七旬老人生前將一生和心事寫滿
seventy-year old takes to walls to record his life and reflections
張福青老人生前的房間 （受訪者供圖） late zhang fuqing's room, photo by the interviewee
年輕時的張福青（右）在祖屋前 young zhang fuqing (right) in front of his family home
院子里的杏花已開放 apricot trees in the yard are currently in bloom
攝影師蔡山海拍下的文字 zhang’s writings, photographed by cai shanhai
張宏剛在父親寫滿字的屋子前 zhang honggang in front of his father's house where the walls are covered in writings
張福青老人的遺囑 zhang fuqing's will
極目新聞記者 沈外 唐佳燕
翻譯：劉佳銘 趙燕鴿 陶然（湖北大學）
reporters: shen wai, tang jiayan, jimu news
translators: liu jiaming, zhao yan’ge, tao ran (hubei university)
what can an ordinary person leave behind in the world?
2024年清明節，獨立攝影師蔡山海自駕經過山西代縣峨囗鎮上高陵村，遇到一戶山西農家小院里正在辦葬禮，出於對當地風俗的好奇，蔡山海走進了這個院落。
during the qingming festival in 2024, cai shanhai, a freelance photographer, noticed a funeral being held in a farmyard while driving through the gaoling village of shanxi province. out of curiosity about local customs, cai shanhai walked into this yard.
他驚訝地發現，這座外表不起眼的小院里，牆上、門框上乃至房樑上，都是去世老人留下的字跡，工整清秀，內容從農事、借款等瑣事到“宇宙到底有多大”等追問，落款均為“張福青”。蔡山海被老人所寫的內容感動，於是拍下這些字跡發表在社交媒體上，引來超過7萬人點贊，稱老人把日子過成了詩。
tucked within this seemingly inconspicuous courtyard, he was surprised to find neatly and meticulously written writings all over the walls, door frames and even beams. these were all written by the deceased who once lived here. the writings covered a range of topics, from daily trivialities, like farming and loans, to philosophical questions like “how big is the universe?”. all of them were signed “zhang fuqing”. cai shanhai was moved by these writings, which he photographed and posted online, receiving over 70,000 likes. netizens said, this old man truly turned his mundane life into poetic verses.
寫下這些文字的老人生前是個怎樣的人？為何會留下這滿屋的文字？
what was he like? why did he write on the walls of his house?
4月11日，極目新聞記者輾轉聯繫上老人的家屬，這位普通又不平凡農村老人的一生逐漸清晰：他叫張福青，年少時讀過書，但做了一輩子農民。他想去的地方很多，每年買地圖，記下新開通的每一條高鐵，卻在晚年得了冠心病，獨自一人照顧患精神病的老伴。
jimu news reporters contacted the elderly man's family on april 11. the ordinary yet remarkable life of an old farmer was no longer a mystery: his name is zhang fuqing. he had received education from an early age, and spent his entire life as a farmer. he dreamt of travelling places and each year he would buy maps, noting down every new high-speed rail that was launched. however, in his later years, he suffered from coronary heart disease and was the sole caretaker of his wife who had a mental illness.
在這個不起眼的北方村莊，張福青一邊翻修祖屋、干農活，一邊在村民異樣的眼光中，用毛筆在磚牆上、門窗上寫下看似無用的文字。他把房屋當作書寫對象，時而高談闊論，時而喃喃自語。這一寫，將近20年。
in this humble northern village, zhang fuqing renovated his family home and did farm work. fellow villagers would shoot him judgmental glances as he wrote seemingly useless words on the brick walls, doors and windows with a brush. for 20 years, these walls became pages where he recorded his thoughts, and every so often he would mumble to himself as he wrote his reflections.
守住祖屋的人
the guardian of the family house
“每年春末，上房清掃干浮柴，利雨水。連陰雨後，上房用素灰泥封實，防漏。地下水管每年春天應用油上一次，防生鏽。上冬時，要挖糞便，給兩個地窖口上防凍。夏前秋中時分，給豬圈上涼柵，防止豬受熱生病。冬天，給豬圈上塑料布柵欄，防凍保熱，豬快長。冬天下雪後，上平房掃雪。喂狗，夜鎖大門防盜。”
“at the end of spring, he would clear dry firewood on the roof to drain the rain. if it rained for several days, he had to seal the roof with mud to prevent leakage. underground water pipes had to be oiled once a year in the spring to prevent rust. in the winter, manure had to be dug, and the two cellars had to be prepped for winter to prevent freezing. before summer or in the middle of fall, he had to install an open fence along the pig pen to prevent pigs from overheating and contracting illnesses. while in the winter, he had to install a plastic sheet fence around the pig pen to preserve heat, prevent freezing and ensure the pigs’ steady growth. following snowstorms, he also needed to climb to the rooftop and clear the snow. at night, he had to feed the dogs and lock the gate.”
這是一棟四合院式的院子，坐北朝南，磚牆砌成一層小平房，面積足有五百平方米。東房為客房，靠近馬路，西房為豬圈和雜物間，中間是正院。張福青和妻子杜中秀就住在正院西邊的房間。在山西東北部的代縣，這樣的院落再尋常不過，但對於張福青而言，這是祖上傳下來的寶貝。
this south-facing antique-style courtyard covers five hundred square meters, with brick walls forming a single story house. the east room, nearest to the road, serves as a guest room, while the west room doubles as a pig pen and storage space. in the center lies the main courtyard. zhang fuqing and his wife, du zhongxiu, lived in the room on the west side of the main courtyard. in daixian county in northeastern shanxi province, such courtyards are very typical. but for zhang fuqing, it is a cherished legacy passed down from his ancestors.
張福青的大兒子張宏剛在此長大，父親常常念叨，說這間屋子從祖上傳下來，至今已有百年歷史。
zhang honggang, the eldest son of zhang fuqing's, grew up here. his father often reminisced, stating that this house has a history of over a hundred years, passed down from their ancestors.
清朝末年，張福青的祖父從河北來到山西代縣峨囗鎮上高陵村，白手起家經商，曾是當地的大戶人家，建造了這座祖屋。因膝下無子，老人領養了張福青的父親。張福青的父親8歲時，祖父病故，祖母隨後也去世。
at the end of the qing dynasty, zhang fuqing's grandfather migrated here from hebei. starting from scratch, he built a successful business and became a prominent figure in the local community. he then constructed their family house. with no biological children, the elderly man adopted zhang fuqing's father. when zhang fuqing's father was 8 years old, his grandfather passed away due to illness, followed by his grandmother.
張福青生於1947年，是父親再娶妻子所生，母親從聶營鎮改嫁而來，張福青在家中排行老四，上有兩兄一姐。他是母親的獨子，長大時父親已年邁，於是便留下來孝敬父母，從此守了這間祖屋。後來，祖父留下的房屋被修路拆分，張福青現住的房屋是其中一部分。
born in 1947, zhang fuqing was the son of his father’s second wife, who remarried from nieying town. he was the fourth child in his family, with two step-older brothers and one stepsister. being his mother’s only son and as his father aged, he chose to stay behind to care for his parents and consequently became the guardian of the family house. over time, the house left by his grandfather was divided due to road construction, and the house where zhang fuqing lived is a portion of it.
張宏剛記得，1998年，父親張福青開始一邊修繕房屋，一邊在磚牆上寫字。這些文字中出現頻率最多的，是關於房屋修繕的內容。
zhang honggang recalled that, in 1998, his father began repairing the house while writing words onto the brick walls. the most recurring theme in these writings was the ongoing renovations.
張福青在房屋基石上記載：2005年4月23日，福青僅用24天，翻新這房，開支8000元。2011年，安裝窗帘、彩鋼瓦架柵，買回一火爐，大門上安裝一雙掛燈籠架。2017年冬天，廁所污水結冰，安裝便桶與柴房……
zhang fuqing recorded on the cornerstone of the house: on april 23, 2005, fuqing renovated this house in just 24 days, spending 8000 yuan. in 2011, various improvements were made, including the installation of curtains, color steel tiles, the purchase of a stove, and the mounting of a pair of lantern holders on the front door. in the winter of 2017, when the toilet sewage froze, a toilet bowl and a woodshed were installed...
轉折發生在2008年。張福青患上了冠心病，老伴患上了精神分裂症。張福青一邊吃藥，一邊照料無法正常交流的老伴。2018年，張福青因病情加重住進醫院。
2008 marked a turning point, as zhang developed coronary heart disease, and his wife was diagnosed with schizophrenia. despite his own health issues, he cared for his wife, who struggled to communicate. in 2018, he was hospitalized due to worsening health.
維修房牆變得困難，諸多日常事務開始需要請鄰居代勞。牆上的字句記下了他的心有餘而力不逮：“將來蓋西房時再加高牆九層磚，可配上東房高度。出椽務必蓋出地窖口，比東房室里要深1米……這也許是我福青的夢話而已！”
as repairing the house walls became increasingly challenging, everyday tasks required help from neighbors. his words on the wall reflected his frustration, “in the future, when building the west wing, add nine layers of bricks to the higher wall, matching the height of the east wing. when constructing the roof, be sure to cover the cellar entrance, extending 1 meter deeper than the rooms in the east wing... perhaps these are just dreams of mine!”
直到去世之前，張福青才認為房屋已建設完美，“希後代每年清明掃房壠，泥漏房處，冬掃小西房雪，鼠洞，鳥窩，鴿居點，不放燃火物，防洪水用大門封進法。”隨後又心有不甘：“77歲，我想修牆，加高二尺及泥後牆面，用磚1600塊。”
it was not until before his passing that zhang believed the house was impeccably constructed. he hoped that future generations would continue the tradition of maintaining the house meticulously. yet, there was still a lingering sense of regret: “at 77, i want to repair the walls, add two feet in height, and plaster the back wall with 1600 bricks.”
看似無用的文字
unpretentious words
張宏剛至今還記得，父親在世時在牆上寫字的場景——他拿起毛筆蘸好墨水，想起來就開始寫。有時支起木梯維修房梁，半途中想到什麼，就在房樑上寫。年紀大了，腰椎難以支撐，一句話要斷斷續續寫好幾次。寫好後刷一層清漆，防止字體因日晒雨淋磨損。
zhang honggang still recalls his late father’s habit of writing on the walls — he would dip a brush in ink and begin to note down his thoughts at any given moment. sometimes, while repairing the house beams, he would pause to jot down ideas directly onto the wood. as age caught up his lumbar spine weakened, he often had to write a sentence in fragments, repeating it several times. once finished, he would apply a layer of varnish to prevent the words from fading due to sun and rain.
字跡開始是出現在牆上，後來逐漸蔓延到門楣上、窗欞上，乃至房樑上、煙囪旁。再後來，新字又覆蓋了舊字。
the writings initially only adorned the walls but gradually spread to the lintels, window frames, and eventually the beams and chimney. over time, new writings covered older ones.
上高陵村的鄉親們，早對張福青家中的文字習以為常，“寫那些玩意兒俺們也看不懂”。在他們眼裡，張福青一輩子就是一個普通農民，種四五畝玉米土豆和紅薯，只有一點和大家不一樣，就是愛在房屋上寫東西。
the villagers grew accustomed to the writings in zhang fuqing’s home, though they admitted, “we can’t understand anything he writes.” in their eyes, zhang fuqing was simply an ordinary farmer who cultivated four or five mu of corn, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. the only peculiar habit he had was writing on the house.
“他就是寫給我們（後代）看的，就是怕我們看不見。”回憶起父親這不尋常的舉動，張宏剛說父親性格向來如此，做事“特別”，不顧忌他人的看法，“他一生坎坷，卻從不叫苦。”
“he wrote it all for us (descendants), because he feared that we wouldn’t see it.” recalling his father’s unusual behavior, zhang honggang said that his father had always been “special” in his actions, disregarding others’ opinions. “despite life’s hardships, he never complained.”
上世紀50年代，張家家道中落。祖父母勉力維持這個家，堅持送三個孩子上學，張福青在私塾讀書到十七八歲，是當時村裡少有的“高小生”。後來因為種種原因，他卻並未進一步求學，而是開始務農。“他們（父母）勤心供我讀書，我卻不才，未能成文達仕。”張福青曾自陳。
in the 1950s, the zhang family faced adversity. his grandparents struggled to support the family and ensuring all three children received an education. zhang fuqing studied in a private school until he was seventeen or eighteen, a rare “school graduate” in the village at that time. however, for various reasons, he did not further his education but instead turned to farming. “my parents worked hard to put me through school, but i lacked the skills to excel further.” zhang fuqing once confessed.
郭麗美曾主編張氏族譜，她記得張福青對修族譜一事極為熱心。在族譜中，張福青自述婚姻坎坷，一生三娶妻室，曾一度心灰意冷。第二任妻子生下大兒子張宏剛後撒手人寰，白髮蒼蒼的母親催他再娶，這才遇到最後一任妻子杜中秀。杜中秀生下次子張宏英，至此一家才其樂融融，幸福美滿。
guo limei once oversaw the editing of the zhang family genealogy and recalled zhang fuqing’s enthusiasm for this task. in the genealogy, zhang fuqing detailed the twists and turns of his marital journey, having been married three times and feeling despondent at one point. tragically, his second wife passed away after giving birth to their eldest son, zhang honggang. under his elderly mother’s encouragement to remarry, zhang met his final wife, du zhongxiu. du zhongxiu gave birth to their second son, zhang hongying, a great source of joy to the family.
張宏剛回憶，儘管一輩子都是農民，父親卻極其重視文化和教育。13歲時，張宏剛要到縣裡上初中，路途遙遠，父親特意遊說同村好友的兒子也一同去，後來又支持張宏剛上高中。這件事，張福青極得意，頻在磚牆上提起。張宏剛還記得，小時候家裡窮，父親卻喜歡看電視，每每帶着自己到別人家蹭電視看。1989年父親賣種子掙了點錢，第一件事就是買回了一台電視機。
zhang honggang recalled that despite being a farmer all his life, his father placed great emphasis on culture and education. at the age of thirteen, zhang honggang went to junior high school in the county, which was miles away from his home. so his father persuaded a friend's son from the same village to go with him and later supported zhang honggang’s high school education. zhang fuqing was extremely proud of this, often recounting it on the brick walls. zhang honggang also remembers that when the family was poor, his father enjoyed watching tv and would often take him to other people's homes to watch tv. in 1989, when his father earned some money selling seeds, the first thing he did was purchase a television.
在正廳，張福青在白紙上寫下——普及文化。提高文化，修身齊家，愛國護國，熱愛科學，破除迷信，科學種田，安定團結，民富國強。並用塑料布蒙上，作為家訓。
in the main hall, zhang fuqing wrote on a piece of white paper — “popularize culture, elevate oneself through education, maintain family harmony, love and protect the country, embrace science, dispel superstitions, practice scientific farming, foster stability and unity, and contribute to the prosperity and strength of the nation.” he covered it with plastic sheeting, as a family’s guiding motto.
在這尋常的北方院落，老人也曾思緒飛揚，心懷宇宙萬物：“宇宙有多大呀？太陽表面溫度6000℃，中心1500萬℃，體積是地球130萬倍，重量是地球33萬倍。飛機飛到太陽20年才能到。月亮體積有地球四十八分之一，星星有2000億顆……”
in this ordinary northern yard, the elderly man’s thoughts often soared, contemplating the vastness of the universe: “how immense is the universe? the sun’s surface temperature is 6,000 degrees celsius; its core reaches 15 million degrees celsius. its volume is 1.3 million times that of the earth, with a weight 330,000 times greater. it would take an airplane 20 years to reach the sun. the moon is one forty-eighth the size of the earth, and there are 200 billion stars……
院里的杏花與晚年
apricot blossoms in the yard and later years
“長子定居鄂爾多斯，次子在北京海淀打工，兩子各奔東西，都相離我倆四百多公里。我倆在家養病，由兩子供生活費，歡度晚年。”
“our eldest son settled in ordos, while the younger one works in haidian, beijing. they are pursuing their own paths, each more than 400 kilometers away from us. we remain at home due to health issues, supported by our sons as we embrace our twilight years.”
大兒子張宏剛高中畢業後，獨自離家去鄂爾多斯闖蕩，小兒子張宏英也孤身去北京發展，一年回家幾次。張福青既要照料患精神病的老伴，也要獨自面對很多日常瑣事：他不會給雙人電褥注水、不會充話費，囑咐兩個兒子回來幫忙，或求助於鄰居。去世前幾年，就連打掃煙囪的事，也要請隔壁鄰居幫忙。張福青不得不承認：“我71歲，老啦，用老人手機，不會交費。”
zhang honggang, the eldest son, ventured alone to ordos after the graduating from high school, while the other son zhang hongying pursued opportunities in beijing, returning home only a few times each year. meanwhile, their father zhang fuqing had to care for his mentally ill partner and manage daily chores. he struggled with tasks like filling a water mattress or paying the phone bills, often relying on his sons or neighbors for assistance. in the years leading up to his passing, even tasks like cleaning the chimney required the help of nearby neighbors. “i’m getting older, and since i use a dumb phone i don’t know how to pay bills with it.” zhang said.
張福青種不動地了，卻依然閑不下來。2018年秋，71歲的張福青挖掉院子里的金針根，種上紅姑娘，草藥剪妥，白水澆杏枝。春耕掐黑蟲，摘杏後，打卷葉蟲葯。
while physically unable to farm, zhang fuqing kept himself busy. by the fall of 2018, the 71-year-old uprooted daylilies from the courtyard, replacing them with alkeker. he meticulously tended to the herbs and watered the almond trees, also combating pests during spring planting and after harvesting apricots.
每年冬給杏樹剪枝，春耕時上覆雞糞。寒露後立冬前埋月季花，院內種三季黃瓜，立秋前十天種白菜，白露後種小蔥菠菜。“每年杏花落，打葯一次；立秋後再打一次毛蟲葯；花落疏果，四寸遠一棵；果越大更甜；每年剪一次樹枝。”普通的農事，掛在院子里各個角落，像是張福青的自我提醒，也是他對後輩的輕聲叮囑。
every winter, he pruned the apricot trees and fertilized them with chicken manure during spring. before the onset of winter, he would plant chinese roses, grow cucumbers nearly year-round, plant cabbages ten days before the beginning of autumn, and scallions and spinach after the first frost in autumn. “each year, after the apricot blossoms fall, i apply pesticides once, and a second time at the start of autumn. thin out the fruit when the flowers fall, four inches per tree; the bigger the fruit the sweeter it is; prune the tree once a year”. every corner of the yard is filled with these ordinary agricultural tasks, serving as reminders for zhang, as well as gentle instructions for his descendants.
小兒子張宏英說，父親一生最愛兩樣事：書法和地圖。2024年春天，一場感冒奪走了他的生命。
“my father’s greatest passions in life were calligraphy and maps.” said zhang hongying, the younger son. in the spring of 2024, he passed away due to a cold.
回到院子，張宏剛和張宏英才發現，父親已將後事準備妥當。早在2018年秋，因再次住院，老人便買下晉東南壺關縣產的香柏木作為壽材，並寫下遺囑：“父逝後，請宏英注重你母親的思想波動，葬父後可找一位服侍她的人為伴，或送你們的母親住養老院，然後請一位誠實戶住我院東房開商店。父母活時已得到你們兄弟倆的孝順，已滿意，希望你們兄弟倆走在一處，團結為主。育好你們的後代，成為有孝心會團結的一家之主。”
back in the yard, the sons discovered that their father had already made meticulous arrangements for his funeral. as early as the fall of 2018, anticipating the possibility of another hospitalization, zhang fuqing bought cedar wood from huguan county in southeast china for use in constructing his coffin. in his will, he instructed his sons, “after my passing, hongying, please take care for your mother’s emotional well-being. consider finding a companion to care for her, or arrange for her to reside in a nursing home. then, ask an honest and upright man to run a store in the east room of my house. i am content with the filial piety you both have shown me during my lifetime and hope that you, my sons, will remain united. raise your children well, becoming responsible heads of your households, characterized by love and solidarity.”
父親去世後，張宏剛依照父親的遺願寫下一篇憶父文：“您去世後竟然圈粉數以萬計，父親，您那顆孤傲的靈魂可以安放了。”
following his father’s wishes, zhang honggang penned a memoir in his honor. “after your passing, you unexpectedly moved thousands of people. father, may your proud soul rest in peace.”
張福青頭七那天，張宏剛再次回到祖屋。房子到處都是父親留下的遺迹。在房檐下，能看到父親的提醒：“冬天下雪後，務必上房掃雪，把梯立放東牆土地上，人登梯上為安。如立房椽，北水泥面凍，滑梯柱，人上有危險。”跨過門檻時，門檻上寫道：“防老鼠進。”
on the seventh day after his passing, the eldest son returned to the family home again. remnants of his father’s presence lingered in every part of the house. under the eaves, his father's reminders were still visible: “after snowfall in winter, it is essential to clear the snow from the roof. place the ladder securely on the east wall land and climb it for safety. if you’re working on the rafters and the north cement surface is frozen, climbing the roof is dangerous.” as he crossed the threshold, a message was inscribed there: “prevent rats from entering.”
張福青去世前，他手植的杏花尚未開放。再回來時，院子里兩棵杏樹已白花綴枝，清香撲鼻，開得正好。張宏剛可以想見，老父親走過杏樹下的樣子。
before zhang fuqing’s passing, the apricot flowers he had planted had yet to bloom. now, upon his return, zhang honggang found the yard adorned with two apricot trees boasting their white blossoms, filling the air with a delightful fragrance. zhang honggang could almost envision his father walking beneath the blooming apricot trees.
（來源：極目新聞）
