【Qingdao News Network Exclusive】
(Reporter Han Tongtong, Xu Bin)
In the 7th National Vocational Skills Competition for the Disabled, Du Dongdong won the championship with his handmade accessories "Bless the Motherland Big Flower Basket". At that time, it was only about a year before he learned to make clothing accessories.
"For this accessory, I deliberately chose peonies, edelweiss and camellias. Du Dongdong is a deaf and mute person who can pronounce words simply, but he still can't communicate with people without his mobile phone. Despite this, when talking about this work, he couldn't hide his excitement, and tried to express himself while gesturing with his hands, "Originally, it took 12 hours to complete, but the competition was limited to 6 hours, and after practicing and practicing, the time was compressed to 6 hours." ”
"I don't know how to pronounce it, I'm afraid you won't understand. "But by doing crafts, I can express my inner thoughts to my heart's content." ”
In each handmade piece, he finds a connection with the world.
No playmates find joy in doing crafts
Du Dongdong's family lives in Laoshan and has a first-class hearing disability.
"When I was a child, I couldn't hear and no one played with me, so I walked around the village alone. "Du Dongdong has loved painting and handicrafts since he was a child, but whenever he sees something interesting outside, he will take it home and observe it carefully, and make it by himself.
On the road of handicrafts, he did not have the support of his parents at first. "They feel that if they can't hear, they will be inferior and they will not succeed. But Du Dongdong didn't believe it, he learned and did it, observed the works of famous artists, and asked different teachers for advice when he had the opportunity.
This small village that raised him, surrounded by mountains and seas, has also become a source of inspiration for him. He painted the exterior walls of his home in brown and set up his own studio, Du Dongdong's watercolor studio.
"I want to prove that what others can do, I can do. Du Dongdong firmly believes that where there is a will, there is a way.
Express yourself and use your work to talk to the world
In 2022, Du Dongdong will once again step into a new field and learn to design clothing accessories, mainly brooches, plackets, headdresses, etc.
A year later, in the 2023 National Industry Vocational Skills Competition - the 7th National Vocational Skills Competition for the Disabled, Du Dongdong won the first place in the clothing accessories design project with his work "Bless the Motherland Big Flower Basket".
"The competition time was limited, so I chose three flowers: peonies, edelweiss and camellias. Du Dongdong said that the work was made on the spot in the competition, and the competition was often 6 hours, "In the past, it took at least 12 hours to complete this work, but in order to participate in the competition, I kept practicing and compressed the time to 6 hours." ”
For Du Dongdong, this is a challenge to go beyond the limit. But along the way, the challenges he faced were not limited to this time. In the face of the confusion ahead and the unknown, how did he persevere?
His answer was love.
Because of his love, he chose to persevere. Because of his persistence, he found himself in doing handicrafts. "You don't understand what I say, but I can express my inner thoughts by doing handicrafts. "Before, perhaps no one cared about his expression. But now, with his own hands, he has built a bridge to the world.
Stick with it and give more meaning to the work
Paper-cutting, clay sculpture, stone carving, cloth ...... Regarding handicraft, Du Dongdong has been constantly trying new things.
Doing handicrafts gave him hope to persevere, and also gave him a sense of professional achievement. "I have participated in many competitions, won the title of national technical expert, and received high attention from governments at all levels, such as the Disabled Persons' Federation. On the road of perseverance, Du Dongdong is no longer alone, he has the support of relatives and friends, and has the motivation to continue to move forward.
"I want to transform my works into derivative cultural and creative products through design, and strive to register copyrights. Now, Du Dongdong has a new goal. In the future, he will continue to run in the handmade industry, as a craftsman, shine.