严则敏
Yan Ze Min
By Kelly W., Brandon Q., and Nina C.
is to make sure you eat well and stay healthy, but you
must also do well in school and study hard. “To stay
Yan Ze Min is a retired farmer who was born
and raised in Xizhou, Yunnan, and is currently 74
years old. He has two sons who are both working in
XiaGuan, and a grandson who is around fifteen years
old.
Mr. Yan does not clearly remember when he
married his wife, but believes that they were brought
together by fate and destiny. He claims that no two
people are brought together for just any reason, and
why we met him was an act of fate as well. He met his
wife at a family gathering as the two families knew
each other very well.
His happiest times were when he was married,
when his two kids were born, as well as his childhood.
He attended school at the Dali Er Zhong, or Dali
Second Middle School, and his days mostly consisted
of going to school, playing, coming home to eat, and
playing some more. His favorite class was language
class, as he loved to read and write Chinese.
Making Chinese sugar paintings is a hobby of
Mr Yan, and he has been making them for roughly
twenty years. He takes a board with drawings of
animals, spins a pointer, and whatever it lands on is
the animal he makes with the caramelized sugar.
Because little children love his creations, he sells it to
them. He can make the animals of the Chinese zodiac,
a pomegranate, a Hulu, and the character Fu. Mr. Yan
learned this skill from a Sichuan man when he was
young. Later, he taught one of his sons to do the same
as he had.
Mr. Yan does not play Mah Jong or draw, but
he decides to use his free time to read the books
available at home. He also likes to watch the news
and find out about the events happening worldwide,
although events like the Kunming Train Shooting do
not affect him personally.
He spends most of his day at home, with very
little to do, but he remembers those days when he was
too busy to even sit down. He loved his childhood, as
he was a healthy young boy that grew up to be a
strong man. “When I was a young man, I would be
away from home. Despite that, I still went home to
visit my family once every couple of months.”
Mr. Yan says that the key to a happy lifestyle
healthy I ate meat with rice. I did not have the chance
to buy many fruits or vegetables back then, but I was
still healthy and happy. I also did not run or exercise.
I take walks to stay healthy.”
“Young people should not have any regrets.”
Mr. Yan says he, himself, does not have any regrets,
and that a healthy life will contributes to that.
When speaking about his children, Mr. Yan
stated that even though he did not want his children to
grow up and leave, he was glad to watch them
develop their character. He also agreed that he, nor
any other parent, could teach their children their
mistakes and morals. Children have to have their own
experiences and make their own mistakes to learn
about life and the way it works. “God bless parents’
hearts. We all want one thing for our children, and
that is for them to have a good life.”
Because Mr. Yan is getting older, sometimes
he visits the hospital to make sure he is doing all right,
or to diagnose a sickness. Despite his growing
weakness, he manages stay happy.
Mr. Yan only had a middle school
education. After he graduated, he left school to work
and farm the land. Since then, he would go everyday
to work. Now, he is too old to work. Although he did
not have much of an education, Mr. Yan advised us to
finish middle school, high school, and university.
Then, he advised us to continue to learn and get a
Master’s degree or a Bachelor’s degree.
Mr. Yan used to play basketball as well as
hacky sack, and used to be able to maintain the hacky
sack for about 45 kicks. He also explained how to do
it, “you first throw it up in the air, and then you take
the [right] foot and kick. One, two, three.”
“As a child, my main goal was to just do
well in school and get good grades. That is what
mattered to me.” When Mr. Yan was asked about the
increase of pressure that some children feel from their
parents, he replied, “I want my children to be both
family oriented and successful.”
These days, Mr. Yan enjoys a quiet and
sedentary life in his home. His cheerfulness welcomes
anyone and everyone to his home, as the young
children of Xizhou remind him of his grandchildren,
and he treats them like so.