Media Interview with "Salute Doll" Lang Zheng: Warm Power Youth | Senior High School | Lang Zheng
The teenagers playing basketball at Dongchen Middle School in Mianyang City, Sichuan Province are a group of high school seniors who already know their college entrance exam scores. His name is Lang Zheng, and compared to his name, this childhood photo of him will awaken more people's memories.
In the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, Lang Zheng, who had been buried in ruins for more than 20 hours, was rescued. The moment he raised his hand and saluted on a stretcher touched countless people, earning him the nickname "salute doll". 15 years later, the young child with a childish face will grow into a sunny and handsome boy. His score of 637 in the college entrance examination once again made him a news figure.
Lang Zheng: Yes.
Lang Zheng: First of all, after the scores are announced, there are many things to do, such as enrolling students, choosing universities, and majors. Running around can be very tiring, and in addition, everyone may also ask me to pass on positive energy. I think I am actually an ordinary student. I have a positive side, but I also have a negative side, so I think I might not have really wanted to participate in this program at that time.
Lang Zheng: It's still possible to let yourself sort out your past self, and perhaps give this period of time a perfect ending.
Lang Zheng: Yes.
Lang Zheng: I may prefer the Biographies of Qin Shi Huang and Churchill.
Lang Zheng: Because it is possible to read biographies of characters, engage in dialogue and communication with the characters written in the book, and look back on his life to learn a lot.
Dongchen School was the school where Lang Zheng attended from kindergarten to high school after the earthquake. Here, he has received special attention from various sectors of society and school teachers. It is also here that the unique memory of being buried in ruins for over 20 hours 15 years ago is slowly being digested.
Lang Zheng: I think it should be considered a hurdle. My impression of being trapped in the ruins now is actually the impression of being at night, although I didn't actually know what happened at that time? But at that time, all I knew was that there were no parents, no grandmothers, and no grandfathers. When I lost contact with them, I would be afraid, and during that time, I would be very afraid of the dark. I would definitely not dare to be alone at night, and even feel like I didn't dare to turn off the lights while sleeping.
In primary school, Lang Zheng achieved excellent academic performance, but in junior high school, he encountered difficulties in his studies and even used darkness to describe that experience.
Lang Zheng: Because primary school and middle school are a transition, whether it's learning methods or thinking processes, there may be some lag, especially some mathematical problems. I have a deep fear of mathematics from the bottom of my heart. At that time, I was very afraid of mathematics and felt that I couldn't do it.
Lang Zheng: I feel like I'm still a scumbag in our class because there are too many experts in our class.
This is what Lang Zheng expressed in an interview in 2018, when he was in his first year of junior high school. It was this sentence that made Zhao Jing, the homeroom teacher of Lang Zheng at the time, realize the problem.
Zhao Jing: I thought at that time, what kind of academic scumbag are you? What academic scum?
Zhao Jing: I came down to communicate with him, and I said that Lao Zhao doesn't like to learn the word "scum" because I think the word "scum" means lack of confidence. I think I should take action.
Zhao Jing: When he is happy, we chat with him on the playground and in the hallway. I said Lang Zheng, I think you have the most beautiful light on your body. What did he say? I say be brave and dare to face it. Is he serious? He said I felt it was not easy to face. I said yes, really, I said this is the most precious ray of light. What did he say to do? I say it's simple, the first one is to strengthen one's inner strength; The second one is practical work. You're going to do it, your eyes are shining brightly with each turn.
After chatting, Lang Zheng repaid Zhao Jing with his changes.
Zhao Jing: After that communication, I found this child. He rushed into the office with a red face and Lao Yuan was giving me a lecture.
Zhao Jing: Dare to go, he needs a teacher himself. He found a little boy on the playground who was writing and calculating with great enthusiasm. He was very cute, and his posture moved the teacher. I still need to prepare something for them seriously and give them something more.
The positive and hardworking rewards are reflected in Lang Zheng's high school entrance exam results, except for mathematics.
Lang Zheng: Besides math, I am also quite good at it, but I was blinded by math.
Lang Zheng: At that time, I vividly remember when I was doing math for the middle school entrance exam, my mentality had already exploded. I felt like studying math for so long was not very useful, and my mentality would collapse a bit at that time.
In high school, Lang Zheng continued to climb the mountain of mathematics. He met his math teacher who played basketball with him and found that math was no longer so difficult to learn.
Lang Zheng: The middle school entrance examination may be a low point for me, but I will slowly climb up to it in high school.
Lang Zheng: Yes, he is very humorous, and his teaching style and pace also feel very suitable for me. I really like him.
High school homeroom teacher Liu Changzhi also sensed Lang Zheng's changes in his own way.
Liu Changzhi: Usually, when I meet Lang Zheng in the hallway, I don't deliberately say, "How has Lang Zheng been lately?"? In good condition, in good condition; I just need to be in good condition and continue working on you; How is this time after a couple of days? The condition is very good. During the period before the college entrance examination, this child was super confident, which made me feel very confident.
Liu Changzhi: The most memorable time for me was during our winter vacation, when all the children went home. He carried his bag every morning and went to school at 8 o'clock. There were only two or three classmates studying in the classroom on the first floor. He persisted and persevered every day, which means that once the child had set a goal, he persisted and persevered.
In addition to studying, Lang Zheng, who grew up, also became a trustworthy person for teachers.
Liu Changzhi: Actually, the relationship between all the children in the class and me may not be heard by that child. So, I need to rely on other children who have good relationships with classmates to help him. In fact, Lang Zheng is one of my main sources of support. When I have some ideological problems that cannot be solved, Lang Zheng, please accompany this classmate for a walk and report to me whether their thoughts have changed.
In Lang Zheng's class, there was a classmate who had a period of mental instability, and Lang Zheng provided him with a lot of companionship.
Lang Zheng: My classmate may have some extreme thoughts, and when his emotions burst out, seeing him is very sad.
Lang Zheng: I will accompany him for a walk, take a walk on campus, chat about things he likes, and temporarily help him shift his attention.
Lang Zheng: It should be one or two years.
Liu Changzhi: I remember that time very deeply. This child was in a very, very bad mood. Right in front of our teaching building, Lang Zheng pulled this student and talked while walking. I'll tell the child who is under a lot of psychological pressure, come over here and let Teacher Liu communicate with you. Lang Zheng waved his hand to me and told me to leave. He felt that I might not be able to solve this classmate's thoughts, and he felt that he might have started chatting, so he was also more proactive and had his ability in this area.
But just three months before the college entrance examination, Lang Zheng himself encountered unexpected trouble and began to suffer from insomnia.
Lang Zheng: If it's early, it might be one or two in the morning. If it's late, it might be three or four o'clock and we can't sleep. We have to wake up at six o'clock in the morning.
Lang Zheng: Yes, I can't even imagine how I lived back then, really.
Lang Zheng: They know, but they say we still need to overcome this thing ourselves because with the help of external forces, we have seen traditional Chinese medicine and even taken some medicine. The effect is good, but not significant.
Until the end of the college entrance examination, the endless insomnia lasted for three months, which made Lang Zheng feel anxious at one point.
Lang Zheng: At first, I would really feel anxious. Actually, I don't want to lose sleep, but this is something that really cannot be solved.
Lang Zheng: First of all, it's better to be self assured. Believe in yourself, this matter is not a big deal. If you can't sleep, I can just lie flat and close my eyes to rest.
Liu Changzhi: Because this child has good physical fitness, the negative impact of early insomnia on him is not significant. Every day, I ask, have you fallen asleep? Later on, I didn't even ask him. If you lost sleep, I would ask, how many classes did you doze off today? At the beginning, he said he played two games today. Slowly, I dozed off after only one class today. I think this is great, this is great, very satisfied.
In fact, amidst the agony of insomnia and the approaching pressure of the college entrance examination, Lang Zheng did not completely lie flat. He actively sought ways to adjust himself, and found two ways: playing basketball and daydreaming.
Lang Zheng: We have about a week of independent review time. The teacher does not give lectures, but reviews our own things. I will arrange a period of about five or ten minutes of daydreaming between subject transitions, only daydreaming, relaxing, and letting myself daydream.
Lang Zheng: You should be able to daydream for half an hour or more.
Lang Zheng: In a daze, you can think of some strange things. You may think about playing basketball or thinking about how good it is to be in a game.
Lang Zheng: Yes, when the grid is full, you will think that I have been in a daze, and then I will stop being in a daze and start writing.
Lang Zheng: It's refreshing.
Yu Jinyang: If you're doing a question, it's that kind of thing.
Yu Jinyang: His strengths are that he is very focused in his work.
Yu Jinyang: The downside is that he doesn't like to tell me things when he encounters them, he likes to carry them on his own.
Lang Zheng: It's also a negative emotion that I don't want to bring to him and I want to solve it myself.
On the afternoon of June 7th, in the second exam of the first day of the college entrance examination, Lang Zheng faced the mathematics that he couldn't easily face.
Lang Zheng: Defined as self practice, it may seem like mathematics on the surface, but in fact, over the years, I have carelessly lost 5 points in a test of myself. A very, very simple question, I was wrong, 5 points gone, and I still dare not tell my math teacher.
On June 23rd, the results of the college entrance examination in various regions of Sichuan were released one after another. The phone recorded the moment when Liu Changzhi learned about Lang Zheng's college entrance exam results.
Liu Changzhi: I didn't expect Lang Zheng to be able to take the Peking University entrance exam without a score, but I can't figure it out.
Grade Director Gong Feng: Congratulations, congratulations. Now there are 5 students with scores above 700.
Liu Changzhi: Sure, there were many journalists at that time. I don't know how many journalists there were, but I only know how many scores I got. I congratulated my colleagues and said that I went to bed tonight and no one should disturb me. I swaggered and walked back home, so happy.
Liu Changzhi: I, these children, have released their stress and fulfilled their own dreams. As a teacher, my heart is the sweetest.
Zhao Jing also felt this kind of happiness. After checking the results, Lang Zheng called her immediately.
Zhao Jing: Old Zhao, once the scores come down, I can also take the Peking University entrance exam, and my confidence will come out.
Zhao Jing: He said you are proud, of course I am proud, but I feel happy for this child because speaking, speaking, and tears filling my eyes is a feeling of joy. After all, his journey was not as smooth as others said. In fact, it was not smooth. He went through many twists and turns, and there were still many difficulties. He faced many difficulties and walked through them, so I felt happy for him. I was excited for a long time at that time.
Among Lang Zheng's 637 points in the college entrance examination, he scored 129 points in Chinese, 126 points in mathematics, 143 points in English, and 239 points in comprehensive literature. Lang Zheng has his own interpretation of such high scores.
Lang Zheng: In everyone's opinion, that score is related to grades, but in my opinion, I have overcome my insomnia, overcome my anxiety, and overcome my lack of confidence. Fortunately, I didn't choose to give up at that time, didn't make myself comfortable, gave myself some pressure, felt uncomfortable, woke up, and buried my head on the road. I am very grateful for myself at that time, didn't give up, and was able to persevere.
Besides thanking himself, what Lang Zheng wants to thank more is the people who helped him and persevered with him. Among these people, the one he finds most difficult to forget is Yang Weihua, a journalist from Mianyang Daily. After the Wenchuan earthquake that year, Yang Weihua went deep into the disaster area to report. He was the first to discover Xiao Langzheng crying in the ruins. Later, he, along with eight PLA soldiers, rescued Xiao Langzheng and took the famous photo of the "salute doll". In the following six years, Yang Weihua provided Lang Zheng with a lot of companionship.
Lang Zheng: He will come to see me anytime, and I am also very happy. He is not a journalist, but a family member who cares for me and takes care of me. At that time, I would think that Uncle Yang was so kind, really warm and touched.
In 2014, Yang Weihua passed away due to illness, and Lang Zheng vividly remembered the last words Yang Weihua said to him.
Lang Zheng: It's exhausting, and the whole person may not be very good. They are already as thin as a stick, like a piece of paper, very thin. But when he saw me, there was still a feeling of light in his eyes, and when he saw me, it was really.
Lang Zheng: Growing up and becoming a successful person allows me to give back to society, but more importantly, it allows me not to worry about him and to continue playing with him after a period of time.
Lang Zheng: I didn't cry because he might not want me to cry either. He really uses his charm to inspire us to move forward, and he doesn't want us to become negative because of some of his things.
As Yang Weihua himself and what he expected, positivity and sunshine have become the most prominent traits in Lang Zheng.
Zhao Jing: I'm in high school now. Sometimes when you see him from afar, he's tall, 1.8 meters tall. When he sees you, he waves his hand and waves hard, revealing his signature smile.
Zhao Jing: With a bright smile and a crisp shout, Lao Zhao, I miss you.
Liu Changzhi: I have seen it.
Liu Changzhi: Of course, this sentence is a bit big. The one at the school gate is to educate people for the Party and talents for the country. This is a truly profound experience for me, so I feel particularly proud of myself, as a pride of Dongchen and a pride of being a teacher.
Liu Changzhi: Yes, to this day, I still can't bear to part with it in my heart. I really can't bear to part with it, or have I made a mistake.
After the announcement of the college entrance examination results, many media outlets sent out interview invitations to Lang Zheng, but he declined them one by one. Before accepting an interview with Face to Face, he made the choice to apply to the School of International Relations at Peking University.
Lang Zheng: First of all, I am very grateful for everyone's care and love for me. Afterwards, I may choose to devote myself to studying my academic field and doing what I want and can.
Lang Zheng: I did not fail the English proficiency test in the entrance exam.
Lang Zheng: It may realize the dream of diplomacy. If possible, through one's own efforts, one can represent the country, play a pivotal role in the international situation, speak up for one's own country, and defend one's own interests.
