At around 10 o'clock on January 20th, in an open space near the Cultural Park Station of Guangzhou Metro, Wang Zhendong set up his booth and started his painting business. When he tried to pick up the pen, he found it difficult - because Wang had lost his hands and forearms. He could only bend down and use his elbows to pick up the ink brush from the ground, then adjust the brush to the correct position with his mouth, and finally dip it in paint to start painting.

The first painting he made was a plum blossom. Crouched down, Wang depicted the branches, petals, and stamens. Though he held the brush with elbows, Wang completed his skillful painting consecutively without a pause in just 15 minutes. Finally, he used his left foot to hold the small brush and wrote the preface and postscript. When he looked up, there were already many audiences watching. They were amazed by his exquisite paintings, his unusual way of painting and his determination. In the winter, Wang and his paintings have become a scene on the streets of Guangzhou.

Performance in the street

Wang Zhendong, 58 years old this year, is from Baoding, Hebei. He started learning traditional Chinese painting when he was young. His family was economically deprived, and he couldn't make money from the painting business, so he had to find another way to make a living as a labourer. However, an accident at the age of 24 took away his hands and forearms. In order to support his family, he started to perform painting in the streets.

At first, Wang tried to write Chinese calligraphy with his feet. However, after practicing at home for three years, Wang felt that his work was barely satisfactory. During this time, he also tried to draw with an ink brush with his elbows. "Although I only sold for five yuan for a painting, I was very happy at the time because I felt strong when I could make a living."

Wang's unique skill of writing with feet and painting with elbows and his performance on the street gradually attracted much attention from others, including Liu Jingsheng, the former vice chairman of the Beijing Disabled Persons' Federation. Losing both arms, Liu used his mouth to hold a brush to write and paint. He excelled in cursive script and painting featuring flowers and birds. When he saw Wang Zhendong, he couldn't help but sympathize with him and was happy to help him. "He (Liu) has a studio, and he invited me to go there every day at 10 o'clock. He said we could paint together, and I learned a lot from him," Wang Zhendong expressed his gratitude.

At first, Wang was accustomed to making large paintings of landscapes or figures by waving the brush. But now, Wang preferred a small square painting on the street: "Teacher Liu reminded me that I paint landscape paintings and characters well, but it is too slow, and passers-by can't wait for hours. He enlightened me with a word, and I began to draw small paintings of flowers and birds, and soon, everyone liked my performance."

Coming to Guangzhou

"People say that Guangzhou is warm in winter, which is good for me. I do not need to endure the coldness there. Guangzhou's economy is relatively developed, and people are well educated there." In the1990s, Wang Zhendong, in a coat, carried a bag with a few brushes and a little paper, took a 48-hour green train, and came to Guangzhou alone.

At that time, Wang would lay his coat on the ground and sleep under the bridge at night. During the day, he would set up a stall in Liuhua Lake Park to sell paintings, earning around one hundred yuan a day. Later, through the introduction of a kind-hearted old lady, he rented a room and finally found a place to stay in Guangzhou.

After a good start, Wang came to Guangzhou every year to spend the winter, and when he returned to his hometown or Beijing, he painted, accumulated his works, and waited for the winter to be sold in Guangzhou. He paused his business for a while. He made a little money and started raising cows with his second wife. However, the cows got disease, and the business failed. Therefore, he picked up his painting again. Since 2006, it has become a habit for the couple to come to Guangzhou for the winter, and it has been 18 years.

Due to his advancing age, Wang can only set up his stall on weekends because he cannot bow down for a long time. During these times, the couple sets up their stall near the Cultural Park Station. When they arrive at the empty space, Wang's wife, Suping, sweeps away the fallen leaves on the ground, lays out a mat, arranges the paint dishes and the paint, opens the cover for her husband, squeezes out the required colors, and then displays the previously painted artworks for people to buy. This kind of cooperation between the couple has been going on for nearly 20 years.

Painting Skills

Wang using his elbows to paint and his feet to write calligraphy on the streets of Guangzhou, has become a unique sight. Recently, passersby shared Wang's performance online, attracting the attention of Guangzhou residents. Many netizens have left comments expressing admiration for his resilience and perseverance, giving him a thumbs up.

When it comes to painting, Wang Zhendong does not lower his standard for his loss of hands, and he doesn't want to make a living by receiving other's sympathy alone. He constantly perfected his painting skills, with a belief that whether in calligraphy or Chinese painting, the brush and heart should be integrated. Wang mentioned that it took him at least 15 years to pick up his brush again and paint before he felt his paintings were satisfactory.

"After I came to Guangzhou, I also learned a lot of painting methods of the Lingnan School. On the street, someone taught me some techniques, which I found was very useful." Wang Zhendong said, "Now, many old people and children are learning Chinese painting. If you paint outside, people will know your competence at a glance. It is not good to stop in the past without progress."

After Wang Zhendong's painting skills were recognized, many galleries invited him to paint. He won some awards, occasionally went out to communicate with other painters, and was more enthusiastic about public welfare. For example, he taught Chinese painting in primary schools and gave some lectures. He felt that he didn't have made huge achievements. Although he had experienced a lot, when looking back, Wang had thought, "I was able to inspire some people," and that was enough for him.

Source: Yangcheng Evening News

街头寻艺丨广州街头的无手画师

1月20日10时许，文化公园地铁站附近的一处空地。摆好摊位后，王振东开始营业作画。先拿笔，拿不顺当——王振东双手手肘以下部位尽失，他只能伏低身子，用双肘从地上夹起毛笔，再用嘴咬住笔的一端，帮助调整至合适的握笔位置，沾好颜料开始作画。

画的第一幅，是梅花。仍旧是伏着身子，描枝、勾瓣、点蕊，即使是用双肘握笔，王振东作画也毫不含糊，娴熟自如，一气呵成，不过15分钟即成一幅。最后，他左脚夹着小毫笔写完题跋。抬起头时，眼前已有不少人驻足围观。为他精巧的画作，也为他身残志坚的作画方式。冬日里，此人此画，已成为广州街边一景。

卖艺

今年58岁的王振东是河北保定人，幼时开始学习国画，但因家贫，画画挣不到钱，他只能另寻谋生，当过挖土工。然而，24岁遭遇的一场意外，让他双手手肘以下部位被截去。为了养家，他走上了卖艺之路。

起初，王振东试着用脚写书法，在家练了3年才觉得勉强过关，其间，他也试图用手肘夹起毛笔画画。“画一张画虽然才卖了5块钱，但我当时很高兴，觉得自己能挣钱了，就有力量了。”

用脚写字，用双肘作画，因这独特之处，那些年，王振东在街头卖艺，也逐渐引起他人的关注，其中就有北京市残联原副主席刘京生。刘京生双臂尽失后，用嘴咬着笔写字作画，长于行草和写意花鸟，看到王振东，不免惺惺相惜，乐于帮他一把。“他（刘京生）有个画室，就让我每天10点过去，他说咱俩一起画画，我也跟他学到很多东西。”王振东感念道。

王振东起初惯于作大画，双肘抓笔挥墨，爱画大写意山水或人物，在街头大白纸张一铺，有几分气势。而如今，王振东摆摊作画却是小小方正一幅：“刘老师提醒我，我画山水画人物都好，但就是太慢了，路人等不了几个小时。他一句话就点醒了我，我就开始画小写意花鸟，很快，就人人喜欢了。”

来穗

“人家说广州冬天暖和，对我身体好，不受罪，那边经济又好，文化程度也高。”上世纪九十年代，王振东穿着一件军大衣，背着包，装着几根毛笔和一点纸，坐了48小时的绿皮火车，独自来到了广州。

那时，王振东晚上把军大衣就地一铺，睡在天桥下，白天就在流花湖公园摆摊卖画，一天下来收入有一百来块钱。后来，经热心老太介绍，他租了间房，也算在广州有了落脚的地方。

开了个好头，每年王振东就来广州过冬，回到老家或者北京时就画画，积攒着，等着摆摊时好卖。中间也曾中断过一段时间，他赚了一点钱与第二任妻子开始养奶牛，奶牛得了口蹄疫，生意做不下去，又重新摆起画画的小摊。从2006年起，夫妻俩来广州过冬就成了习惯，一晃也有18年了。

因为年纪渐长，无法长时间低头俯身，王振东现只在周末出摊。夫妻俩这些时候在文化公园地铁站附近摆摊。到了那片空地，王素平就先扫干净地上的落叶，铺上垫子，摆好颜料碟，取出颜料，为丈夫拧开颜料盖，挤好所需的色彩，再将先前画好的画作一一摆开，供人挑选。夫妻俩这样的配合，已有近20年。

画技

王振东在广州街头用双肘画画，用脚题字，已成为一景。近日路人拍下后，发上网络传播，引起广州市民的关注，不少网友纷纷留言感慨其韧性和毅力，为他点赞。

对于画画，王振东并没有因为自己只能双肘作画而含糊了事，他不想仅靠同情而立足。他不断精进自己的画技，认为不论是写书法还是画国画，笔和心都要同一。王振东提到，自己重拾画笔画了起码15年，才勉强觉得自己的画作过得去。

“我来广州后，也学习了不少岭南画派的画法，在外头摆摊，也有人教我几笔，我很受用。”王振东说，“现在不少老人小孩都在学国画，你出去画画，人家一看就知道画得咋样，老停在以前是不行的。”

王振东的画技得到认可后，也有不少画廊邀请他作画，他拿过一些奖，偶尔外出跟其他画家交流，更热心公益，譬如到小学教教国画，作些演讲。他觉得自己算不上有多大的成就，经历了很多，也看开了很多，但回头想想，“自己也感动了一些人”，足够了。

文丨记者 谢小婉 实习生 徐麟钰
图丨记者 姜雪媛
翻译丨Bunny