The four seasons change, 30 years in a flash.
The "story of time" remains in memory,
It is also recorded by people in their own way.
Wang Luwei, 65, from Nanjing, Jiangsu, is one of them.
The heart-warming moment of old broken bungalows turning into tall buildings and international communities... just like that, in one stroke, Wang Luwei witnessed the vicissitudes of Nanjing city.
Befriended since childhood, half a lifetime with painting as a companion
Wang Luwei is a retired truck driver.
His fate with painting can be said to have started since he was a child.
Since picking up the paintbrush, Wang Luwei never put it down.
Until now, he still insists on writing every day, working diligently.
"When I was a child, the pace of life was slow and there were few entertainment methods. My parents were busy with work and had little company, so they would buy some comic strips to pass the time." Wang Luwei recalled that when he saw the content of interest, he would copy the content of the book.
During his studies, Wang Luwei was often appointed as a class art committee member because he was good at drawing and was responsible for making blackboard newspapers.
"After I arrived in middle school, the art teacher encouraged me to participate in the art exhibition of middle school students. Under the guidance of the art teacher, I started to draw a short comic or write some articles." Talking about the teacher, Wang Luwei's gratitude was beyond words.
In 1976, Wang Luwei was assigned to the Nanjing Gongnongbing Steel File Factory.
At that time, he was obsessed with painting and took the time to paint his colleagues and scenes around him.
I don’t want this factory to merge with other factories four years later, and Wang Luwei and his colleagues will be assigned to different units.
Although in a city, many people never met again.
In 2017, Wang Luwei, who had retired for more than a year, found the sketches of that year when he was finishing things at home.
So he organized these pictures and old photos into a book.
Wang Luwei sighed: "Forty years have passed in a flash. It's true. Time has changed us from big girls and young men to old women and old men. If one day I can meet you who we were together day and night, I will give you a copy. "
No matter what life he has experienced, Wang Luwei still loves painting and records his life in this way.
His works have been published successively in the "Comic Pictorial".
"I have become accustomed to creating stories around me through paintbrushes, so that more people know it, which is very gratifying." In Wang Luwei's view, this is the meaning of his insistence on painting.
Painting also helped him through the most difficult period.
At the age of 45, Wang Luwei was laid off.
After he was laid off, he took a job as a security guard, and he had more time than his original unit.
"I will ride my bike to the outskirts when I have free time, meet people to chat, write down interesting things with a pen, accumulate over time, and string the shining points of these things together, it may be a good work!" Wang Luwei said .
"Combining writing and painting is my strong point, so I chose this kind of painting style that can tell stories." Wang Luwei said that painting was a hobby in the past, and it is still.
However, now that I have time to dangle my eyes, I can use a comic strip to draw the things around me.
39 comic strips documenting changes in the city
Recently, Wang Luwei has drawn the changes in the face of the city in his eyes, what he has seen and heard about participating in the community after retirement, and the stories of fighting the epidemic into a comic strip.
The comic book "Our Happy Life" contains a total of 39 hand-painted pictures, spanning more than 30 years, created by Wang Luwei based on personal experience.
"Tell the story of Nanjing in my way"
In Wang Luwei's pen, the characters are unpretentious and the plot is warm and touching.
"I don't have any special skills. As a painting lover, I use the pen in my hand to record the ordinary stories around me and the beautiful life." When it comes to creative inspiration, Wang Luwei said that he wants to "tell" the "Nanjing story" well with a brush. .
Wang Luwei's painting tools are very simple. On the small painting table, paint and other tools are neatly arranged, and the brushes that have been used for many years are diagonally inserted into plastic bottles.
In Wang Luwei's two-bedroom and one living room, one can also see his paintings hanging on the walls.
"I have lived here for more than 30 years. When I first moved in, I was in a single room. The bathroom was shared up and down. The cooking was in the aisle. The smell of cooking oil can be smelled throughout the building. Now there have been earth-shaking changes. , The community is still in the process of new development, and these can be reflected in the painting." Wang Luwei said.
As he said, from low-rise and dilapidated communities to high-rise buildings, from chaotic areas without property management to autonomous management of international residents... In urban changes, Wang Luwei is a witness and a beneficiary.
In the comic strip, there is a picture that tells a scene of life in 1987.
Wang Luwei said: "At that time, we used tubs and washboards to wash clothes. As long as there is free space and a rope is set up, the clothes can be dried. This reflects the life of the neighborhood at that time."
Explore home care and community care, "foreign-style" community activities participated by foreign students, and various convenient services... In this comic book, Wang Luwei uses a lot of space, focusing on the recent years Qingdao Road community has brought to the lives of ordinary people. change.
Among them, the most profound experience for Wang Luwei was last year's "anti-epidemic story."
As a participant in epidemic prevention and control, Wang Luwei has personally experienced the hardship of working at the grassroots level.
Standing guard at the gate of the community, the "little horn" team promotes new prevention and control requirements every day... He also presents these scenes one by one in the comics.
Wang Luwei said that during the anti-epidemic period, many of the volunteers were residents and they all did their part.
Wang Luwei said that he is an art lover, and his life after retirement is not colorful, but his creation is full of happiness and emotion.
In Wang Luwei's view, the changes around him are too fast.
The living environment has changed, and the transportation has become more convenient. You just need to bring your mobile phone when you travel. From swiping your card to swiping your face now, society is developing in a more convenient and humane direction.
Wang Luwei revealed that he is currently preparing another comic-"We are a happy community 2".
"The time used to find and integrate the data takes up most of the time. The rest of the time is to sketch some sketches. Now the free time is spent on things related to creation."
"I feel that the paintbrush in my hand cannot keep up with the changes in life. I want to go to Nanjing City for a long time, participate more in community activities, record the stories around me, and find the bright spots." Wang Luwei said.
Author: Xu Shanshan