singing red songs, hundred-year-old women reciting songs, "Three Ying" battle "Lü Bu", bird mothers, recently watching Li Daiyu's calligraphy exhibition and testimonials, listening to Lao Yin tell stories... Some are published in newspapers and periodicals, and some are posted on Baidu. For me, the small park is my inexhaustible source of creation, which can be described as a treasure trove of feng shui.
The small park is a paradise run by the elderly. For more than twenty years, our old friends sweep snow in winter, rain sweep water in summer, yongdao is often cleaned, in order to walk conveniently, clean, especially most people's legs and feet are not so flexible, do not wait for not relying on sweepers, do their own things, buy their own brooms, samba, shovels. Everyone scrambled, thinking that the scene showed the most glorious labor.
The elderly care for and build small parks at the same time. Recently, Gao Yongcai and Mr. Chi found iron pipes, waste utilized, and made flagpoles more than six meters high to prepare for the raising of the national flag on important festivals to further enhance their spiritual strength. Mr. Chi, the "big country craftsman" who said that he sent ya, took matters into his own hands, connected several iron pipes together, and then poured them with cement and smoothed them. The top is smashed into a dome, the design and installation of pulleys, the use of hand to rub their own rope, all this does not cost a penny, do not find the relevant departments to ask for materials, all this is the use of old things. It's also made in a variety of ways. Old friends have praised him for his cleverness and is worthy of the praise of "big country craftsman". The elderly love small parks, protect small parks, and operate small parks. Who doesn't say that our little park is well maintained? The small park has flowers and birds, and there are songs, songs, and dances that give us joy.
The small park has poems, paintings and calligraphy, creating a culture for us, and the atmosphere of books.
The small park has a strong love party, patriotic stories to lift the spirit.
The small park has the care and protection of the old oil and the old petrochemicals, creating a leisure environment. Our little park is indeed small, and the small is big. It is also like thousands of small parks in urban and rural areas across the country, a glimpse of the whole leopard, has become a happy stage for the retired E people to learn entertainment, recreation and fitness, and "a hundred ethnic groups to khotan".
Yuan Feng May 9, 2022 at 11:13
About the Author:
Yuan Feng, a senior chinese teacher in middle schools, has published two anthologies, "Evening Wind Collection" and "Maple Leaf Collection", and has published more than 800 articles in more than 20 newspapers and magazines.