On the morning of yesterday, Jin Zhongbo from Yuyao took his wife Cui Haijing and daughter to take a train to Baoding, Hebei to visit his wife's family.
Interviewees: Chen Chunxia and Li Xianga couple, who have been working in Zhejiang since 2007 with a combined monthly salary of 3000 yuan. Gift list: a down jacket, a pair of cotton pants, a pair of size 19 leather shoes.
Interviewee: Shen Jiayin, from Taizhou, Zhejiang, graduated with a master's degree from Tsinghua University in 2008 and worked in Beijing, currently employed by a magazine. Gift list: electronic photo frame, MP3 player, perfume, two bottles of baijiu (Chinese liquor), watch, men's clutch, laptop computer.
Interviewees: Cao Bin and Chen Yu couple, Cao Bin worked in Shanghai for hardware sales from March 2008 to March 2010, where they met. Later, Cao Bin was transferred to Hangzhou, and Chen Yu quit her job to join him there, currently working as an office clerk. Gift list: two enlarged wedding photos.
After staying up for three nights, she sewed a cotton-padded coat and sent it to both mothers.
On January 23rd, the padded coats arrived in the hands of the two elderly women. Mrs. Xu from Yueqing asked her eldest son to rush to the county town to pick them up, while Mrs. Nie from Wenzhou wore the new coat that evening.
Over the phone, the elderly woman invited Liu Huizhen to come celebrate the New Year in Zhejiang, but due to being unable to leave her three children, Liu Huizhen declined. However, she said after the children started school again after the New Year, she would definitely come to Zhejiang to stay for some time.
She could clearly sense Mrs. Nie's disappointment, which made her feel very uncomfortable. Mrs. Xu received the new padded coat and choked up on the phone, repeatedly inviting her to come celebrate the New Year.
Mr. Xu's younger brother told her that the padded coat she made for her mother was worn even while sleeping, refusing to take it off, telling everyone it was sent by her "Henan daughter" Huizhen, making her mood especially good these days.
Liu Huizhen said, "When you realize your parents are getting old, the time left to love them is not much. By the time you regret it, they will already be gone."
Knitted scarves and bought gloves so mom can ride her bike to work warmer
This Spring Festival, Fu Qingqing's mother received a special New Year gift - a pair of gloves and a scarf knitted stitch by stitch by her daughter.
Fu Qingqing is one of the 335 impoverished students who received a 1+1 scholarship pairing in the 2010 Lique Sunshine Scholarship Program (jointly organized by the Urban Express and Zhejiang Tobacco Company for ten years).
Fu Qingqing's home is in Pan'an County, Jinhua City. Her father passed away due to illness, leaving her mother to support her and her younger brother alone. The three of them have been sharing a 1.5-meter-wide bed for eight years.
She loves running, excelling in middle- and long-distance races. She runs 400 meters in 1 minute and 8 seconds, and 800 meters in 2 minutes and 38 seconds, ranking first in the county. This year, she was admitted to the Social Sports program at Jimei University in Xiamen, Fujian Province. After being accepted into university, instead of feeling happy, she felt guilty for her inability to share her mother's burdens.
After the Urban Express reported on Fu Qingqing's situation, it touched the hearts of countless readers, and many kind-hearted people reached out to help her attend university. Mr. Guo Zhongying, 79 years old, rode his bicycle for over two hours, covering about 60 kilometers from Dongyang, to visit and donate 5000 yuan to Fu Qingqing.
On January 15th, Fu Qingqing returned to Pan'an for the New Year holidays after spending half a year away at school since September 2010.
As soon as she arrived downstairs, her younger brother ran down to greet her.
"Normally, I also miss home, but the train tickets are too expensive, so I didn't return during the semester. I could only call my mom more often," Fu Qingqing said.
This time for the Spring Festival, she brought gloves and scarves she knitted herself for her mom and younger brother as New Year gifts. The gloves cost over 10 yuan, and the scarves were made from yarn costing 10 yuan per ball that she knitted herself.
Fu Qingqing said, "Winter is cold, and mom rides her bike to work. With gloves and a scarf, she won't feel so cold."
When Fu Qingqing presented the scarf to her mom, Mrs. Fu said, "Why buy things? There's no need to buy."
Fu Qingqing said, "Although mom says that, I know she is very happy."
Profile: Fu Qingqing
20 years old, from Pan'an, Zhejiang, a student at Jimei University
Gift List: Two self-knitted scarves, two pairs of gloves
Reporters: Feng Zhijust and Shen Yanbing
Returning to Mother's Home Gifts
Reported by Feng Zhijust with text and images
Young man Jin Zhongbo from Yuyao, Zhejiang, met girl Cui Haijing from Baoding, Hebei while working outside their hometowns. They got married and had a child, forming a happy family of three.
After marriage, Cui Haijing lived with her husband in Yuyao, Zhejiang, celebrating the New Year in Zhejiang every year. This year, her parents, who only have one daughter, missed their daughter and granddaughter so much that they issued a "final ultimatum," hoping the whole family would return to Hebei to celebrate the New Year. The couple agreed.
As soon as the twelfth lunar month began, Cui Haijing started counting down the days, busy buying gifts to prepare for returning to her mother's home.
"Taking the train, watching the snow, building a snowman, laughing cheerfully..."
At Hangzhou Chengzhan Railway Station, Jin Zhongbo's 3-year-old daughter, Jin Yuki, was as mischievous as a boy, wiggling her little bottom, singing and dancing, attracting many waiting passengers to watch.
Starting from Yuyao, after a long journey and constant "negotiations" with her mother, their daughter finally persuaded her mother to "surrender" and buy KFC.
While coughing, Jin Yuki argued with her father for candy. Father Jin Zhongbo pretended to be angry and disagreed, but the little girl neither cried nor threw a tantrum. She opened the bag containing food herself and grabbed something to eat. The indulgent father just shook his head. "It's all because your grandparents spoiled you." Clearly, this father didn't care either and didn't want his daughter to cry in front of so many people in public.
More than ten minutes later, the mother came back carrying three bags of chicken wings, fries, and cola. Seeing her mother, Jin Yuki coquettishly ran over and snatched a box of hamburgers.
It was the first time in five years they were returning to her mother's home, and the couple had prepared carefully, pondering what gifts to bring for their parents, two older brothers and sisters-in-law, and young nieces and nephews.
Opening the package revealed a carton of "Liqun" cigarettes, homemade Yangmei wine, two pairs of cotton leather shoes, two soft-shelled turtles, four bags of white rabbit milk candies, and a box of "American ginseng capsules"... The gifts filled two large travel bags.
These gifts were allocated as follows: "Liqun" cigarettes, alcohol, and one pair of cotton leather shoes were for the father; American ginseng capsules and a pair of cotton shoes were for the mother; the two soft-shelled turtles were for entertaining guests during the New Year celebration; four bags of white rabbit milk candies were for the nieces and nephews.
Cui Haijing said that the gifts for her brothers and sisters-in-law would be bought after returning home, otherwise, they wouldn't be able to carry everything.
After purchasing the New Year goods, obtaining train tickets became the most difficult task. Jin Zhongbo waited in line for two days but failed to secure tickets. In the end, he had to seek help from his company to obtain two soft sleeper train tickets, each costing 417 yuan.
At 11:30 AM yesterday, the K1264 train began boarding. The daughter anxiously helped carry the luggage, Cui Haijing busily gathered things, then joined the queue to check tickets, embarking on the journey back to her mother's home.
Interviewees: Jin Zhongbo and Cui Haijing couple
The couple met and married while working outside their hometowns, and it has been five years since the wife last returned to her mother's home for the New Year.
Gift List: "Liqun" brand cigarettes, homemade Yangmei wine, two pairs of cotton leather shoes, two soft-shelled turtles, four bags of white rabbit milk candies, a box of American ginseng capsules
You give love away, and he brings love home
Reported by Lin Tao with text and Shen Yanbing with images
There are only three days left until the Lunar New Year's Eve, and our special report titled "Gifts - Returning Home for the New Year" has come to a warm conclusion at the end of the year.
The gifts sent by readers filled the meeting room desks. As I write these words, they have been taken home by those who expressed their wishes.
The people who came and went, each saying to us: "Thank you, you've worked hard, and caused trouble."
The gift givers and receivers sat in the same office but never met face-to-face.
The giver said, "This is just a small matter, not worth remembering."
The receiver, however, took the giver's phone number.
Love is being passed, warmth is being passed, and dignity is being passed.
Perhaps more beautiful stories will happen.
Heng Jiangyuan is a typical representative of migrant workers in Hangzhou. After 30 years of hard work, he used his labor income to provide a tough yet dignified life for his family of three.
For him, gifts are a luxury. But the years of guilt towards his parents gave him the courage to call us.
After hanging up the phone, he reflected, recalling his mother's teaching, "Do not accept others' favors without cause," and decided to withdraw his wish.
However, on the day the story was published, more people were moved by his filial piety.
Ms. Cao, a female boss from Sijiqing, sent two down jackets, one for Heng Jiangyuan's 80-year-old mother and one for his 15-year-old daughter.
Another lady who hesitated multiple times before revealing her surname as Fang, sent a bag of clean clothes that were barely worn.
Knowing that Heng Jiangyuan did not want to accept any more gifts, Mr. Wang insisted on sending another down jacket. He said, "Regardless of wealth or poverty, we should all cherish a filial heart and a kind heart. In the future society, there will be more and more elderly people. If we do not treat our parents well now, and if our children do not treat us well in the future, who will be sad?"
Nine-year-old Jiang Yinin and her mother came to the newspaper office, bringing a set of thermal underwear. Her mother said, "Children having this love, we as adults are deeply moved and will continue to support her." The little girl wearing a pink bow hair clip giggled when praised by her mother, showing her missing two front teeth.
We use such stories to persuade Heng Jiangyuan, who was unwilling to accept gifts: "This is not sympathy, not pity, because people gain much from you."
"The road is long, and the festive atmosphere is drawing near. Many people are actually rushing toward a journey of the heart." This was a popular sentence on Weibo yesterday.
What I want to say is: Life is long, and strangers meet briefly. Many people repay a debt of gratitude.
"Honor thy own elders and extend that honor to other people's elders; cherish thy own young and extend that cherishing to other people's young." The ancients' wisdom is profound, but we can already be greatly blessed by helping one 'other person's elder' and 'other person's young.'
New Year Gifts for Children in Impoverished Areas
After this Spring Festival, the children in Xichuan Township, Ninglang County, Lijiang Prefecture, Yunnan Province, will have books to read.
Far away in Hangzhou, many schools' students are donating books as New Year gifts for children in impoverished areas.
On January 26th, in front of the library of Hangzhou Jiangnan Experimental School, books like "Ten Thousand Whys", "Stories of Scientists", "Adventures of Pinocchio", "Water Margin"... piled up into a small mountain.
Deputy Secretary Hong Tao of the school told reporters from the Urban Express: "The book donation activity was initiated by the Hangzhou Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, mobilized by the school, and voluntarily participated in by teachers and students. Each student donates 1-2 books, and we only require that the donated books are undamaged and have healthy, positive content."
The students showed great enthusiasm for donating books. Class 2(1) had 49 students who donated 66 books, with one student donating as many as 4 books.
Many students grew up in cities and have never been to impoverished areas, with impressions mostly coming from TV and newspapers. Student Sun Yifei said, "Children in impoverished areas live a hard life, studying in crowded mud house classrooms with chilblains on their hands."
Sun Yifei was delighted to hear that the school would donate books to children in impoverished areas as New Year gifts. "My parents usually buy me a lot of books. Some I have already read, so I can donate them to help them, allowing them to see the outside world."
Class teacher Ms. Zhong Danqing of Class 2(4) said, "Students are very willing to give their own books as gifts. The quality of the donated books is very high and suitable for junior high school students to read."
Deputy Secretary Hong Tao of the school said, "The book donation activity is excellent, allowing students in economically developed areas to learn more about impoverished areas, cultivating their concern for children in impoverished areas, and enhancing their sense of social responsibility."
After the event ended, 1058 students from Jiangnan Experimental School participated in the book donation, donating a total of 1270 books. Currently, this batch of books is being transported by rail freight from Hangzhou to Yunnan. Other schools such as Wenlan Middle School and Tianchang Primary School also participated in the book donation activities.
"Ninglang County is the poorest county in Lijiang and a national-level impoverished county, and Xichuan Township is the poorest township in Ninglang County. Most of the school furniture there is old and broken from the last century, and some boarding students still go up the mountain in winter to collect firewood for heating." Zhang Liwei from the Foreign Affairs and Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of Lijiang City told reporters from the Urban Express, "Recently, the township invested in building a cultural station, but there isn't a single book yet, no computers, not even bookshelves. What the children in the township need most right now are books."
Zhang Liwei said, "After the books arrive after the New Year, some will be placed in the township cultural station, and some will be distributed to the township junior high school, township primary school, etc., so more children can read them."
Reported by Shen Yanbing with text and images