"Ploughing in one hand, holding a pen in the other hand / Ploughing the field, ploughing the spring and autumn / Let the dream of literature gallop in the tip of the pen / Writing the most beautiful spring in the countryside ..." This is an excerpt from a small poem by Zhang Xiaoying in "Message from the Mountain Flower", and the delicate brushstrokes tell the literary dream of a farmer.
Zhang Xiaoying, a 55-year-old farmer in Baojia Village, Jiaohe City, has spent more than 30 years integrating literature into her life and soil. In Zhang Xiaoying's pen, the seedlings in the fields sway, the wildflowers on the ground are full of vitality, the grass and trees in the countryside are full of spirituality, and the boring field labor is full of poetry and vitality. His poems have been published in literary journals such as "Poetry Journal", "Poetry Tide", "Chinese Poets", "Selected Poetry Journals", "Stars", "Writers", "Prose Poetry World" and other literary journals, and some of his works have been included in the "Jilin Literary Works Annual Selection", "East Three Provinces Poetry Yearbook", "Chinese Poetry Annual Selection", "Chinese Excellent Poetry Annual Selection", and in 2013, the personal poetry collection "That Train That Year" was published.
At this point, some people can't help but ask: Why did a farmer like literary creation and stick to it for decades? Zhang Xiaoying said that there are two people who have a great influence on her, one is her mother, "my mother loved to read, and in my memory, when I was a child, there were always all kinds of books in the house. Under the influence of her mother, Zhang Xiaoying developed a strong interest in literature from an early age. The other is Zhang Xiaoying's husband, Cai Yanwen, who in 1986 met Cai Yanwen, who was like-minded with him, and the two quickly fell in love and married the following year.
Although the life after marriage was hard, both husband and wife had an obsessive pursuit of literature. No matter how tired they are every day, Zhang Xiaoying and Cai Yanwen will take time to read and write. Zhang Xiaoying mainly writes poetry, Cai Yanwen is known for novels and TV short dramas, and the two are the most loyal readers of each other, "After her poems are written, I am her first reader, and after my novels are written, I will read them to her." Cai Yanwen said.
The years are like flowers, and the blooms are like the sea. For more than 30 years, this family has been full of books, and the husband and wife have turned the chai rice oil and salt of their lives into the appearance of poetry. Gradually, as Zhang Xiaoying's works continue to be published, the story behind her and her husband gradually entered the public eye, and in 2018, Zhang Xiaoying's family was selected as the "National Book-Fragrant Home" by the State Press and Publication Administration, and in 2019, it was selected as the "Most Beautiful Family in China" by the All-China Women's Federation.
"In a remote mountain village, my love alone is a person's lamp, and the love of countless people is full of stars." In order to let more people in their hometown understand and love literature, Zhang Xiaoying and her husband decided to open a rural bookstore in the village. From packing the house to selecting books, in less than a month, the farmhouse bookstore was officially opened to villagers. Some people read books here to learn, some people share new works here, and sometimes Zhang Xiaoying will share her writing experience with some readers. This small bookstore of less than 100 square meters has become the spiritual home of literature lovers in the village.
"Because we have come from the lonely creative stage, we hope that those who have love and dreams can have a good creative atmosphere." In order to enrich the cultural life of the villagers, Zhang Xiaoying and his wife also organized and held special theme cultural and entertainment activities such as the "Peasant Reading speech" competition, the song and dance sketch performance, the Peasant Culture Day and the Peasant Calligraphy and Painting Photography Exhibition, and the Summer Bonfire Evening. Under the encouragement and drive of Zhang Xiaoying, some 70-year-old disabled elderly people taught themselves to compose music, some villagers became professional singers in the village, some villagers' literary works were published in municipal newspapers and periodicals, and some villagers' photographic works won national awards. The original lonely agricultural leisure time is full of poetry.
"A person who lives a lifetime, in addition to the physical body, should also mentally account for the world." Over the years, Zhang Xiaoying has been cultivating the land under her feet while adhering to the fertile soil of the soul of literary creation, and she tells us with beautiful poetry: In the life of farmers, there can be both the smell of soil and the fragrance of books.
Photo courtesy of Jilin Female Photographers Association
Produced by Jilin Daily
Planner: Jiang Zhongxiao
Author: Jilin Daily all-media reporter Mi Yunxi Zhang Rui
Editor: Wu Ming