Editor: Storks
Photo: © Wang Qijie
Source: Contributed by the photographer
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > preface</h1>
The hope of others
@Yuan Jie
Every time I see Wang Qijie's "One Man's Flower Kindergarten", I am very moved. Over the years, the topic of rural education has been repeated a lot by photographers, but every time I see the faces of children, it still makes people feel mixed. Especially people living in the city, every day always encounter parents and children, teachers and parents, children and teachers of all kinds of relationships and contradictions, and then look at these rural children who receive the most basic education, they deeply feel that China is really too big, so big that it exceeds our understanding, and the contrast between the city and the countryside is cruel.
This group of works is not describing the pity of children, but about the efforts of an old man. Why did he do such a kindergarten, and why did he take on such a mission alone? After reading these photos, I can't help but think, his mood, his persistence, what is his life like? This old man who has lost his wife and children should ask for love from others, but now he is constantly giving love to others... Photography is often one-sided, even in the long and complex wisdom of life, photography is even one-sided is a little weak, I believe that Wang Qijie is just a side of this lonely old man, these sides ignite the curiosity of the reader, I believe that it may not be long before he is like a silent meteor from the hearts of us bystanders, but for those children who come into contact with him every day, he is too important, he is the noble man who controls the future fate of the children, his position and meaning are irreplaceable.
Perhaps, everyone lives for those who need themselves, and the meaning of our lives is defined by those who think we are important. Thinking of this, I think the touching thing about rural education in China is that there is always a teacher in the heart of a child, and in the same way, there is always a teacher who has a child in his heart, and the precious feelings between teachers and students are different from urban education, not by system and title, but by a most primitive true feeling in the world.
This true feeling is so valuable that there is almost no logic, but it is extremely moving. There is a limit to what one can do in one's lifetime, but sometimes one person may be the hope of others.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > author's self-prologue</h1>
When it comes to kindergartens, people may naturally think of small buildings with unique shapes and children's fun, spacious and bright, fully functional classrooms, activity rooms, and a variety of beautiful and fun amusement and exercise facilities. None of this is available in this remote mountain village. When I visited Tianba Village, Shuiluan Yi Nationality Township, Xuyong County, a poverty-stricken county in southern Sichuan, I accidentally discovered such a "private school" - this kindergarten in Tianba Village was run in the teacher's own farmhouse, with only one teacher, a few dilapidated desks, no matter how big or small classes, more than twenty children huddled together to attend classes...
This is the only "kindergarten" in Tianba Village, Shuiluan Yi Township. The director and only teacher is Zeng Anwen, a 74-year-old retired private teacher with 51 years of teaching experience. He gave the kindergarten a warm name— Flower Kindergarten. He said that although the conditions are a little worse, at least the children in the mountains and the children in the town can have kindergartens as well.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > online film festival</h1>
The "kindergarten" was run by an old man named Zeng Anwen in Tianba Village, a seventy-four-year-old retired teacher who had been teaching in the village for 51 years. Since there has been no kindergarten in the village, seeing that children have to walk more than ten miles to go to kindergarten in the township, just after the Spring Festival in 2013, Zeng Anwen used his own hall house to set up this "kindergarten". He gave the kindergarten a warm name: "Flower Kindergarten". He said that although the conditions are a little worse, at least the children in the mountains can be in kindergarten like the children in the town.
Surrounded by mountains, this farmhouse is the "Flower Kindergarten" where there is only one teacher, Elder Zeng Anwen.
When the morning sun sprinkled on the dilapidated tuyuan dam of zeng anwen old man," the children in the mountains jumped and jumped into the garden. For the elderly Zeng Anwen, who is both the head of the kindergarten and the only teacher in the park, it means that a new day of early childhood teaching work will begin.
On the blackboard with Chinese characters and arithmetic content, a small flower pattern with "Flower Kindergarten" is particularly eye-catching. The old man said that this was both a small flower and a tree. Children are flowers now and will surely become trees in the future.
Despite the difficult conditions, the kindergarten children are still serious and focused in class.
Every day, the elderly Zeng Anwen will mark the children's homework on the spot.
He said that this is very helpful for children, and when problems are found, they can communicate with children in person, and Zeng Anwen is responsible for teaching all courses.
The figure of the elderly Zeng Anwen grading homework for his children is so touching and elderly.
The erhu is the only instrument in the kindergarten and the favorite of the elderly Zeng Anwen, because without it, there is no music in the children's music class.
Zeng Anwen was also in charge of sports in the school, and the old man led everyone to do gymnastics. Recess is the happiest time of the day for children, and the elderly Zeng Anwen is very pleased to see the children happily playing and exercising in the courtyard dam.
Whenever caring people come to see the children, it is the happiest time for the elderly Zeng Anwen and the children.
Volunteers will come to "teaching assistants" from time to time, which is a game played by Xu Jianjun, the first secretary of Tianba Village, and the children.
On Children's Day, the children were overjoyed because they received a group of stationery donated by caring people.
Since 2013, nearly 100 children in Tianba Village have entered the primary school stage after receiving initial education in the "Flower Kindergarten" of the elderly Zeng Anwen. In the spring of 2018, there were 21 students in the "kindergarten", the oldest being less than seven years old and the youngest three years old. Since there is only one classroom for the classroom, and there is only one teacher, elder Zeng Anwen, the kindergarten cannot implement a large, medium, and small class system like other kindergartens. The teaching of the elderly Zeng Anwen should consider both the enlightenment of young children and the preschool education of children who are about to enter primary school.
In recent years, due to the government's attention and the landing of relevant policies, the current situation of children has been increasingly valued by people, and every care and donation can effectively help the healthier progress of rural education in China.
Rural children do not want much for knowledge and future destiny, and the small toys that urban children can't look at are the treasures of rural children, which can make them happy for a long time.
Learning, the children of Flower Kindergarten also show seriousness.
For the first time, the children took a group photo of "June 1st".
When all the children left the "campus", it was also the loneliest time of the day for the elderly Zeng Anwen, and he was the only one in the whole courtyard. His wife and only son have passed away. Now, he is most relieved by this group of children, he is worried that in the future when he can't teach, he won't know where the children will go to kindergarten, if they go to the township kindergarten, the children will have to walk more than ten miles.
——End——
Wang Qijie
Wang Qijie was born in May 1972. He has worked as a township cadre, a journalist, and engaged in mass literary and artistic work since 2004. He is a member of the Sichuan Photographers Association, the vice chairman of the Luzhou Photographers Association, the deputy director of the Luzhou Municipal Culture Center, and is now a contracted photographer for People's Pictures and a special photographer for Sichuan Pictorial.
He has published hundreds of works in national provincial and municipal media such as China Photography Daily, Spiritual Civilization Newspaper, People's Network, Sichuan Pictorial, Sichuan Publishing, Luzhou Daily, etc., and some works have been exhibited or awarded. The documentary photography group photo "The "Flower Kindergarten" of the Left-behind Elderly In Mountain Village and Him alone" was selected for the 18th Pingyao International Photography Exhibition in 2018; "The Past of Lantian" was selected for the 19th Pingyao International Photography Exhibition in 2019; works such as "Intangible Cultural Heritage Under the Patio" were included in the Chinese Photography Exhibition Hall; "Non-genetic People" and "Intangible Cultural Heritage Under the Patio" won the third prize of China Photography Newspaper. His personal documentary photography monograph "My Tianba My Village - A Documentary of Photography on the Front Line of Poverty Alleviation" is being edited and published by the China National Culture Publishing House.
< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > related recommendations</h1>
Title: "My Tianba My Village- A Documentary of Photography on the Front Line of Poverty Alleviation"
Author: Wang Qijie
Price: 89 yuan
Publisher: China National Culture Publishing House