Last year, I wrote the article for the first time to "Today's Headlines", with the title "Adventures abroad - 30 years of remembrance and searching". The main purpose is to find the kind-hearted person I met when I first went abroad 30 years ago through the omnipotent Internet. But disappointingly, almost a year after the article was published, there were only more than one hundred views. Maybe my article was not well written, maybe the number of headlines was too low, and no one of the relevant parties involved in that year could see my article. Since I failed to find someone through Toutiao, I also tried to send my story to CCTV's " Waiting for Me " program team, but several months have passed and no feedback has been received.
Now, I no longer have any fantasies about finding the kind-hearted person I used to be, but I am always a little unwilling to accept it! I still hope that such a touching experience can be seen by more friends. In particular, I hope that our next generation of young people can get useful inspiration from this experience of mine. There are indeed some ordinary people in our society who use their kindness in obscurity to help others selflessly, touch the public, warm our hearts, and make our society a better place!
Here, I slightly modified and "reprinted" the article "30 Years of Remembrance and Search", hoping to get more push from the headlines, and hope to get forwarded by enthusiastic readers so that more friends can see this article. In the dark, I most look forward to the kind-hearted people or their relatives and friends who were looking forward to seeing this article! Let my articles bring them some comfort! I look forward to a miracle happening!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- But a heartwarming thing I encountered when I first went abroad 30 years ago has always been unforgettable. Due to my old age, I can't remember the names and phone numbers of the kind-hearted people back then. Now I write down this matter specifically, hoping that through the Internet and the media, friends who had dated me in Australia would provide clues to help me recall the past and find the kind-hearted people I had back then. I hope that through this article, I can regain contact with this kind-hearted person, and that even if my dream comes true!
In the 1990s (around 1990), there was a "Guangxi Self-raised Funding Study Abroad" project in Guangxi, which funded Guangxi scientific and technological personnel to study abroad every year. Senior professional title personnel will be funded for half a year, and intermediate professional title personnel will be funded for one year. Funding costs include round-trip transportation and basic living expenses for going abroad (it seems to be around US$420 per month). In September to October of each year, individual applications are applied by the unit, reviewed and recommended by the unit, and then selected by the foreign language examination, then go to the "Overseas Personnel Training Center" of Guangxi University for half a year for full-time English learning. Finally, you can pass the English proficiency test for Chinese schools to study abroad. As long as the total score exceeds 90 points, you can contact the school of the corresponding major yourself (the study country is designated by the organization). After receiving the other party’s invitation letter, you can go abroad to study.
I will check the online information now. From the first batch to September 2004, there were 15 batches of personnel funded by the "Guangxi Self-raised Funding Study Abroad" project. From this point of view, I may have been the second batch of overseas workers in this project in Guangxi that year. There are more than a dozen people in our group, including technical and administrative personnel from research institutes, intelligence institutes, libraries, foreign trade, banks and universities (the picture below shows some of the people from Guangxi who went abroad in 1989).
At that time, I was working in the automation room of the Institute of Applied Physics, Guangxi Academy of Sciences. The unit I contacted and studied was the Computer Department of LA.TROBE University in Melbourne, Australia.
As a visiting scholar in Guangxi, he had only one year of further study abroad. After the approval of the unit, it was extended for another one and a half years. From July 1990 to December 1992, we studied for a total of 2 and a half years. Now decades have passed, and I don’t remember many things at that time.But when I went abroad for the first time, I met the "living Lei Feng", but I can't forget it for decades! Things are a bit incredible. If I hadn't experienced it myself, I'm afraid I wouldn't have believed it was true!
It happened that I taught us when I was studying at Guangxi Minzu University , Teacher Wan Pubin (later became the vice principal of Minzu University ), and was also a visiting scholar in Melbourne. He went to , a year before me to study at at the University of Melbourne, and happened to return home before I went abroad. He helped me implement the place to stay after going abroad. The rooms and beds were ready-made, which solved a big problem for me to find a place to stay when I went abroad for the first time.
At that time, the government sent personnel to take flight abroad, and it was stipulated that they could only take Chinese civil aviation, and it took more than ten hours to fly to reach Melbourne. But I have no idea how to get from Melbourne Airport to the accommodation in the city. This is the second problem I encountered when I went abroad!
I really hope to meet friends on the plane who are on the way. The best solution is to take a ride to Melbourne! Therefore, when I was chatting with passengers in the surrounding area, I paid special attention to checking which passengers would ride to Melbourne city. I was really lucky. When I was about to arrive in Melbourne, a young man who was chatting with me knew about my difficulties and said that he would drive to pick him up this time when he returned to Melbourne. But because it was not his own car, it was inconvenient to take a ride for me. If I believe him and am willing to wait at the airport, he can take a friend's free bike back to Melbourne and then drive to the airport to pick me up. There is really such a good thing in
? At first I had doubts about this. In the subsequent conversation, I knew that he is now engaged in domestic real estate-related work and often travels between China and Australia. I remember that the mobile phone that only big bosses in China could afford at that time was a "big brother" who was half a brick. And this young man already used a small phone like Nokia , the size of a palm. From his appearance, he looks about 30 years old and dresses relatively low-key and simple (from the current perspective, he looks like an ordinary worker). It seems to be more credible if you are not a big talk or a sloppy person.
can take a ride, which can avoid the trouble of finding a strange place to live for the first time. This is of course a great thing for me who is going abroad for the first time! But after all, they never knew each other, and I was worried that he was just polite. Obviously, I found that he was also worried that I would run away after waiting in the airport impatiently. After we repeatedly confirmed that "one word is determined", he repeatedly told me: "Don't run around, be patient at the airport." Of course I can only thank and praise it continuously.
This young man knew that I didn’t even have a coin to call, so he gave me seven or eight Australian coins, which seemed to be a few Australian dollars or a dozen Australian dollars (the exchange rate of at that time seemed to be 6:1, and a few Australian dollars were equivalent to dozens of RMB), and asked me to use the coin phone number to call my friend in my residence first and do a good job of contacting the contact. This made my heart warm. It seemed that this person was quite careful!
I don’t have much impression of how far is the distance from Melbourne Airport to the city. It may be similar to the distance between , Nanning Airport, , and the distance between , and , from the city (now online inquiry, it is known that the distance between Melbourne Airport and the city is about 25 kilometers, and the distance between the airport bus at the city station and my residence in Melbourne is about 10 kilometers). I called the Chinese student living in Melbourne at the airport. Fortunately, he had no classes that day and could wait for me at home. After a while, all the passengers who came on the same plane had finished walking one after another. I waited alone at the airport for about an hour. When I was starting to feel a little anxious and worried, the young man really returned to the airport to pick me up.
After acknowledging, I got into the young man's car. On the way to Melbourne at the airport, I was immediately attracted by the beautiful exotic scenery along the way. I got used to the exposed mud and barren mountains along domestic highways at that time. I saw that there were endless beautiful vegetation on both sides of the highway (and it was obvious that it was a lawn that someone often maintained, and it was very flat), blue sky, white clouds, green trees and lawns, and fresh air. At that time, I felt like I was in the beautiful wilderness in the American West Cowboys movie.
But then I was a little uneasy--the common crime scenes in American movies also flashed into my mind. Because there are no people along the way, there are very few vehicles coming and going. After walking for a while, I felt more and more desolate in my surroundings. I was a little suspicious: "Are you driving towards Melbourne now? Could it be a scam?", "Is there such a good thing in the world? When I meet a stranger on the plane, I will drive to the airport to pick you up and take me to my residence. Isn't this a bit unreliable?" Too good to believe! I'm a little worried that will be fooled.
I started to get nervous and peeped at him several times. This kid is about 170 and weighs more than 120 kilograms. He is a thin figure. I am 167 tall and seem to be stronger than him. If you fight one-on-one, you should not be afraid of him. But if he has an accomplice or a weapon, it will be difficult to deal with. What he said before was "going home to drive" might be just an excuse to conspire with his gang in advance to implement the excuse of arranging a robbery location. I heard him driving from time to time and calling his so-called family members, saying that has already arrived wherever has arrived. I was also worried: "Can they be informing the situation with his accomplices?" I realized that it might be wrong: "If he wants to commit the crime, he must take me to a remote place and rob me with his accomplices."
I made the worst plan. If he deviated from the road that was walking straight for no reason and walked to a remote fork, I would jump off the car at any time. I gave these carry-on luggage and hundreds of Australian dollars in cash (I didn’t seem to be carrying them for one year at that time). Otherwise, once it falls into the hands of their accomplices, it will be finished if they kill people to silence them!
For a while, I no longer had the intention to enjoy the scenery. While looking around, I occasionally chatted with him and said some social talk. I don’t remember how long I walked, and when I was thinking about it, I began to see tall buildings in the distance. Intuition tells me that we may really be on the way to the city!
may be about 40 minutes in total. We really arrived in the city. It seems that the alarm can be lifted! Only then did I breathe a sigh of relief---Thank God, I was not fooled!
But I was going to a place to stay in a neighborhood of Melbourne City - the place to stay, and later I found out that it was a very difficult thing to find it.
According to the address I gave, the young man drove me to the nearby area of his residence and could not find his destination after turning back and forth for several streets. He got off the car and went to a nearby coffee shop to find the waiter, but the other party was not aware of it. He had to use a coin phone number (he didn't use his cell phone at first, maybe the phone bill was too high at that time?) called the international student at my place of residence. After knowing the exact location, he drove to search, but still couldn't find the place of residence.
had no choice but to drive, and he used his mobile phone to ask the international students to walk out of the alley and wave to the street. It was not until we saw this waving student that we finally found our place of residence. I thanked me so much, reluctantly said goodbye to this enthusiastic young man who had never lived for life, and happily moved my luggage to my first "new home" after going abroad.
A few days later, when I was walking around my residence, I realized that the door number of our residence was sawed into numbers with wood and nailed to the door. And because of the long time, some of the wood numbers have rotted and fallen off, and one of the "6" has become "0". This alley is very deserted, and there is no door sign at the fronts and backs of nearby houses. You cannot calculate the exact number of our residence by the door sign next to you. And the neighborhood is also very secluded and there is no movement from the neighbors. If there were no international students who were answering that day, even if we walked to the front of this house, we would not be able to find my place of residence and we would not be able to find anyone to ask for directions.
Later I heard an international student who came about half a year earlier than me said that he took a taxi to find this place of residence on the day he arrived in Australia, but he couldn't find it at night. I had to ask the consulate for help, and the consulate temporarily arranged a place to stay for one night. The next day I took a taxi and it took me half a day to find this place of residence.Knowing this situation, I am even more grateful to this helpful young man! After
, I wrote a letter to tell my family about the above adventures. My dad also wrote a letter to tell me: "This kind of good person is rare and trustworthy. In a foreign country, you must date such people more." Of course I want to make such friends! But I am also worried about causing trouble for others! I am kind enough to help you, but you stick to others but can't help them. That's too embarrassing, right?
When I broke up with this kind-hearted young man, I left his contact number and sincerely hoped that he would come to me if he needed it in the future (I also hope that I can repay others). Later, I called this friend to greet him, but then he could no longer contact him by phone, so we lost contact.
About half a year or one Christmas later, I visited the home of a couple in their 20s in the Department of Chemistry (or maybe the Department of Biology) of LA TROBE University as a guest. During the chat, I mentioned this adventure at the Australian airport. The couple also said that when they first arrived in Australia, they happened to have the same experience, and that strangers took the initiative to send them to their Melbourne home at the airport. Is it really such a coincidence? After checking the similar details and names, we confirmed that this was the same kind-hearted person who did the same good thing for us.
We are both amazed and excited. This young man is not doing good things occasionally, he is simply a living Lei Feng. When I learned that the international student couple had the latest contact number of this kind-hearted person, I immediately called the kind-hearted person and eagerly wanted to express the holiday greetings of the three of us to him. But the kind-hearted person is not at home, it is his lover who answers the phone. I told his lover the story of our help from his husband at different times, thanking her for having such a good husband, and hope that he could convey our most sincere holiday greetings to his husband. Although my tone was very excited and enthusiastic, I vaguely felt that the other person seemed a little too calm (it seemed a little cold?), and we did not have any feedback from her husband afterwards. At that time, I was a little confused: "Why are the couples not together on Christmas?" I was also vaguely worried at that time: This lady seemed to be in a bad mood. Will she convey our greetings to her husband? Since then, because I am busy with school, I also thought that there is nothing special about it and don’t bother others, so I didn’t contact them anymore.
After returning to China, I have been thinking about this kind-hearted person for many years. When I wanted to write to him during the Chinese New Year and the holidays, I couldn't find his contact information. I didn't know when the address book I lost when I was studying in Australia, and all my friends' names and contact information of Australia disappeared. I once thought that the overseas notepad might just be forgotten in a corner, and I would definitely find it if I cleaned up my things or moved one day. But decades have passed, and my memory is fading, but I can’t find my notebook and address book abroad again! The thought that I may never have the chance to contact this kind-hearted person again in my life makes me feel uneasy and regretful.
This thing I experienced in Australia has had a great positive impact on my life philosophy and behavior over the years! Even though I have experienced such help, I am moved by this spirit. But my mental state in this life really cannot reach such a height. This is why I have been moved by this incident for decades and cannot forget it.
Honestly, although I will be moved by the spirit of this kind-hearted person. But in daily life, at most, you are willing to lend a helping hand and help others without causing too much trouble or loss to yourself. That's all!
Decades have passed, and I feel very moved whenever I think of this. Looking at our social reality today, there is too much distrust between people. The safety creed of and even public education is: "Don't talk to strangers", "Don't take strangers' cars", "Don't drive without taking strangers". This has made people in the whole society full of suspicion and caution.Today's social atmosphere and some real experiences really make us too frustrated and disappointed!
Now I have moved this personal experience online, hoping that the magical network will allow me to find this good young man from that year (it should be an old man in his 60s now). I hope reality can directly express my sincere gratitude and tribute to him in my lifetime! Now the image of this kind-hearted person is becoming increasingly blurred in my memory. I would love to get a photo of him, which is embedded in my living room. Let my family and relatives know that there are indeed such good people in this world that are worth remembering and imitating forever!
I have always been confused: What kind of social environment is it? What kind of ideological education? What kind of life philosophy? Can an ordinary person become so loving, and can help others more than once, even strangers who have never been in their lifetime?
My experience is a bit dramatic and it was written 30 years later, which is a bit too late! Let’s add some scattered content (photos from 1991-1992 in Australia), hoping to help friends who had some interactions with me when they went abroad and then contact me after seeing this article and help them find the kind-hearted people of that year.
At the time at LA TROBE University, I still remember a few friends with my name. One of them was Wei Ming (or "Ming"), who was the first good friend I should find when I was recommended by Mr. Wan of Minzu University to come to Melbourne. He seemed to be the president of the Chinese Alumni Association of LA TROBE University. He was studying in the Department of Archaeology at that time. He must have a address book for all international students at that time. The other friends are Li Xiaoqun from Harbin Institute of Technology , Li Xiaobo from Hunan University, Liu Jinggao from East China Normal University, and Zhao Songhe from Zhengzhou University. When I returned to China, Li Xiaobo and Zhao Songhe were still studying for a doctorate in the computer department. If they can see this article today, please see if they can help me find information about their classmates in the department of chemistry from your overseas students’ address book. I believe that as long as I find this classmate of the chemistry department who has the same experience as me, I should get more information from this kind-hearted person.
is in the photo from the left: author, Liu Jinggao, Li Xiaoqun.
Faced to the left of the photo Li Xiaobo (wearing sunglasses).
Below is a briefing published by the international student reunion before we returned to China. Chen Guonan friend who improvises poetry in it is from the Department of Chemistry of Fuzhou University. If he still has information about Chinese students from the Department of Chemistry of LA TROBE University, I hope he can contact me after seeing this article. He should be the most reliable clue I can find at the moment! Looking forward to his feedback!
(Author-1991)
Where were you the kind-hearted person back then? Everything is OK? May all kind-hearted people in the world be happy and safe in their lives!
Guangxi University for Nationalities Retired teacher Old Man Li (Note: Before and after going abroad, at Guangxi Academy of Sciences, before retirement, at Guangxi University for Nationalities)
2021.12.3-2022.10.4
