"The evening wind you blow gently, quickly blow to the field, the evening glow stained the sky red, we sang happily..." In the classroom of Zhuwan Primary School in Dingyuan County, Chuzhou City, Anhui Province, Yan Mingyou, a 92-year-old music teacher, taught the children to practice the song "Evening Wind".
Yan Mingyou, ninety years old, retired for 31 years, but always adhered to the three-foot podium.
"You love music, and you make these kids love it as much as you do" – this is a line from the movie "Life Sounds Beautiful Because of You". In this film, music teacher Holland spent his life inspiring students' interest in music and improving their musical literacy, earning them respect and love.
Just like Holland, who found that the meaning of his life lies in cultivating students' interest in music, Yan Mingyou, who has taught music for nearly 70 years, lit up the musical dreams of rural children with flowing notes.
When Yan Mingyou was young, he transferred from the army to the local government, gave up the opportunity to work in the organs, and resolutely decided to teach in a school with difficult conditions. In 1953, Yan Mingyou returned to his hometown of Zhuwan Town, Dingyuan County, and taught in a number of rural schools, mainly responsible for political, music and language teaching. In 1981, Yan Mingyou joined the Communist Party of China.
In 1990, Yan Mingyou, who had worked as a rural teacher for nearly 40 years, retired. Considering the lack of full-time music teachers in rural primary and secondary schools, Yan Mingyou, who should have enjoyed his old age in peace, returned to the podium and volunteered to teach music lessons to students in many rural schools for more than 30 years.
Yan Mingyou can play a variety of instruments, in order to enrich the teaching content, he used the summer vacation in his 70s to attend piano training classes in Beijing at his own expense for three consecutive years. At the age of 80, Yan Mingyou felt that he was old, afraid that singing would not be good, and he did not intend to continue to teach music, but the children refused to let him go. "The children can't do without me, I can't do without them, I'm racing against time, and I don't have much time left." Yan Mingyou said.
For decades, Yan Mingyou lived alone in a dormitory of less than 20 square meters, and in addition to all kinds of books and newspapers, the most valuable thing in the room was a piano. Purchasing musical equipment for rural schools and providing financial support for poor students, Yan Mingyou gave his savings to the children.
"Some children don't dare to sing, and in class, I sing with them." Yan Mingyou said that there are many left-behind children in rural schools, and music for them is not just a simple song, but also an expression of emotion, the cultivation of self-confidence and the inspiration of dreams.
On March 23, Yan Mingyou played the piano in his dormitory. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Junxi
On March 23, Yan Mingyou exchanged with sponsored students at Fuxing Primary School. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Junxi
On March 23, after the music class, Yan Mingyou and the children waved goodbye. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Junxi
On March 23, Yan Mingyou hand-copied the song score in the office of Zhuwan Primary School. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Junxi
On March 23, Yan Mingyou ate lunch with the children at Zhuwan Primary School. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Junxi
On March 23, Yan Mingyou taught children to sing in the music classroom of Fuxing Primary School. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Junxi
On March 23, between classes, Yan Mingyou sang with the children at Zhuwan Primary School. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Junxi
On March 23, Yan Mingyou walked to Fuxing Primary School in Zhuwan Town for music lessons. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Junxi
On March 23, Yan Mingyou walked to Fuxing Primary School in Zhuwan Town for a music lesson (drone photo). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Junxi
On March 23, Yan Mingyou sorted out his hand-copied song scores in the music classroom of Zhuwan Primary School. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Junxi
On March 23, Yan Mingyou sorted out his hand-copied song scores in the music classroom of Zhuwan Primary School. Yan Mingyou's desk was stacked with thick stacks of song scores and lyrics copied on white paper with a brush, including many red songs. As a veteran party member and veteran, Yan Mingyou integrated red education and party history study and education into daily music teaching. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Junxi
On March 23, Yan Mingyou taught children to sing in the music classroom of Zhuwan Primary School. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Junxi
On March 23, Yan Mingyou played the electronic keyboard in the music classroom of Zhuwan Primary School. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Junxi