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A hard-luck story that ended well
After a life burdened by misfortune, author finds encouraging words of comfort, Wang Ru reports.
By Wang Ru | China Daily | Updated: 2022-05-07 00:00

Bad luck always seemed to shadow Yang Benfen. Until that is, when she suddenly, and deservedly, became popular as a writer at 80. This was a turn of events she just could not believe.

The second of six children from a poor family in Hunan province, she was born in 1940, and did menial jobs in childhood. When she finally managed to get a chance to go to school as a teenager, the school closed down just several months before her graduation. If she had been recruited by an automobile transportation company in Tonggu county, Jiangxi province, a few days earlier, she could have become a regular employee, but she ended up doing casual work until retirement.

The change happened more than two decades ago, when Yang resigned. She went to Nanjing, Jiangsu province, where her daughter Zhang Hong lived, to help take care of her young granddaughter.

One day, she read an article written by Zheng Shiping, in which he emotionally recalled his late mother. Yang was deeply moved. Her mother Liang Qiufang had passed away several years before, and she missed her very much. It occurred to Yang to write something about Liang.

"I realized if no one puts my mother's stories down, traces of her will eventually disappear from the world," says Yang.

The calling to write was so strong that she decided to act on it straight away. Between doing household chores, she wrote diligently in the 4-square-meter kitchen.

"When I was waiting for the soup to boil, I sat down and quickly wrote something on a piece of paper with just the booming noise of the smoke exhaust ventilator to keep me company," said Yang in the preface of her first book Qiuyuan, which tells the story of Liang.

Born into a doctor's family in Henan province in 1914, Liang saw her family fortune decline after the death of her two sisters-in-law and father at 12. At 18, she was married to an army officer surnamed Yang, who is Yang Benfen's father, and went to his hometown in rural Hunan province.

Due to turbulence of the times, her father lost his position, was cheated by his relatives, lost properties, and also made a series of wrong decisions. As a result, the family of eight people struggled to live. Since he suffered from bad health, and died in the middle age, the heavy load was put on the shoulder of Liang, who had a pair of "lotus feet", due to the former custom of foot-binding.

The ancient Chinese say the three biggest misfortunes in one's life are losing your father at a young age, a spouse at a middle age, and children at an old age. Liang, unfortunately, experienced all of them. Although she worked hard to support the family by teaching and sewing clothes for others, the family just managed to survive. Ill fortune seemed to follow her and she had to endure the heartbreak of the deaths of her three children, one after another.

Yang Benfen used the name Qiuyuan in the book to refer to Liang, and told her story in the namesake novel. After finishing the first draft, her handwritten manuscripts weighed about four kilograms.

"My mother used to tell her stories to us often, and I was very curious about them. Every time she told me her stories, I formed clear pictures in my mind. When I started writing, I was trying to interpret the pictures into words," says Yang.

"It's very strange that with my age increasing, my memory is getting bad and I often forget what happened a few days ago. But the early memories are still so clear that they seem like being engraved into my heart. I will never forget them," she adds.

Zhang found her mother's writing touching, and pasted it on the online forum Tianya in 2009. To Yang's surprise, many people admired her writing, sympathized with her, and encouraged her. Moved by the goodwill of strangers, she bought a computer, and learned to type so that she could reply the comments.

In 2019, Yang's writing was recommended to Tu Zhigang, editor-in-chief of publisher Pan Press. He was surprised by the "vitality" in the book and decided to publish it.

"The book offers the perspective of an ordinary Chinese woman reflecting on history. Yang has her own style in telling stories, which makes them very vivid," says Xin Ningning, the book editor.

Qiuyuan was published in 2020. In the preface of the book, Yang emotionally wrote "Qiuyuan has come to the world. She once struggled, and experienced both desperation as well as great joy. Today, her 80-year-old daughter tells the story of this ordinary woman to the world".

After its publication, Yang sent three copies to her hometown in Hunan, and entrusted her relatives there to burn them in front of the tombs of her parents and elder brother as an act of commemoration.

Writing, for Yang, is a painful process as she reexamines the lives of her family members, especially the hardships they have gone through. That made her further realize and appreciate how great her mother was.

"As I described in Qiuyuan, after my father's death, my family was very poor. I was a teenager and could have helped my mother a lot to earn money and take care of my younger brothers, but my mother insisted on making me go to school and shouldered all the responsibilities herself," says Yang.

"I didn't realize how incredible this decision was until writing this book. I feel so regretful that I didn't ask her why she was so resolute," she sighs.

But Yang never completed her education, and regrets it to this day. Since the secondary vocational school she was admitted to closed down before her graduation, she then migrated to Yichun, Jiangxi province, to work, where she met her future husband. She got married and the husband promised to fund her return to education, but after the births of her three children, she never had a chance to realize her dream.

As a result, Yang highlighted the importance of education to her children. They were all admitted to universities, which was rare in the 1980s.

She continues to write. In 2021 her second book Fumu (Floating Wood), about stories of other villagers Yang met in childhood was published and in February the third one, Wobenfenfang (I was fragrant) about Yang's own unhappy marriage, was also published. The three books have achieved 8.9, 8.4 and 8.1 points out of 10 on China's popular review site Douban. Their circulation, in total, has reached 250,000 copies, according to Xin.

"I wrote about my mother, about how our family struggled to live just like a floating piece of wood, and the lives and deaths of villagers who once lived in Central China. If the stories of ordinary people are not put down, they will surely be buried forever," says Yang.

"Many people say the books strike a chord for them, making them think of their own family members. As a matter of fact, we didn't expect them to have such an influence before publishing," says Xin.

Qiuyuan and Wobenfenfang are set to be published in Korean.

"In the first 60 years of her life, my mother was an ideal example of being a good wife and mother who always gave priority to the family," said Zhang to Shenzhen Special Zone Daily. "But since she started writing after 60, she suddenly became a popular writer. We marveled at that."

Yang writes on an iPad now. But due to a failed surgery several years ago, she suffers from frequent knee pain and doesn't often sit in front of a desk. Sometimes she just writes lying on the bed.

"It's my luck to live long enough to see my books come out. But it would be better if I was 10 years younger," she says.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SK5ncx8oW3c?si=LNJF6Tz7k5EGI3Nv

Amwitty:
➜The only way by which we can be completely free from sin is by considering ourselves dead to sin that is how we have victory over sin. Remember you can't help yourself its the spirit of God in you that keeps you from falling not by your own strength.

No be the same spirit of gods wey dey inside of of una same pastors, priests, popes, bishops, apostles, and members who have thus far been caught in either one sexually explicit position or another? 😂😂😂😂😂

spontan:
✓ I had a dream. In the dream, I was assigned to clean a toilet. The former cleaners were trying to discourage me that it was a bad idea to do so and that it was almost impossible, but i ignored them.
The toilet was dirty and infested with maggots but I persisted. With time, I was able to wash and make it a bit cleaner than it was, Although not perfect. While I was washing, they would send someone to discourage me, kind of like telling me it had bad spiritual implications to do so.
But I was insistent. after the initial washing, I wanted to step out to get bleach to apply and make the toilet finally white. It was at the door of the toilet, on my way out that I was blocked by the former cleaners. They told me that they won't let me step out. then they started planning on how to lock me up in the toilet and probably kill me unsuspiciously in there (likely after sedating me).

But I was trying to fight my way out. in a moment of Revelation in the dream, they stated that when they are done locking me up and dealing with me, I would go straight to hell, and I had a clairvoyance where the main person trying to stop me was a 90+ years old Pope.
Meanwhile in my mind, I had already resolved that even if I was locked up, before they would comeback to completely eliminate me, I would have escaped through the toilet roof. Although it was a high rise building, about three storeys, and we were at the topmost floor, because that's where the toilet was. Which implied that it would be hard to do so.
However, I was determined to escape and save my life. It was in this process of back and forth that I woke up.

Why are you desperate to obtain a revelation out of what instead seems like a good dream sequence conjured up by your mind to entertain your psyche while you slept? What is behind that need to have an explanation forced on this?

Reading through your dream, I was reminded of a dream I had last night that got me wondering about why I was suddenly open to working remotely at a job and company I had distanced myself from for many years now. I wondered it and then recalled that the day before I had been reminded, at a party I attended, of how I once had such a job and enjoyed such types of benefits before making the decision I made years ago to forgo it all. That seemed the source from where much of the content of my dream last night must have come from. After that realization, my mind returned to its peaceful happy state. I always look forward to these mental challenges every week.

victorazyvictor:
➜There are curses my brother and I don't want you to believe. There are authorities in spiritual dimensions. Presidents or leader has authority over you just as human has over animals, or you think they (animals) don't curse you in their hearts?

Stop lying like a lunatic! 🙄🙄🙄🙄

HenryWilliams:
➜If you took your time to read my comment with an unbiased eye and mind..you will see I'm not supporting the GO. Read again with comprehension especially the comment I quoted

. Claiming his lies are due to his old age or dementia is a tacit attempt at providing support for all of the numerous scams perpetrated by this very same man for over 40 years now.

This man embraced a life of fraud the moment he decided that pursuing religion would greatly benefit him and his bottom line than a career in the education field. He has boldly bilked millions of Nigerians, in particular out of a brighter, more meaningful, and productive life, by his many scams— he conveniently hides them all behind the mention of the name of a deity removed from his bloodline and ancestors. And he has not held back from that since then. The same goes for all of the other frauds who stylishly exited other respectable fields— where earning money could have been done more honestly— to pursue a life as full-blown scammers/yahoo-yahoo/fraudsters against the lives and destiny of millions out there. Ole ni gbogbo won!🙄🙄🙄

HolinesstodLord:
Who can fight with the Lord?
Men don’t rule. God does.

Tinubu and his gang of thieves don become Lords,Abi? You cowards and your numerous reasons are truly insufferable! 🙄🙄🙄🙄

Zackattack:
✓ It is indiscipline, not temptation.
I’ve been following your comments and I want to believe that you’re a lady.
Try to be subtle, if possible, pretend. Overtime, you will get use to it and trust me, you need it.

So, because you assume I must be a woman, you immediately felt it right for you to give me this inane advice of yours that you would not dare to give one whom you thought your father or any other man? 😩😩😩

Get the f+ck away from me with your brand of unsolicited nonsense! 🙄🙄

AJSfan:
✓ Mr wise, full of wisdom....If Gods got no answer for skeptics, why should engage with one?
Good luck with your wisdom, the Albert Einstein of our time

. See how easily those monkeys throw their gods under the bus in their every bid to defend their gods of men. Na wa oo! 😂😂😂😂😂

GOFRONT:
So because he is a Gospel Artiste make he no fvck again??

Christians are notoriously known for doing exactly that which they condemn others for partaking in. Na every week we dey read about pastors, bishops, GOs, and members — all from the Christian and Catholic world combined— committing many of the same sins they go around claiming their god does not like people who don't believe in their god committing.

Buliwyf:
➜Who decides who is a man of God? You or your denomination?
I am sure if a white garment church pastor or Catholic bishop said something similar, you won't be so magnanimous and leave it to God. That's exactly when you will point out everything wrong with those denominations.
Your pastor said something wrong and not biblical. He has been doing that a lot recently and making a lot of mistake that anyone truly anointed by God can never make. He is just a mere man with followers.
Anything he says will be dissected and commented on whether good or bad. If you want the good things he says to be carried by bloggers and broadcasted then don't be a crybaby when the bad things he says also attracts equal criticism.
If you don't like it, go and muzzle him. But the rest of us aren't mindless sheep like you. We will call him out on every false things he says. Your tears will not move us.

This man has been lying through his teeth for over 40 years now. This is not recent. That you only recently became particularly sensitive to his fibs DOES NOT remove from the fact that his brand of lies can be traced back to even before he left the professional teaching scene to become a full-time scammer-in-the-lord. His recent admission— if we can even call it that given he never really apologized to those he bilk or suggested to pay back to them at least a portion of what he stole from them— that the claim only followers who paid vows, tithes, and offerings to earn a place in his RCCG heaven, was not true at all reveals a scam that goes as far back as the 70s, almost 50 years.

Oboys12:
➜Firstly I'm not a member of RCCG but I am a Christian that cares for the bodu of christ, what you guys are doing is not correcting but destroying the body
➜Let me ask you a question, how many times has a Muslim come out to denigrate their religion and their immans, how many times have you sat down to make contents with Buddhism or Islam or even Iffa. Oh Christians of this generation

.Your so-called body of Christ stories, fed you by these lying scoundrels — your gods of men— are destroyed by them, not by anyone else, by the way.

2. You think all the killings and attacks carried out in the name of the Muslim god are all meant to elevate the religion in the eyes of the sane? Look, all religions are the same.... riddled with lies and attacked the most from within by those who supposedly preach and follow them.

Sincerely1:
✓ I give special thanks to Almighty Allah for making me a Muslim. Eyah

The lies your Imams fed you lot are no better. 😩😩😩

Pickieox:
✓ This man is a terrible, chronic and a serial liar. To what end did he meant to achieve this spell of lies and narrative? Olórí gbeske somebody.

To keep his ignorant sheeples steeped in delusions. The thing about lies is you have to keep telling them-- reinforcing with various other lies too --- the keep the religious horde coming back for more. It can be compared to an addiction with those addicted to the lies needing more and more to remain hooked.

HenryWilliams:
✓ There's nothing woke about this. The man is old ..over 80 years..at that age ..early stages of dementia sets in..
There's nothing shameful about it..it's just a byproduct of getting old.. He's old and needs to rest and take a more spiritual head role.
✓ .let the slightly younger Pastors take over the reins..
It's only in Africa we hate hearing such .and term it as insult to elderly people.
✓ This man's gaffes are becoming one too many and I hope it won't embarrass him or the RCCG in the nearness of Time.

This man has been telling the same lies for over 40 years, but now that is an old man you lot went to pin his lies on dementia and old age? Why do you folks prefer to live in denial for Pete's sake? What do you gain by it? 😩😩😩

2. So the younger pastors -- who mentored under this man ---will not continue with the same brand of lies that has been the reality of this man's over 40 years of office? 😩😩😩

3. I see! You only became sensitive to the recent gaffes but believed fully in his previous lies? The people wey do una dis this... Na we oo! 🙄🙄

AJSfan:
✓ oops, God reigns in heaven, the earth he gave to man to rule... man sold out to the devil (the god of this world)... like it or not, the devil still rule the world. This is basic scriptural teaching.

Ah, I see! So this your deity ruling in heaven decided to take it on himself to rat Death abi na devil wey dey for earth out to Adeboye, abi? 🙄🙄

Why the same deity for heaven no do the same thing when it come be Adeboye other son turn to dance with Death abi na devil? Abi, the other son na son of the devil him be then wey the God for heaven suddenly decide so him go mind him own business after all? 😩😩😩

AJSfan:
I✓ it is personal revelation not doctrine. God didn't say he will kill his son but that his son would die because God sees the end from the beginning. Who knows the events that would have led to that?

And who commands death if not this same deity he claims told him this. Or are we here assuming instead that Adeboye's deity is somehow Death's rival ratting Death out in this case? The question in that case would be how come the same deity did not see fit to rat Death out to warn Adeboye's of his second son's death? Was the first son more important or something? Or did Adeboye path ways with the deity leading to the absence of a warning when it came time for his own son to meet Death? 🙄🙄🙄

You people no dey like learn...na so so fishing for excuses for these scammers-in-the-lords una dey always answer, "present,Sir," to😩😩😩😩

PurityOrNothing:
✓ Your body is God's Temple. Flee sexual immorality.
If you need free ebooks on sexual purity, please let's know.
Our aim is to ensure a generation embrace purity, serving God with their spirit, soul and body

Stop spinning lies abeg! 🙄🙄🙄

Na every week, world over, we dey read of your Christian personalities and pastors being caught in one sex or drug scandal or another so. The jig is up! The world is now privy to the fact that their is no god in your temples except for the ones you lot conjure up as part of your particular denominational delusions. 😩😩😩

TonyBankz:
another mugu

Look who's talking!

BabaHenry:
✓ I want to believe this is just sarcasm because if it's not, Ah! Omo 💔
Your life don spoil

No sarcasm meant at all.

Most of you wey dey here, your mama no better pass Amara when your papa first marry am. She probably did worse.

Larryfest:
✓ Actually they do understand understand God and everything inside the bible but the love of money, greed and power has shifted their mind and focus away from what is actually right and that is why they read and interpret the word of God in a selfish way that only suits their agenda...

Nonsense! 🙄🙄🙄🙄

They understand absolutely nothing of what is written in that book. There goals has always been to amass wealth and power using all the lies they can conjure up claiming they are all tied to that book and they have droves of ignorant beings like you to delude with their lies.

Selmedigital:
Pastor Enoch Adeboye Shares Divine Warning: "My Firstborn Will Die If I Leave RCCG
https://youtu.be/Qd2UAei2vHE?si=xrY_attoU8lcjpb_
👆👆👆👆
In this powerful and emotional message delivered during the June 2025 Holy Ghost Service at Redemption City, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), reveals a profound divine warning he received from God. He shares how God instructed him to remain with RCCG, stating that leaving the church would lead to the death of his firstborn. This heartfelt sermon, themed "Destined for Greatness (Part 2)," emphasizes the importance of obedience to divine direction and spiritual consistency.
Video 📷 👉https://youtu.be/Qd2UAei2vHE?si=xrY_attoU8lcjpb_

Join us as Pastor Adeboye reflects on his journey, the challenges of leadership, and the critical message for Christians to stay rooted in the place God has called them. This video is a must-watch for those seeking inspiration, divine guidance, and a deeper understanding of faith and obedience.

This man stoles people blind for over 40 years with them all believing that by paying tithes and offering to him and his minions, they secure a place in the RCCG Kingdom of Heaven. His manipulation was revealed to all early this year and what came out of his mouth in response left all shocked and astonished at how very entitled and unashamed this man really is. How, after that, anyone else could believe a word out of his same mouth is what I find shocking.

lordm:
Which nigerian woman will follow you save 50-50.

Look for and find a woman, even if not a Nigerian, if that is indeed what you want. Stop settling for less, only to then claim you are some sort of victim in it all. 🙄🙄🙄🙄

CoronaVirusPro:
The Adeboye’s family need to get this man off the podium. Old age is already setting-in.

Why do you folks say this nonsense all of the time? Will his stepping down from the podium change the fact that RCCG celebrates him and his brand lies(lies he has been feeding the RCCG crowd for well other 40 years) or something?

brain54:
✓ He didn't want her to be financially dependent...That's why he gave her money to set her up!

That is absolute nonsense!🙄🙄🙄

Opening a store with your own money for someone who probably had no business skills, to begin with, with no proven guarantee of success is same as taking on a dependent. You can't make that fact disappear because you tried to polish her image up with a store.

lawrenzooo:
✓ Did you just say who may have actually loved him Sometimes I marvel at some people's definition of love.

Yes, I did. Having bad money skills does not negate the presence of love.

Love is removed from money handling. That is a fact that I am surprised you are unaware of.

DarkJeddi:
Someone who misappropriated money meant for a purpose for something else,is the very definition of being dubious.

Between lovers, it ain't unless the person literally stole money from you without permission. If you think it dubious, I suggest you never engage in romantic relationships at all.

ideatoprince18:
.... Typical rubbish thinking. What would u advise if he was your brother?

OP didn't mention his friend, Peter, was looking for dating or marriage advise from him or you, though. So, carry your own rubbish waka pass me!

Zackattack:
In your mind, you are smart abi?
This has nothing to do with not having money skills. She’s dubious and a fraud.
Was iPhone 15 part of the requirements for the shop? The money was given to her as initial investment for the shop. She didn’t accomplish anything relating to that.

Nonsense!🙄

Like you have never been tempted to spend money meant for one thing on other things particular when your head is still in enjoyment mode. 😩😩😩

Myrepublic:
It was never closed,she only closed it for op for a while. Califuckcy

Nonsense!