Life of Guangzhou - Elderly Cantonese Cherishes The Dream of The Asian Games

An 80-year-old man in Changhuayuan community compiles wall newspaper to welcome the Asian Games

"Swing up your two flying legs, chase, chase, chase, go!" This is a sentence from a set of wall newspapers welcoming the Asian Games right on the wall of No. 22, Changhua New Street, very eye-catching. In fact, these dynamic wall newspapers were done by a tooth-missing and hump-backed old man in the community.

"Cheer for the Asian Games, cheer for Guangzhou" has been the dream of Deng Ruisheng, an 80-year-old man for many years. In August 2008, Uncle Deng produced a 12-meter-long wall newspaper for the Beijing Olympic Games, offering a rich visual feast for his neighbors. Although the wall newspaper about the Beijing Olympic Games was not yet faded, Uncle Deng has already begun preparing wall newspapers especially for the Asian Games in Guangzhou.

Uncle Deng compiles wall newspaper to welcome the Asian Games in Guangzhou's Changhuayuan community. (Liang Jiajian/ Guangzhou )

Bamboo shed named as "Bird's Nest" and iron loop molded into five-rings

Firework canister + red cardboard = torch, hula ring + curved wire = sports designs, old bubble + red paint = five-rings. Whenever talking about the wall newspaper for the Beijing Olympic Games, the neighbors of Uncle Deng always hold their thumbs up, praising highly of his devotion.

Uncle Deng said, "This is the first time that the Olympic Games has been held in China. It really made me quite excited and so I spent ten days to find materials and collect from friends all kinds of Olympic-related publicity materials, such as newspaper reports, sports advertisements and so on. Then, I made by myself the decoration of torch, sports designs, five-rings, etc., and finally produced this Olympic Games wall newspaper to cheer for the Beijing Olympic Games." He also decorated the roof of his own house. The 10-square-meter-bamboo shed he set up there, dotted by red lanterns, decorative windmills and colorful flags among the green trees, is the "Bird's Nest" in the eyes of his neighbors.

During the Beijing Olympic Games, Uncle Deng updated the latest results every day. Whenever Chinese athletes won medals, he would mark the results with a color pen in strong strokes. Besides, he also created some slogans to cheer for the athletes. "During that period, the wall newspaper is the place many of my neighbors often gathered around." he said joyfully.

Uncle Deng shows his collection--all kinds of Olympic-related publicity materials, such as newspaper reports and so on. (Liang Jiajian/ Guangzhou )

A volunteer wall newspaper publisher and an earnest English learner

A veteran and an elderly man living alone, the cheerful Uncle Deng always cherishes a strong love for Guangzhou. He began to produce his very first wall newspaper in 1997 when Hong Kong returned to Chinese sovereignty and has volunteered to do it for his community ever since. During festive seasons and whenever there are big or happy occurrences, Uncle Deng would update his wall newspapers in time. Even today, Uncle Deng, as a sports fan, still carries fond memory of the 6th and 9th National Games held in Guangzhou. "Each time I watched the game, I was so excited that I really wanted to go to the scene." The 2010 Asian Games will be held in Guangzhou, a long-cherished dream for this elderly person.

The beautiful wall newspaper attracts different audiences every day. "This is the most significant feature of our community." said Mr. Chen, a neighbor of Uncle Deng. Many neighbors will stop by and read it for several minutes and some people from other areas have also been drawn here. On one occasion, a few foreign friends passed by and were attracted by the unique wall newspaper. "The foreign friends even took pictures with me. My neighbors taught me a few words in English such as 'hello', 'welcome', 'thank you'." "I learned every single word", he said with a hearty smile.

New environment-friendly concept wins the support of the neighbors

In spite of his age, Uncle Deng is in fact very young in heart. All his wall newspapers are made of environment-friendly materials. Such wastes as discarded cloth, cardboard, plastics, iron ring and table tennis, etc. are magically turned into treasures in his hands. To express their strong support, his neighbors often supply him with a variety of materials, the hula ring from a child, the cardboard from a neighbor, used calendar from the community committee, used flannel on exhibitions, etc. Calligraphy lovers from the "Starlight Home for the Elderly" nearby write the theme words for him. In a way, everybody contributes to the wall newspaper.

Local residents love to take their children to read the wall newspapers and the enthusiasm of Uncle Deng has passed on to his neighbors as well. With the Asian Games drawing near, the expectation for everyone is getting stronger and stronger.

"We will cheer for the Asian Games with Uncle Deng!" The wish of the elderly has become everyone's aspiration.

(Text by Zhang Shunmei; Translated by Du Kejun)