Chapter 39 Appendix 1 The Duck Guy

Liu Yifen, China International Cultural Exchange Center Duck guy, sometimes you feel really tired with him.He's 1.83 meters tall, can't sit still, and keeps dangling in front of you.Staring at you, talking endlessly, happy, not only smiling, but also dancing, dancing, wishing to make gestures with all hands and feet, it can make people dizzy.At this time, you will be surprised that this silly duck has such thinking, knowledge, and eloquence. There is a very incisive saying in the Beijing photography circle, which is: Donald Duck writes better than he shoots, speaks better than writing, and does better than speaking.As a photojournalist, he didn't know whether this remark was a compliment or a derogation, but he enjoyed hearing it anyway.This man likes to listen to good things.If the face is full of dark clouds, someone must have said something important, regardless of the number of people around, whether they are happy or not, they just sit on the sidelines in a daze.But one thing, this guy is really desperate when he works. When he joined Xinhua News Agency in 1987, he hiked the Great Wall with French journalists, and his photos were actually bought by Sipa and Sigma. In 1988, he took pictures of wild pandas for a company in the United States, and entered the inaccessible and icy Qinling Mountains.The national treasures in people's impressions are all gentle and cute, sitting on the ground and gnawing on bamboo leaves, leisurely, and occasionally performing a show or something.But in the mountains and forests, pandas are full of wildness, agile and nimble, running and jumping among sharp bamboo bushes and icy snow stones.To take a photo of it, you have to search carefully in the vast snowy mountains, your legs have to be soaked in the bitter snow water from time to time, and you have to squat for dozens of minutes.As soon as there is any movement, you wish you could run after the wild animal for several miles at the speed of a 100-meter sprint, but when you are so tired that you can hardly breathe, the panda has disappeared without a trace.When his boss made a special trip to the United States to bring back the beautiful big picture album, he only knew how to be silly like a child.It's just that in the dead of night, he would lie on the bed and rub his feet covered with tiger bone paste.

In 1990, he moved from Beijing, which is 50 meters above sea level, to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which is 5,000 to 6,000 meters above sea level, and joined the scientific expedition team in Hoh Xil No Man's Land.Hoh Xil, known as the third pole of the world, contains extremely rich natural resources, but is also famous for its harsh natural conditions.During the first few days there, it took him more than ten minutes to get dressed every morning.A young man was out of breath, unable to lift his arms and put on his clothes.For more than three months, there were no fresh vegetables.Back in Beijing, I got into the habit of eating a piece of fruit, wishing I could chew and swallow all the seeds.However, Xinhua News Agency has a complete set of photo materials about this area.

In the Shanxi earthquake in 1989, he rushed from home to the agency when he heard the radio, got into the car prepared by his boss, became the first reporter to enter the epicenter after the earthquake, and worked continuously for 38 hours. The photos of "Xinhua" not only occupy the "People's Daily" and other major domestic newspapers, but even the United States, Agence France-Presse, and Reuters all use "Xinhua" photos. The guest house of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was on fire, the "Great Wall of Love" was tightly sealed by the police, Alan Delong, who did not want to see Chinese journalists, came to Beijing, the Puhuangyu train collided, the Song Dynasty wall of the Forbidden City collapsed, and the lion on the Lugou Bridge was struck by lightning. The hijacker returning home...he either rushed to the scene in a hurry, or he could stay overnight at the airport.Tracking down the sensational Beijing-Shibai Highway incident, hunting down the case of the murderer who killed a Peking University student, he can drive to other places in the starry night.

On the Hoh Xil Snow Mountain, he heard the news of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, and immediately sent a report to the agency leader, and he couldn't wait to send a telegram to ask his friends to prepare materials.After going down the mountain, he went to the local government, the society, the Foreign Affairs Bureau, the Peking University Department of Languages, the Public Security Bureau, the embassy... one after another, he spoke good words and expressed his determination everywhere.When I was extremely tired, I raised my trouser legs and worried: "One of these two legs is getting thinner and the other is thinner, what should I do?" So I used that thin leg to practice squatting and standing up every day.He knew that he should go to the hospital for treatment, but he just didn't dare, for fear of wasting time and not being able to go to the front line.In this way, he walked out of the country and into the world with legs of different thickness.

This time from the snow-capped mountains to the sea of ​​fire, he wore a photography vest with the five-star red flag sewn on it and the words "China Xinhua News Agency" graffitied, and fought in Iraq, Jordan, Cyprus, Israel, and Egypt alone.For more than five months, relying on a few words of Arwen that are now being sold, and speaking half-baked English, I have traveled all over most of the Middle East. Friends say his high-spirited energy stems from the photo of Capa hanging on his desk.He often said that this Robert Capa, who never forgot to press the shutter while stepping on landmines, seemed to be urging him every day: Duck, don’t be idle, hurry up, go out and work.

After several years of news, not only the news circles in the capital became familiar with him, but also the foreign colleagues with yellow hair and blue eyes gradually got to know this Donald Duck who played his life for "Xinhua" and robbed the news.In order to make a film and win face for China, he still doesn't buy it for foreigners.It may be Catherine of Agence France-Presse who experienced this kind of power for the first time.That time they refused to give in to each other for the best shooting location, and the ducks were so anxious that they almost uttered Beijing nonsense.In the end, they won, and Faxin, Sipa, and Sigma bought the "Xinhua" film.The job was over, and Catherine became his friend.After the duck went to the Middle East, the blond woman asked about his situation and worried about his safety.

Renninger, who won the World Press Award for his coverage of AIDS, and Old Bob from the Thomson International Training Center in the UK... These senior and famous reporters were fascinated by this young Chinese man for some reason, and they were happy to chat with him, Teach him some "tricks" for taking pictures that are exchanged for physical pain or even life-threatening.While in the Gulf, the major news agencies of various countries have sent their best lineups to join the battle of the century, which is also the news war.In Baghdad and Israel, Kono, an old friend of Japan’s Kyodo News Agency, provided selfless assistance several times; at critical moments, Steve from the United States regarded him as a "life-saving straw", and Joe from Canada shared weal and woe with him; British and Pakistani journalists also had to look at Chinese journalists with admiration during their joint interviews.Kono said: "Xinhua's photos of de Cuellar's visit to Baghdad Airport for peace mediation are the most beautiful among the major news agencies, and Japan also uses 'Xinhua'." Familiarity with performance and grasp of the world's military situation made him a "military advisor" to this group of foreign counterparts.When encountering tanks or missiles, from time to time someone would stop him and ask questions.

However, for all of this, he has prepared for more than ten years.When he was in high school, he started to get in touch with photography from an old "Rollei" handed down from his family. Looking at an English booklet "How to Take Good Photos" written by Kodak in the 1930s, he followed the same pattern to make an impression for himself. box, every day looking forward to the sunset and Xishan good close the door to print photos.Huang Xiang, a good friend of fifth grandfather Shao Lizi, became his first teacher.The great photographer warned him that photography skills are beyond photography skills, but he seemed to understand it at the time.

In 1979, he entered Peking University to study in the Department of National Politics, and his eyes and ears felt completely new.The duck who likes to read got acquainted with Snow's good friend, Robert Capa, the photographer who took pictures of "Taierzhuang Victory" and "Song Qingling and Zhou Enlai in Wuhan" in the National Library of Peking University.Capa has traveled all over the world and photographed almost all modern wars.Duck was deeply moved by Capa's experience and spirit.He believes that the Kappa spirit is a dedication to work hard for human progress.From then on, he fell in love with Capa.

After graduating in 1983, he was assigned to teach at China University of Political Science and Law.The podium became the starting point for releasing and displaying his talents. His hard-working professionalism, lively teaching methods, and extensive and profound knowledge made him a popular teacher.In addition to the regular class, he also offered an elective course on the history of World War II, and studied as an in-service graduate student for three years.This was a comfortable and relaxing time. To this day, he often misses the relaxed academic environment of the University of Political Science and Law, and the small classrooms gave him the confidence and rehearsal before taking off.But while teaching, he never forgets his camera and his Capa.He is still accumulating and preparing—from theory to practice.

Finally, in early 1987, he knocked on the door of the Photography Department of Xinhua News Agency.Since then, he has been like a fish in water, running around the streets and alleys of Beijing every day, and the home by the Shicha seaside is almost like a hotel.He does not stay at home day and night, and his family understands that he has gone to work for Xinhua News Agency.If he is idle at home one day, his family is not used to it, and they have to be careful and hide. He will feel uncomfortable when he has no work to do, and he will look at everyone for luck.But his mother is happy: no matter what, seeing her son by her side makes her feel at ease.You can let him drink a bowl of hot porridge and eat some pies baked by his mother.Otherwise, how could the stomach disease that came out of the news in the past few years get better? But as soon as you hear the beeping of the BP machine at your waist - there must be another news.Suddenly, like a tiger waiting for food for many days, his whole body trembled, his spirits lifted, and he rushed out. He likes red, because "you can't be hit by a bicycle", so no matter where you go, a red shirt has become his symbol.As soon as the red figure appeared, people knew there was trouble again. "Red is in action" - a feature about him published in "China Youth Daily" in 1988, which shows the recognition of him by insiders and the understanding of him by foreigners. He is very popular, and his radiant face has won the trust and friendship from ministers to civilians, men, women and children, but the slyness in his simple eyes tells you: this kid is not stupid.In order to achieve his goal, he will do his best.That year, he came to my office with a roll of torn newspapers with his front-page photos in his hand, wearing a white-washed Zhongshan suit, and a very sincere youthful appearance, and got a Press card.Even Su Zhongxiang, director of the Beijing Public Security Bureau, and Zhang Baifa, deputy mayor, became friends standing shoulder to shoulder for a group photo.Flipping through his tattered, pasted and pasted address book.Looking at the thousands of addresses and phone numbers arranged in different categories, you can know the effort this guy has put in for several years. Those who don't know the details will think that he has a great background, and his peers envy his good luck. In fact, he wants to be a good reporter, a good reporter in China.In this society where money and power are believed to be paramount by quite a few people, journalists, especially photojournalists for state-level news agencies, are a very good and lucrative profession.With his camera and his fame, he can easily get a lot of "Great Unity" and US dollars and Hong Kong banknotes.What he believes in is: I want to be loyal to my "Xinhua".He can give up the chance to win prizes in the competition, and obey the orders of the "boss"; for "Xinhua", he can abandon the good things of making a fortune, winning big things, traveling abroad, and taking vacations, and he knows that he is busy with taking pictures for no money , Punch volume.Sometimes when an event is over at night and everyone else goes home to sleep, he still returns to the agency to prepare and publish the manuscript.Because "Xinhua's draft is a press release, and it needs to be published on the same day."Today, a large number of young people are flocking to the United States, France, and England, but he took the initiative to apply to go to the Middle East where there is no rest all day long.When there was a fight in the bay, he went there to play his life in the face of the gunfire. After returning, he did not perform any meritorious service, received no award, received no salary increase, and received no room allocation, but he did not say a word.Still carrying the camera on his back, he went from the front line to the flood-stricken area.His sincerity of dedicating himself to his ideals and his earnestness, which is almost pedantic, surprised me the first time I saw him: In the capital city of the 1990s, he was engaged in this fashionable and modern business. There is still such a bookish reporter.If we say that the extraordinary family background and good family education have nurtured this young man with a deeper cultural foundation than his peers, the four-year education at Peking University has cultivated a belief and spirit, and the four-year teaching career has trained him. The ability to express and give a theoretical cultivation and preparation, so the four-year "Xinhua" experience and environment played a crucial role in his growth and success.He never forgets "Xinhua"'s "kindness" to him: "Xinhua" bosses care for him, reporters old and young help and teach him, "Xinhua" provides him with a BP machine, a portable mobile phone, and sends him Enter the Thomson International Press Center for training, and send him to learn to drive... If someone from "Xinhua" praises him, he will be so happy that he can remember it for a lifetime. In life, sometimes people seem to be a little roundabout and a little out of place.He can give all the gifts he deserves to the driver of the car, because "he works harder than me"; he can carry the old man and the girl across the river in the biting ice water without saying a word; The evil "usual" behavior of bullying the people is so painful that he can't sleep; he can be moved to tears by a novel, and make a fool of himself on the train; he can give everything in his body to hungry children; Tears flowed down my cheeks at the separation of the dog.He can also step on the sewing machine, and he bought the sewing machine at home and assembled it himself; he can play the guitar, he can play chess, and he is willing to teach you a hand or two when he is excited.In his spare time, he will whistle an out-of-tune tune for you, sing Cui Jian's "Rock and Roll on the New Long March Road", and tell you a hilarious folktale... Yes, he loves life, loves nature, and loves his motherland and his people even more.After his application for the report to go to the front line of the Gulf was approved last year, the first thing he did was to sew bright five-star red flags on the chest and back of his camera vest.During the more than 100 days and nights in the Gulf, no matter how hard it was, how tiring and difficult it was, what he kept in mind was: never to embarrass the Chinese, but to win glory for "Xinhua". Today he embarked on a trip to the Middle East again, bearing the mission of China's Xinhua News Agency: he became the resident reporter of the Middle East Branch of Xinhua News Agency.He began to be active again in the streets and alleys of Cairo, as well as the historical sites, using his lens to capture and reflect the ancient and modern life of the Egyptian people.He often drives out "wild" as soon as he gets to work, and doesn't return to the branch office until sunset to make films.From the photos and texts constantly published in major domestic newspapers, my friends seem to have seen him again.This kid is still restless.In the past six months, Duck has not only wandered around Egypt, from Cairo to Aswan in the south to Alamein in the north, but also ventured into Libya with his colleagues when Libya was sanctioned by the United Nations.Within two weeks, they overcame many obstacles, snapped a lot of first-hand materials, were unexpectedly invited to interview Gaddafi, and visited the Libyan Women's Military Academy.Not long ago, he rode thousands of miles alone across the great desert of Egypt to Israel for an interview, and he gained a lot.When his friends envied him for being able to witness the Giza Pyramids and the Sphinx in person, and exclaimed, "This kid actually sat and took pictures with the famous Gaddafi", people have ever wondered how many times he met during these days Difficulties: I don’t understand the language, like a “deaf” or “blind” man, he is gesticulating with the Arabs, guessing, and they only seem to understand each other; the living habits are different, and he is most afraid of the smell of beef and mutton in the capital. , but now I can only make do with it every day, so worried that his mother always wants to send pork dumplings to her son; also, when encountering such a turbulent place in the Middle East, people's nerves are always tense, "class struggle" The strings are stretched extraordinarily tight, and if it is slightly unpleasant, the camera will suffer, the film will be pulled out forcibly to expose, and the person will also be stabbed and humiliated.Encountered an extraordinary event, a place of right and wrong, and I am so old that I have eyes on the back of my head to guard against bullets that don't have eyes.But the duck didn't want to mention these things, and he was still "smiling" all day long.It’s just that he is serious and makes him “affectionate”: “I miss my motherland so much. Really, I don’t want to go home, but I miss my motherland.” It seems true, but at this time he really can’t be happy , it seems that there are many, many past events that are recalled and recalled... Look, I forgot to introduce the name, the duck is called "Donald Duck", and Tang Shizeng, a photographer of China Xinhua News Agency. (This article was originally published in Issue 5 of "University Students" magazine in 1992)