日前，中国日报记者前往“世界长寿市”广西贺州, 寻访当地十一位百岁老人。
他们出生于1903-19间，亲历晚清、民国和新中国几个历史时期，饱尝饥饿、贫穷、战乱等时代之苦，在生存遭受威胁的情况下凭借着爱国、爱家、勤俭、奋斗、厚德、友善的中国精神步履蹒跚地迈入新时代的太平盛世。
记者用文字和镜头记录了他们的真情回忆。
十种不同变换的人生，同样地发人深省、感人至深。
胡月英的百年茶瘾：
人生如饮茶，先苦后甜
116岁的胡月英是贺州最长寿的老人，然而她目睹了所有兄弟姐妹和丈夫的先后离世，更经历了意外丧子，女儿夭折的锥心之痛。
抚育孙辈的责任让她重燃生活的斗志，上山开荒，主理茶园，耕耘不辍百余年，如今可以悠然饮茶却仍坚持自己做饭、整理内务。
人生像极她喝了百年的茶水，须得苦完才是甜。
Life s greatest lesson for Hu can be found in a cup of the green tea she has cultivated and brewed most of her life: The bitter comes before the sweet, and she has known both.
She was good at growing things from at least age 14. She loved the soil and worked in her gardens until she was 113.
Grandma is quick-witted and has an extraordinarily agile mind. The grain she planted in the years when there were shortages of food helped the family survive, grandson Lu Congqiang, 34, said.
Hu is the oldest person in Hezhou, according to the local government, outliving her only son, who was the victim of a house collapse in 1991, and a 2-year-old daughter whose illness was beyond the skills of a barefoot doctor . She witnessed the passing of all her siblings and her husband.
I felt desperate when my son left me, but what else could I do but work harder? I didn’t even have time to take a deep breath, and the children needed me, she said, sipping a cup of green tea.
I have lost my husband, my children and my brothers, it s true. But I can always find love in my family and that is how I was encouraged to carry on.
瑶族妈妈杨素贵：
母爱坚韧也柔软
102岁的杨素贵是8个孩子的母亲，虽然没进过学堂，但即便在生活最困难的时期没米下锅，她也没有像其他人那样把自己的孩子送人，而是上山挖野菜充饥。
如今杨素贵8个儿女健在，已经是130多口人的五代同堂的大家庭。
杨素贵最爱坐在门前大樟树下听瑶族民歌“蝴蝶调”，歌词大意是感谢天，感谢地，感谢父母恩。
Yang married at age 15 and never attended school. She gave birth to eight children. In the darkest days, we didn’t have enough rice to support the big family, so I went into the mountains to dig edible herbs to fill our bellies instead of giving my children away, as many people did, she said at her home in Fuchuan Yao autonomous county.
No one in my family was allowed to shout or scream at each other. My children grew up in peace and harmony.
先富起来的董茂锐：
穷则变，变则通
在被国民党强行征兵带走之前，董茂锐和其他农民别无二致，面朝黄土背朝天就是他的宿命。后面因为在军队里食不果腹，才乔妆逃跑。这是他第一次懂得抗争的意义。
经过60年代的困难时期后，他弃农从商，率先做起服装生意，成为80年代最先富起来的“万元户”。
妻子当时花2000元买给他的手表，他佩戴至今。
Poverty fosters a desire for change. That s the most important lesson that Dong Maorui, of Hezhou’s Zhongshan county, said he has learned in life.
Like most older people in Zhongshan county, Dong married at a young age and expected to spend his life farming.
In 1939, when his son was just 1 year old, he was forced to join the Kuomintang army.
We were served gruel for every meal, and it didn’t fill our bellies, so I decided to run away, he said. Disguised as a porter, he managed to escape. Lacking money, he tried many odd jobs as he made his way home.
I missed the war, but I have fought another battle against poverty all my life, he said.
Famine in the 1960s forced him to seek change again.
At the end of 1970’s, on the eve of reform and opening-up, he took a train to Yulin, 300 kilometers distant, to purchase clothes, which he then brought back to his hometown to sell at a small profit.
Only a few people did business at that time. After many years and many changes, I finally made a comfortable living, Dong said. His wife bought him a gold watch costing 2,000 yuan in 1989, a memento he has kept for 30 years.
His advice to others: Don’t be afraid of change.
钟兆丙：再穷不能穷教育
钟兆丙老人酷爱书法，但少时因家贫辍学，一直深感遗憾的他重视子女的教育，在70年代通过贩牛创造条件供孩子读书，如今儿子是村干部，家里也出了人民教师，是他最骄傲的事。
他认为教育滋养孩子一生，能改变家庭命运。
At a young age, Zhong showed extraordinary talent for reading and calligraphy. But he was forced to drop out of middle school for lack of money. In the 1960s, he was determined to help his son and daughter get a better education and started a successful cattle business. Now Zhong practices calligraphy every day and reads as much as he can in Hezhou’s Changwan village.
Education is the best soil to support children’s growth and will nurture their minds for a lifetime.
乐天老人莫妹仙：
宽容仁爱无欲则刚
因为有轻微的阿尔兹海默症，莫妹仙已经不大能叫上自己曾孙的名字。
当三个顽皮的男孩略带羞涩地叫她阿婆时，她露出了慈祥的笑容，瞬间弥合代际间的鸿沟。
老人的宽厚和善意也是她战胜岁月风霜、长寿康健的法宝。
Gentleness and generosity toward others, along with a bright and cheerful disposition, are essential for long life, Mo said.
The quickest route to happiness and long life is to do nothing negative. Have a merry heart and be tolerant of others.
潘会化：最幸福的
事儿是遇到下雨天
饥饿是潘会化对过去最鲜明的记忆。
那时候每天的劳动都是为了全家的口粮，所以最幸福的是下雨天，不用出门干活。
结婚的时候，没有别的东西可以宴请宾客，就从田里抓了一斤泥鳅过油当做婚宴。
不久前老人意外摔倒状态不佳，却还能颤巍巍写出自己的名字。
他说人生虽困难不断，但总有解决的办法。
Pan, of Zhongshan county, tells many stories about hunger. With diligent work he was able to survive many hardships in the 1950s, 60s and 70s.
Although life is full of suffering, it is also full of overcoming it. That is the important thing.
百岁夫妇：
你是我的耳，我为你拐杖
如果婚姻真有七年之痒，那长达八九十年的婚姻生活该是怎样一种体验？
106岁的杨才华和他105的妻子林玉琼给出一种答案，你听不见声响我是你的耳朵，我行走不便你为我拐杖。
他们鲜少直接表达爱意，吃饭也耻于相互夹菜，但相濡以沫，共沐风雨。
奶奶滔滔不绝，爷爷默然相和，这也许就是婚姻最好的样子。
According to a proverb, a good wife and health are a man’s best wealth. Yang Caihua has both. He and his wife, Lin Yuqiong, have been married 86 years. He doesn’t smoke or drink. Their recipe for happiness: no angry words.
Lin puts it this way: Harmony keeps a family prosperous. The secret to avoiding quarrels is that one must learn to listen while the other is complaining.
一生勤勉的百岁“店小二”潘玉英
在古榕参天、小桥流水的黄姚古镇上有家土菜馆，里面有位不同寻常的“店小二”，很多游客慕名而来。她就是105岁的潘玉英。
老人虽然高龄，还是可以利落地摘菜、收拾碗筷。潘玉英自小在镇上生活，年轻时是当地有名的裁缝，凭借一针一线编织出好生活。
潘玉英的家乡黄姚古镇
虽然老人一生只育有一个女儿，这在当时人们看来是无儿防老，她却不以为意，抚养外孙林共平成人，教育他要自立自强，不要受世俗标准的束缚，自己去定义和丈量幸福。
Self-reliance, hard work and clear thinking are key to a good life and longevity, Pan Yuying of Huangyao said. As a young mother, she was shamed for having only a daughter. Pan is blunt: “I don’t really care about it, actually. I know people try to make themselves feel better by nagging about others’ pain.” She always walked her own path, including getting a job as a waitress in Huangyao at age 99.
Grandson Lin Gongping, 57, spoke of Pan’s influence in his life:
We had better not be confined to secular ideas about happiness and shame. We should find out the truth by ourselves.
黄执中的诗酒人生：
看透命运沉浮，服务乡里
104岁的黄执中，读过中学，至今还能唱出英文字母歌，是方圆百里的“高知”。
曾在中学执教，文化大革命后返乡务农，仍手不释卷，自学中医和地理知识，后为赤脚医生悬壶济世。因通周易之道，也摆摊算命，直至九旬。
虽命运沉浮，诗酒为伴，服务乡里，也是人生价值所在。
During the Cultural Revolution (1966-76), Huang was forced to leave his job and start farming. He found solace in books. He loved to read and learn, and continued to cultivate himself. As a barefoot doctor he won the respect of his neighbors. For him, a rich life is defined by service to others:
There was a serious lack of medical care, so the knowledge I got from books could help people in need. Service to others matters most.
保养达人莫天兰：
健康的体魄是快乐的源泉
一天三碗油茶，动辄手动刮痧，是莫天兰老人的日常。
瑶族自制油茶可以驱寒排湿，刮痧则可以舒经络，强免疫，都是莫天兰的保健之法。然而在她看来，这都比不过笑口常开这剂良药。
莫天兰爱喝的油茶
If you maintain your health, you have everything you need for a happy, long life, according to Mo Tianlan, of Fuchuan Yao autonomous county. Add a dose of laughter, and you’re all set.
You can take care of your health well, whether you’re poor or rich.
从这些正安享晚年的百岁老人身上能看到很多传承不变的中国精神，支撑并成就了现在日渐强大的新中国，他们的人生课将会有更多中国人去体会、去讲述。
