Heroes come from the people：Elderly man from Xi’an who cycled to Wuhan was i...

西安“看桥爷爷”受邀国庆假期重游武汉

Elderly man from Xi’an who cycled to Wuhan was invited to revisit Wuhan during the National Day Holi

极目新闻记者 余渊

翻译 黄蕾 陶然 Lisa M.K （湖北大学）

Reporter: Yu Yuan, JIMU News

Translators: Huang Lei, Tao Ran, Lisa M.K (Hubei University)

茂盛的爬墙虎，越过农家院墙。75岁的陕西省西安市蓝田县农民陈有银，决意短暂“逃离”待了大半辈子的家乡。

Aluxuriant creeping fig climbs over the courtyard wall of the rural homestead. Chen Youyin, a 75-year-oldfarmer living in Lantian county, Xi’an city, Shaanxi province, decided to temporary leave the place he has called home majority of his life.

去哪里？老人目标明确：武汉。他想要亲眼看一看，当年他当兵时老连长口中的“万里长江第一桥”。这个梦想，已经在他心中萦绕了50多年。

Where was he headed? Chen Youyin had a specific destination in mind: Wuhan. He wanted to see “the first bridgeover the Yangtze River” with his own eyes, a bridge his former company commander constantly talked about while he served in the military. For the last 50 years, not once has Chen forgotten about this dream.

今年暑假，读高中的孙子迎来假期，患病需要照顾的老伴有人陪了。带上三身换洗衣服、一件旧军用雨衣、1400元“私房钱”和一大瓶水，骑上一辆路边捡来的自行车，陈有银瞒着家人出发了。

During thesummervacation, Chen Youyin’s grandson, a high schooler,was available to care for Chen’sailing wife. With three changes of clothes, an old military raincoat, 1400 yuan in hidden savings and a large bottle of water, Chen Youyin set off for Wuhan on a bicycle he had picked up from the side of the road, unbeknownst to hisfamily.

骑行29天，跨越1000多公里，须发皆白的陈有银，犹如乘坐时光隧道一般，穿行在沧桑巨变的“外面的世界”，抵达了梦中的那座城……

Over 1000 kilometers and29 days, Chen Youyin, hishair and beard completely white, finally arrived in the city of his dreams. It was as if he had traveled through a time tunnel, witnessing the immense changes in the world around him.

8月8日中午，他像往常那样，下厨做了3碗面条。陪老伴和孙子吃完饭后，他洗了个澡，换上了一身干净衣服。为了不给家里增加经济负担，他又取出了30多年前亲友接济他的1400元钱。

On August 8th, Chen Youyin cooked three bowls of noodles as usual, just as he always did. After sharing lunch with his wife and grandson, he took a shower and changed into clean clothes. To relieve his family of further financial strain, he withdrew 1400 yuan that had been gifted to himby his relatives and friends 30 years ago.

临走前，看到家里菜油见了底，他还买了一壶油回家。找回的零钱照例放在桌子上，家人一度以为他出门时身无分文。

Before leaving, he purchased a bottle of cooking oil after noticing they were nearly out. As per usual, he left the change on the table, and this had for a while led his family to believe he left without a penny.

为了节省开支，陈有银决定骑着在村口捡的一辆共享单车去武汉。“哪怕花费的时间久一些，也总是能到武汉。”他盘算着。

In an attempt to save money, Chen decided to ride a shared bicycle he found at the village entrance. He thought,“Though it mighttake longer to get to Wuhan, I will eventually make it.”

按照常规路线，他应该经商洛、十堰、襄阳、随州等地，骑行700多公里，就可以到达武汉。但他想顺便看看自己当兵时驻扎过的河南开封，行程因此达到了1000多公里。

Following the regularroute, he would arrive inWuhan aftercycling over 700 kilometers, through cities like Shangluo, Shiyan, Xiangyang and Suizhou. However, he took a detour toKaifeng in Henan province, where he had been stationed during his military service, and this stretched his journey to over 1000 kilometers.

他一路向东骑行到了蓝田县城，又改道向北骑行了40多公里，直到进入渭南市的一个三岔路口才停下。吃了一碗面，填饱肚子后，陈有银在一处已经打烊的店铺门口休息了一晚。第二天醒来，他觉得腿脚有些酸痛，但精神却格外好。他找了一处加油站洗漱，吃了一个馒头，又继续上路。

Cycling eastwards all the way to the Lantian county, hethen turnednorth cycling for more than 40 kilometers, before finally stoppingat a three-way junction in Weinan City. After a bowl of noodles, Chen Youyin rested at the doorstep of a closed shop for the night. The next day, he woke up feeling a bit sore in his legs and feet but was in great spirits. Hethenwashed up at a gas station, ate a steamed bun and continued his journey.

从渭南出发，陈有银很快进入华山地界，路途开始变得陡峭起来。“很多时候只能推车往前走。”接受极目新闻记者采访时，陈有银说。

Departing from Weinan, Chen soon entered the Mount Hua region, where the road began to get steeper. “A lot of times I had to push my bike forward.” Chen said in the interview with Jimu News.

东出潼关，经河南三门峡、洛阳、郑州，陈有银到达开封。他记得，1970年自己当兵时，这里风沙很大，行人经常不敢张嘴。如今，所到之处遍布树林，还有林立的高楼，当年的泥巴路也变成了宽敞的大道。

Exiting Tongguan to the east, and traveling through Sanmenxia, Luoyang and Zhengzhou in Henan Province, Chen Youyin arrived in Kaifeng. He recalled that when he was a soldier in 1970, the area was extremelysandy, so muchthat pedestrians were often afraid to open their mouths. Nowadays, it was filled with trees as well as high-rise buildings, and the muddy roads of the past have been transformed into spacious avenues.

他还找到了自己的老连队。部队的同志听说他要骑行去武汉，送给他一双新鞋。

He also located his former company. His comrades, upon hearing that he was cycling to Wuhan, gifted him a new pair of shoes.

在开封短暂停留后，陈有银折回郑州，整装南下。一路上，他没有手机导航，全靠看路牌和问路，向着武汉的方向进发。

After a short stay in Kaifeng, Chen Youyin returned to Zhengzhou and headed south. Without a cell phone, he had to rely on road signs and the directions of pedestrians to navigate his way throughout the journey.

骑行过程中，为了省钱，陈有银给自己立了一条规矩：一天只吃2顿饭，每顿花费尽量不超过10元。

During the journey, Chen Youyin was frugal and set a restrictionfor himself: he would only eat 2 meals a day, and spend no more than 10 yuan per meal.

“一般是2个馍，配一碗凉面或是胡辣汤。”陈有银说。在喝水上，他从未花过钱。他在路上捡了4个大矿泉水瓶，每天会找加油站灌满水，够喝一整天。

“I typically had two steamed buns, with a bowl of cold noodles or Henan spicy soup.”He explained. Drinking water was not on his budget and wouldinsteadpicked up four large empty bottles of mineral water on the road and filled eachwith water at gas stations, ensuring he had a day’s worth.

至于住宿，他每天会找一处打烊的店面，在门前空地用军用雨衣铺地，和衣而眠。

As for lodging, he would find a closed storefront each night, laying out his military raincoat on the ground in front of the doorbefore going to sleep in his clothes.

大约3到5天，陈有银会找一处澡堂洗澡，一次花费10余元。除了吃饭，这是他最大的开销。

Every three to five days, Chen wouldfreshen up ata bathhouse, which cost a little over10 yuan each time, his biggest expense apart from eating.

一路上，陈有银收获了许多感动。一位在郑州摆小吃摊的宝鸡小伙，得知他来自陕西，执意免了他的饭钱，临走时还给他装了5个馒头。“我说不要。小伙子说：‘你的年纪和我爷爷一般大，吃顿饭算得了什么。’”陈有银告诉记者。

Throughout his journey, Chen Youyin experienced many heartwarming moments. For instance, a young man from Baoji who ran a snack stall in Zhengzhou, insisted on covering his meal when he learned Chen was from Shaanxi. Before Chen left, the young man also packed him five steamed buns. “I told him I could pay, but the young man said, ‘You are about the same age as my grandfather; it's nothing to treat you to a meal.’”Chen Youyin told the reporter.

一天晚上，一位骑电动车的女子一直低速跟在他的后面。他意识到对方是开着车灯帮他照明，向她表示感谢，并劝她离开。女子走后，警车很快就来了。原来，那位女士担心他的安全，报警求助。民警了解他的情况后，打开车灯给他照明，直到他找到落脚点。

One night, a woman riding an electric bike followed him at a slow speed, using her headlights to illuminate his path. He thanked her and eventually convinced her to leave. No sooner hadshe left, than a police car arrived. It turned out that the lady had called the police out of concern for his safety. After learning about his situation, the police turned their lights on to provide him with illumination until he found a place to stay.

“有这么多人帮助我，到武汉是顺理成章的事。”陈有银笑着说。

“With so many people helping me, it was only a matter of time before I arrived in Wuhan.”Chen Youyin said with a smile.

经过29天1000多公里的艰苦跋涉，9月5日上午，陈有银终于到达武汉。尽管老连长当年给他们讲过“大上海”“大武汉”的故事，但武汉的城市之大、市容之美，还是远超陈有银的想象，他深感震撼和激动。

After a challenging journey of over 1000 kilometersspanning 29 days, Chen arrived in Wuhan on the morning of September 5th. Although the old commander told him the story of “Shanghai” and “Wuhan”, the scale and beauty of Wuhan still exceeded Chen's expectations, which filled him with awe and excitement.

50多年过去，陈有银仍模糊记得当年老连长说武汉长江大桥“有多好”。

Even after 50 years, Chen still vaguely remembers how the commander praised the magnificence of the Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge.

让陈有银没想到的是，武汉在长江之上竟然建了10余座长江大桥。他至今没弄清楚，自己看到的第一座长江大桥，究竟是哪一座。

To Chen’s surprise, over10 bridges have since been built over the Yangtze River in Wuhan. To date he is yet to pinpointwhich was the first Yangtze River Bridge he saw.

在他的描述中，那是一座“5层楼高”的钢架大桥。站在桥上，他看到宽阔的江面上，一艘艘大船缓缓驶过。不过，他从其他人口中得知，那座桥并不是老连长说的“万里长江第一桥”。

In his recollection, it was a steel frame bridge towering five storieshigh. Standing on the bridge, he could see large ships slowly sailing on the broad river. However, he later learned that this bridge was not the “First Bridge of the Yangtze River”as described by the commander.

接下来的2天里，陈有银又逛了3座长江大桥，每一座都各具特色。他想看遍武汉所有的长江大桥，但他却没有时间了。

Over the next two days, Chen visited three more Yangtze River Bridges, each with its own characteristics. While he wanted to visit all the Yangtze River Bridges, time could not permit him.

“我看到武汉的街上有学生提着箱子到学校报到，想到我的孙子肯定也到了上学的时间。”陈有银说，如果孙子回城里上学，他的老伴就没人照顾了，他必须得赶回去。

“I saw students on the streets of Wuhan carrying suitcases to school, which reminded me that it was time for my grandson to go back to school too.”said Chen. It was now a rush against time, ashis grandson returningto the city for schoolentailedhis wife would be left without anyone to care for her.

虽然遗憾，但惊喜更多。

Despite some regrets, there were more surprises.

陈有银笑着说，在武汉，他第一次看到没有驾驶员的出租车。“别人告诉我，这是无人驾驶。”陈有银说。几十年来，他很少出远门，没想到外面的世界变化这么大。

Chen Youyin smiled as he recounted how he saw a driverless taxi in Wuhan for the first time. “Others told me that this is Robotaxi, a kind of driverless car.”said Chen. Having seldom traveledfar in recent decades, he was amazed by how much the world had changed.

陈有银的事迹也感动了万千网友。众多网友为他点赞：“心中有信仰，脚下有力量！”“厉害了，老爷子！”

Chen’s story has touched the hearts of thousands online, who have showered him with praise. Many commented, “Belief in our hearts translates to strength in our legs!”and “You are amazing!”.

陈有银昔日的战友们，也纷纷通过各种途径与他取得联系。最让陈有银高兴的是，近日，他与老连长通了电话。连长说，他是湖北荆州人，他没想到自己当年的话，让陈有银记了50多年。

Chen’s former comrades have also reached out to him through various channels. What brought Chen the most joy was a recent phone call with his former commander. The commander, who is from Jingzhou in Hubei province, expressed surprise that his words had stayed with Chen forlast50 years.

陈有银回家一个多星期后，武汉市文旅局联系上了他，邀请他和家人在国庆假期到武汉做客。陈有银非常开心，因为他可以看到心心念念的武汉长江大桥了。“感谢所有关心和帮助我的人。”陈有银说。

Aweek after Chen had returned home, the Wuhan Municipal Culture and Tourism Bureau contacted him and invited him and his family to visit Wuhan during the National Day holiday. Chen was beaming with joyas he could now realize his long-held dream of seeingthe Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge. “I am grateful to all the people who have cared for and helped me.”said Chen.

老人收到武汉长江大桥夜景照片（受访者供图）【The elderly man received the nightscape photograph of the Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge (Courtesy ofthe interviewee)】

（来源：极目新闻）