Memoirs of Growing up in China – A Story About My First Portrait //中国回忆录—关于我第一张肖像画的故事

Hi, Steemit friends: I cannot believe that it has been seven months since I last posted my stories on Steemit. I am glad that I have some spare time now to continue writing and share my experience growing up in China on steemit. I hope you like the following story.

Steemit的朋友们，你们好！真不敢相信自从我上一次在Steemit上发表帖子，七个月的时间已经过去了。我很高兴我目前有些空余时间，可以继续与大家分享我在中国的成长经历，希望你们喜欢下面我要讲的故事。

In May of 1966, when I was two years old, “The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution”, single-handedly launched by Chairman Mao Ze Dong swept through every corner of the land of China. This was the beginning of a ten year era of destruction and annihilation of anything old – old ideology and customs; anything beautiful – art and traditional architecture and temples and anything capitalistic – individualism and personal freedom. Most authority figures of all government agencies as well as many established writers and artists were denounced and persecuted. Teenage boys and girls across the country were mobilized to participate in violent persecution of authorities including their school masters and teachers as “Red Guards” – defenders and guards of Maoist revolutionary thoughts. Violence also broke out among common citizens who fought each other in fractional fights in the name of defending Maoism. Chinese people experienced unprecedented social upheaval and most of them lived in fear.

1966年5月，毛泽东主席一手发动的“无产阶级文化大革命”席卷了中国大地的每一个角落。那一年我刚好两岁。十年文化大革命标志着一个新时代的开端，这是一个彻底摧毁和消灭一切旧思想，旧习惯，摧毁和消灭传统艺术，建筑和宗教寺庙，摧毁和消灭资本主义思想，个人主义和人身自由的新时代。在这个时代，政府机关大多数当权派，著名的学者和艺术家都遭到了无情的批判和迫害。全国上下的年轻人被组织起来作为毛泽东思想的捍卫者“红卫兵”积极参加各种造反活动，挑战和迫害他们的老师和校长及其他当权派。一般群众也被鼓动起来以捍卫毛泽东思想为名义参加各类派系武斗。中国人民经历了史无前例的社会大动乱，大多数人都生活在恐惧中。

In the summer of 1968, the violent fighting became so severe in Chongqing where my uncle lived that he had to leave Chongqing and came to stay with his brother’s family in Chengdu where the fractional fighting was relatively less severe. My uncle was my father’s younger brother. I called him “San Ba” meaning “number three father” because he was the third son of my grandfather. He was an artist and lecturer of western oil painting at Sichuan Fine Art Academy.

1968年夏天， 重庆的武斗情况非常严重，我当时住在重庆的三叔感到没有人生安全，因此来到武斗情况稍微轻缓的成都他二哥家躲武斗。三叔是我爸爸的弟弟，我叫他“三爸”，因为他是我祖父的第三个儿子。三爸是一个艺术家，当时在四川美院油画系任教。

At that time, my father was a middle level cadre working for the government agency called South West Bureau. The office building and courtyard of South West Bureau was occupied and controlled by the military. During the time my uncle stayed with us, he painted several portraits of Mao Ze Dong which were displayed at the work site of the South West Bureau. One of the portrait “Chairman Mao Going to AnYuan” was displayed at the front yard of the South West Bureau. It was a portrait of Mao Ze Dong on his way to organize the workers movement in AnYuan in 1921.

我父亲当时在政府机关“西南局”工作，是一个中层干部。文革期间西南局被军管。我三爸在成都居住期间在西南局画了好几幅毛泽东油画肖像，其中一幅“毛主席去安源”放在西南局前门大院，画的是毛泽东1921年去安源组织工人运动的肖像。

Here is a photo of my father (in the middle) with his older brother (on the right) and younger brother (on the left) in front of the oil painting of “Chairman Mao Going to AnYuan” painted by my San Ba. This portrait was displayed in the front yard of the South West Bureau. Behind the oil painting there was a billboard with quotations of Mao Ze Dong.

我父亲（中间），他哥哥（右边）和弟弟（左边）在我三爸画的油画“毛主席去安源”前的留影。这幅画放在西南局前院。油画后面有毛主席语录的标语牌。

When he was not busy painting Mao’s portrait, my uncle spent time painting portraits for all three of his nieces: my oldest sister Xiaofeng , my older sister Xiaoling and me. I still remember the day when I sat very quietly on a stool posing for my uncle even though I was only four and half years old. After he finished my portrait, he showed it to me and asked me if I liked it. I looked at the painting carefully and said to him: “San Ba, I like this painting very much, but you forgot to paint the hair band!” My San Ba looked at me and laughed. He said: “You are right. How could I missed it!” He then used his brush and quickly added a patch of green paint on my hair.

当我的三爸没有忙于画毛泽东肖像画时，他抽空为他的三个侄女画了肖像，我大姐小枫，二姐小玲和我。我到现在还记得我给三爸当模特儿的情景。虽然我当时只有四岁半。我非常安静和认真地坐在一张小木凳上，让三爸给我画画。画完后三爸把画给我看，问我是否喜欢。我仔细看了画，认真地对三爸说：“我很喜欢这幅画，但是你忘了画我头上的头绳。”三爸看着我大笑起来。他说“是啊，我怎么把头绳给忘了！”我记得他拿起画笔，快速在我头上加了一块绿色的画料。

This was the portrait of my older sister Xiaoling painted by my San Ba. Xiaoling was nine years old then. She was sitting on a green pleuche revolving chair, a piece of luxurious furniture borrowed from the conference room at the courtyard where we lived. It was the property of the state. How we wished that we had such beautiful furniture at our own house!

这是我三爸为我二姐小玲画的肖像画。小玲当时九岁。她坐在一张我们从单位会议室借来的绿色金丝绒转椅上，这件奢侈品是国家财产。当时我们多么希望我们自己的家里也有一件这么漂亮的家具。

I wish I could share with you the portrait of my oldest sister Xiaofeng. Unfortunately Xiaofeng’s portrait was lost forever. A military man at the South West Bureau “borrowed” it from my San Ba after he finished the painting, because he said he wanted to learn oil painting and needed to have good examples. San Ba lent the portrait to him but he never returned it. I could only imagine the portrait of my then eleven year old sister Xiaofeng sitting on the green pleuche revolving chair, looking serious and pensive like me and Xiaoling.

我是多么希望能够在此与大家分享我大姐小枫的肖像。遗憾的是她的肖像永远遗失了。一个在西南局驻军时的军人在我三爸完成小枫肖像画时向他“借画”，说自己想学习油画，希望有一些好的参考作品可以模仿。我三爸把画借给他。他再也没有归还小枫的肖像画。我只能想象那幅画：当时只有十一岁的大姐坐在绿色金丝绒转椅上，脸上的表情跟我和小玲一样，神情严肃，稳重深思。

I hope you like the story of my first portrait. Although I did not have any baby pictures because my parents were too busy to take pictures of me, I feel very fortunate to own a portrait of myself painted by my San Ba. My San Ba passed away a few years ago. The memory of him creating the portraits for my sisters and me lives on forever.

我希望大家喜欢这个有关我的第一幅肖像画的故事。在我婴儿时期，我父母因为太忙而没有给我照一张婴儿照片。尽管如此，我感到能够拥有一张我三爸给我画的肖像画而感到非常幸运和欣慰。我三爸几年前已经离世，但他为我们三姊妹画肖像的经历永远留在了我的记忆里。