The lonely figure wanders alone (Liao Bingxiong, the century-old elder)

Author: Zhang Hongmiao, edited by Liao Ling'er
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features: Liao Bingxiong was born in a time of profound disaster. From the moment he understood life, he knew it was faced with two major threats—hunger and national subjugation. External worries and internal troubles burdened him with the heavy responsibilities of his nation and people from birth. Since his youth, he devoted himself entirely to politics and society, using his brush to scourge darkness and evil, and to call for light and beauty. He was deeply connected with the history of the Chinese nation for nearly a century. Thus, his entire life carried the vicissitudes of China's nearly one hundred years. Opening the old man's photo album is like opening a collection of historical photographs—each picture tells the story of the changing times. However, his childhood and youth were too poor to afford a single photograph, not even a group photo with his biological parents. It wasn't until his later years that he returned to the place where he had lived as a child to take a picture. In his old age, he became a "star." People he knew and didn't know flocked around him, all wanting to take a selfie with him. He became the "background" of everyone's activities, with reporters from various media following him, and flashlights flickering at every large and small event. Then, stacks of photos were delivered to him. He said, "There are so many photos that there's no more room to store them."