Name and Body Follow--My Life Notes

Author: Ye Zhaoyan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: People should not treat others as non-human; treating others as non-human also means treating oneself as non-human. While historical tragedies may not repeat, we should learn from the past and at least understand not to treat ourselves as non-human. A candid life autobiography by the renowned writer Ye Zhaoyan (whose grandfather is the famous educator Ye Shengtao). It truthfully and comprehensively reflects his rich and varied years of growth and life experiences; reveals the deep friendships and interactions between the classic Chinese family and great figures such as Premier Zhou Enlai and President Ho Chi Minh. In 1974, after graduating from high school, I obtained a Soviet Zorki 4 camera. It was found by my mother's friend in a second-hand store in Shanghai for 204 yuan. At that time, it was already a very good camera. The lens was F2, and it was said to be completely similar to a certain model of the German Leica. My cousin Sanwu told me that this camera was basically top-of-the-line in the 1950s because its core technology and raw materials were utilized as war reparations from Germany's defeat. In today's perspective, it is no longer considered much. At that time, I mean at that time, at least among the people around me, no one could come up with something more high-end. Those years were common with twin-lens reflex cameras, which were 120 models with lenses only 3.5, able to take only 12 photos, unlike my 135 camera, which could take 36 photos each time and had a better imaging effect due to its larger lens, even in poor lighting. My cousin was a photography enthusiast, especially good at portrait photography, and I learned basic shooting and printing and enlarging techniques from him. Family members and people around me became my models. Perhaps I never truly took a good photo, but for a while, I often heard people praise my work. My grandfather once praised, "This photo is good, I will put it in my album." Unconsciously, I spent a lot of time on photography. There was a photography and picture society in Nanjing Xinjiekou where the enlarging paper was sold by the pound, and you could buy it back and enlarge photos yourself, which was relatively cheaper. I made my own enlarger and light machine, used a basin to mix chemicals, and hid in the darkroom, working for an entire night. I can't remember how many photos I took, but compared to today, they are nothing. However, at that time, working with a basin of chemicals and handing out thick stacks of photos was quite impressive. I quickly became a small worker, and my reputation for photography spread. People often asked me to take photos. I invested my limited time and money into the endless world of photography. It sounds absurd, but I took so many photos back then, now it is very difficult to find traces of those days. Except for some evidence left in my parents' photo albums, most photos are nowhere to be found. You take a photo for someone, develop and enlarge it, give the photo to them, and the matter is done, it's over. On September 9, 1976, in Nanjing Xiuqiu Park, I was taking photos for the son of an electrician. The child was only three or four years old. The loudspeaker announced that there was an important news broadcast, asking everyone to wait patiently. We took photos while waiting. Finally, we finished the roll of film and came out of the woods. We heard the news that Chairman Mao had passed away. At that time, we did not think this would have any impact on our future. Everything happened unconsciously, and the era of photography suddenly ended. I gradually forgot this skill and started attending night school to study mechanical drawing and advanced mathematics. Like photography, I did not excel at these either. Soon, the college entrance exams were resumed, and I went to the exam hall in a rush, like everyone else. I failed the first time, but passed the second time and became a university student.