On December 1st, Grandma Liu Yuzhen was working at Tiananmen Square. She has been picking up trash there for 17 years.
[Touching Figures]
Liu Yuzhen
Age: 75
Community: Tiantan East
[Virtuous Deeds]
Grandma Liu Yuzhen, aged 75, has been voluntarily picking up garbage at Tiananmen for 17 years. She said, "Tiananmen is the Tiananmen of our country, and it's also the Tiananmen of each one of us. It must be kept spotless. If it's dirty, I feel uncomfortable."
On December 1st, at 10 a.m., on Chang'an Street bathed in sunlight, crowds gathered around the Tiananmen Gate Tower. Among the crowd in the square was a grandmother less than 1.6 meters tall, slightly plump, bending down to pick things up and weaving through the crowd. The grandma wore a brown cotton coat and a red cap, frequently squatting down to pick up cigarette butts left by tourists on the square.
Her name is Liu Yuzhen, aged 75. For 17 years, she has insisted on picking up cigarette butts, fruit peels, etc., at Tiananmen Square, cleaning up chewing gum and phlegm stains on the ground. Those familiar with her affectionately call her "Grandma Tiananmen."
She humorously refers to picking up trash as bowing and kowtowing.
At 10 a.m. on December 1st, on one side of Chairman Mao Memorial Hall at Tiananmen Square, hundreds of people were queuing. Grandma Liu Yuzhen looked at the crowd, and at that moment, a middle-aged man took out a lighter and lit a cigarette. Liu Yuzhen huffed and puffed her way into the crowd. "Please don't smoke," Liu Yuzhen stopped the tourist.
The tourist hesitated, wanting to throw the cigarette on the ground. He looked at the long queue moving forward and then at the distant trash can, caught in a dilemma. "Please throw it here!" Liu Yuzhen handed him a tissue paper. After the cigarette was extinguished, it was placed in her plastic bag.
Before the tourist could thank her, Liu Yuzhen had disappeared into the crowd because she had spotted new "prey." In a corner of Tiananmen Square, a patch of phlegm was stuck to the ground. Liu Yuzhen took out a piece of paper, covered the phlegm, and stepped on it with her foot. Then she used tongs to put the paper into the garbage bag. Looking at the damp stain on the ground, she took out another tissue and wiped it clean until the stain disappeared completely.
Picking up cigarette butts, scraps of paper, clearing chewing gum and phlegm stains... Liu Yuzhen continuously bent over, leaned forward, squatted down, and stood up again, repeating these actions hundreds of times every day. She humorously referred to this as "bowing and kowtowing," saying, "These actions are good exercise for the neck."
In two hours, she walked around Tiananmen Square twice and collected two bags of garbage.
"Hey young man, are you new here?" On the east side of Tiananmen Square, a young police officer was standing guard. Suddenly, the old lady asked a question, surprising the policeman. "Grandma, you're here 'working' again," an older policeman chimed in.
Police officers, soldiers, cleaners, and square vendors... all know Liu Yuzhen. Sometimes, some volunteers join Liu Yuzhen in picking up garbage.
Persistence Subdues Stubborn Ones
Since 1996, Liu Yuzhen started picking up garbage. Every summer morning, around three or four o'clock, Liu Yuzhen would urge her husband to get up and send her to the bus stop. "There was so much garbage back then; if I didn't start early, I couldn't finish cleaning," Liu Yuzhen said. Her husband Wu Jin Yu, introverted and not fond of getting involved in her affairs, fully supported her.
Before dawn, Wu Jin Yu would ride a tricycle to take Liu Yuzhen to a bus stop near the bridge. By 8 a.m., as more tourists arrived, Liu Yuzhen's morning shift ended. "With the ground clean, I can go home and rest."
During these 17 years, besides picking up cigarette butts and cleaning phlegm stains, Liu Yuzhen also prevented uncivilized behaviors like spitting and littering cigarette butts, though not everyone appreciated her efforts.
"If I tell them not to throw, they deliberately do it right in front of me," Liu Yuzhen said. At such moments, she would silently pick up the trash without a word. "After you pick it up, the other party may intentionally provoke you by throwing more." This made Liu Yuzhen feel helpless. When the other party persisted, so did Liu Yuzhen. "If you throw, I'll pick it up; if you spit, I'll clean it up. Let's see who will give up first." Over the years, countless people have conceded defeat. "Some apologize and promise not to litter anymore; others feel embarrassed and walk away."
"Greeting Foreigners"
Liu Yuzhen's home is near the Temple of Heaven. On December 1st at noon, after spending half a day at Tiananmen Square, Liu Yuzhen returned home.
In the small room, her husband lay in bed. Next to the bed were a kettle and a chamber pot placed by Liu Yuzhen. Wu Jin Yu said, "In recent years, I've been unable to take care of myself. I need Liu Yuzhen's help with walking, eating, and using the toilet. 'I support her picking up garbage. Doing good deeds, I can't hold her back.'"
"This house is ours, and Tiananmen belongs to all of us. Both need attention," Liu Yuzhen said while helping her husband sit up. Liu Yuzhen mentioned that communicating with tourists from all over the country at Tiananmen Square every day makes her very happy. Back home, taking care of her father-in-law and children brings her immense family joy.
Liu Yuzhen took out a yellowed little note, "This is what my children wrote for me when I was learning English." On the note, "HAPPY NEW YEAR" corresponded to Chinese characters "哈僻妞依". Liu Yuzhen said that after learning this sentence, she would show it off whenever she met foreigners during the New Year. Now, she wants to learn something harder, hoping to say in English, "The world looks at China, China looks at Beijing, Beijing looks at Tiananmen."
[Cleaner's Question]
What motivates you to pick up garbage?
Tiananmen cleaner Li Xianbin: You helped us, what motivates you to pick up garbage?
Liu Yuzhen: In 1994, I often brought my grandchildren to play at Tiananmen. The ground was full of fruit peels and scraps. It was hard to look at. If no one picked it up, Tiananmen would become dirtier. So I came to pick it up every few days, and gradually it became my job, thus coming every day.
[Netizens' Question]
Why choose Tiananmen instead of the neighborhood?
Netizen "Bubble Chamber": Why choose Tiananmen instead of the neighborhood?
Liu Yuzhen: My home is near the Temple of Heaven. The garbage in nearby neighborhoods is often cleaned, and I usually carry a scraper when I go out for a stroll to clean everywhere. Choosing Tiananmen Square is because Tiananmen is the face of Beijing, it needs to be neat and tidy. As a retired elderly woman, I cannot do big things for the country, but I can pick up cigarette butts and clean phlegm stains.
[Spouse's Question]
Must cherish your health, when do you plan to "retire"?
Spouse Wu Jin Yu: I support you picking up garbage, but you should act within your limits and take care of your health. How long do you plan to continue?
Liu Yuzhen: If my body allows, I will continue doing it. Actually, I have thought about "retiring" for a long time. But the behavior of littering still exists. Compared to more than ten years ago, uncivilized behavior has significantly decreased. I hope to happily "retire" and go home to accompany my old man.
[Words of Morality]
The world looks at China, China looks at Beijing, Beijing looks at Tiananmen. Tiananmen is the face of our country, it cannot be dirty.
Home is ours, Tiananmen is everyone's, both need to be taken care of.
—Liu Yuzhen
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This edition was written by reporter Shen Zhimin.
This edition was photographed by reporter Zhou Gangfeng.
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