大海訪談｜SEA Talks｜第14期｜身體棒棒劉阿姨｜Radiant Auntie Liu

Hello, Auntie I'm very glad to have the opportunity today To have you share your life experiences and personal thoughts with us Which place are you from, Auntie? I am from Wuhan, Hubei Province What was your upbringing like when you were young? What was the growing environment like? I focused on studying since I was a child I studied from elementary school to university I really enjoy studying I had excellent academic performance I always ranked at the top of my class Because my family was poor Studying was not easy I cherished the opportunity to study So I worked hard The teachers and classmates in the school often praised me They admired me They would often ask me questions I had good relationships with everyone What did you major in at university? I majored in biology in university You had to take an entrance exam? I did very well in the exam, outstanding Originally, I wanted to study medicine But later, I thought being a doctor is not good It's better to study biology Because as a doctor I have to see many patients I would feel very painful and uncomfortable So I decided to study biology I studied at a normal university Because studying at a regular university required money But normal universities are tuition-free So I stayed at the normal university until graduation Central China Normal University What era was that? It was probably in 1965, a long time ago A long time ago Later So you became a teacher after graduation? Hmm, I didn't become a teacher after graduation I majored in biology but changed my career I switched to Later, I started my own business international trade International trade International trade Oh, Auntie, your foreign language skills are also good Is your English also good? I studied Russian товарищ (Russian: comrade) Tоварищ Hahaha, I studied Russian, oh So, have you been to Moscow? Have you been to the Soviet Union? I went to Moscow before But I just went there briefly and came back immediately Because I didn't have time to stay there My schedule was very tight After graduating from college, did you go elsewhere? Later, I went to Guangzhou So I spent a long time in Guangzhou Hmm The children were also raised there, in Guangzhou Yes, yes When did you start practicing Falun Gong? What was the reason? Why did you want to practice this Gong? Because I have been sick since I was young, I had various illnesses I learned qigong everywhere I searched for qigong everywhere This practice, that practice, none of them could cure my illnesses Later, someone told me about Falun Gong saying that it could improve my health What kind of illness was it? Hmm, headaches Headaches, cervical spondylosis, lumbar spondylosis, knee pain, or foot pain Sometimes I often vomit My digestive system was also not good So I felt very miserable So I always had hope for qigong I was always looking for qigong Everyone knows that I'm always looking for qigong Someone told me that Falun Gong is the best That's how I got involved I practiced Falun Gong for less than a month I didn't have any illnesses anymore Less than a month, you know When did you start practicing? Exactly When was Falun Gong first introduced in China? In the beginning In 1992 In the early days Yes, yes So, you started practicing so early When you started practicing Falun Gong Did you have the concept of gods and Buddhas when you were young? Yes, when I was young, I liked going to temples I went to temples to worship Buddha Was it allowed back then? Yes, it was allowed What era was that? Later, wasn't Didn't they destroy the temples? No, the temples weren't destroyed in the early days In the beginning, when I was young, they weren't destroyed Ah, I went to the temple Yes, I had a strong belief in Bodhisattvas and deities So, how did you come to overseas? What was the opportunity? Well, I came overseas My daughter got married to Joseph Joseph is a foreigner He's a foreigner He's a foreigner My daughter wanted to be with her husband Ah So, I came over like that Haha, so you came overseas later To the United States I've been living with my daughter and son-in-law Yes Your family is an international marriage Together Have you experienced any cultural conflicts? Or any challenges? Because my son-in-law My son-in-law, you see him, you know Just by looking at him, you know His eyes, you can tell he's a very kind person Hmm My son-in-law Although he can't communicate directly with me, he speaks English, and I speak Chinese Hmm, he has a phone with a translation app on it That translation app can translate any text No matter what you say what he says if he speaks in English, it can be translated into Chinese I speak Chinese and he has English on his side So, in reality, we can still communicate There's nothing I said, "Hey, Joseph, I have something in my heart to tell you " "I'm willing to tell you, and I'm happy to speak my mind with you " He said, "OK, OK " Hmm, haha, that's how it is It's just with him, that kind of relationship is excellent It's like having my own biological son It's like being a family He never blames people or criticizes others He doesn't speak ill of others He doesn't There were these persons they were unable to move their refrigerator and he didn't know them He immediately took the initiative to help Later, people said, "Oh, this person is really kind, he voluntarily helps even if he doesn't know you " He can't understand their sayings Anyway, he proactively went over to help lift it He kept carrying it and carried the refrigerator to someone else's house Whenever someone encounters difficulties or has any problems, he voluntarily helps I said, "Joseph, you began to cultivat 300 years ago " Hmm, he said, "OK " Hahaha, I said he was well cultivated Auntie, sometimes at home, during meals, it might not just be Chinese food We might also have Western food Are you accustomed to eating Western food? Accustomed Well, because I never pick and choose what I eat I can eat anything Oh, in the past because I was in the trading business I often dined out with others Doing business, you get to eat all sorts of things So, naturally I've become accustomed to different flavors Hmm, because when dining out, you have everything Chinese food, Western food, everything So, I've gotten used to eating everything Hmm Sweet, bitter, spicy, sour I can eat anything Both Western and Chinese food, I can eat them But I can't eat too much spicy food If I have too much, my throat feels uncomfortable Sometimes, just a little bit is fine My son-in-low can handle spicy food He can eat very spicy food So, I tell him not to eat too much It's not good for his throat He says, "OK," hahaha Auntie, you were able to engage in trade during your time You were a trendsetter back then, weren't you? You were very accomplished Hmm, so you're talented in many ways Not really talented in many ways I don't have such great skills Hahaha I haven't even learned English The English I learned in kindergarten is enough But I didn't study it because I learned Russian Russian Tоварищ you know So, after learning Russian I didn't study any other languages But I can speak Cantonese I'm not from Guangzhou, I'm from Wuhan But I can speak Cantonese However, my current Cantonese isn't very accurate But others can still understand when I speak They say, "Wow, you're amazing " "You speak really well," they encourage me Well, I can speak Cantonese So, Auntie, you practice qigong at home every day You read books Do you have any other hobbies? What do you like to do? The things I want to do, I don't have the ability to do them Because I don't know how to drive Sometimes I ask my son-in-law to accompany me My son-in-law is afraid that I might fall alone sometimes Because I'm getting old I didn't need a walking stick before But now I use a walking stick It's been a few years now I accidentally fell down back then To prevent further falls when I go out I always bring my walking stick In case there are uneven surfaces But my son-in-law is very good As soon as I go out, he holds my hand He tells me to hold him tightly Well, you know, when people see us, they say, "That's your son " But no, he's not like that He's a foreigner, and you're Chinese They talk about my hair and my overall appearance My son-in-law, who is a foreigner, obviously looks foreign They say, "Hey!" How come he treats you so well, just like your son? Oh, so when my friends see him they're all surprised Auntie, you're blessed like this Look, I'm over 80 years old now and if they don't see me, just hear my voice they say, "I can't tell you're over 80 years old " Not deaf or visually impaired Well, my eyes have aged a bit but my ears are fine I'm not deaf; my hearing is very good So, I tell them, if anyone wants to scold me I can hear them from afar I tell them jokes I don't have any illness, you know Others always ask me if I go to the hospital Why would I go to the hospital? I tell them I'm not sick why should I go to the hospital for fun Hahaha People always ask me if I go to the hospital here Do I see a doctor? I tell them I'm not sick If I'm not sick, why would I go to the hospital? They find it amusing I only have a slight case of presbyopia It's normal to have presbyopia at my age But mine isn't severe So I have these reading glasses I have these reading glasses Sometimes if the text is large, I don't even need the glasses Haha! Thank you, Auntie Thank you Thank you Thank you, Auntie