68歲老人堅持每天升國旗 18年6500天風雨無阻
For the past 18 years, a 68-year-old man from Fenggang County, southwestern China's Guizhou province has demonstrated his love for China in a special way.
18年來，中國西南部貴州省鳳岡縣一名68歲的男子以一種特殊的方式表達了對祖國的熱愛。He has raised a national flag every day for the last 6,500 days.
在過去的6500天，他每天都升國旗。Each day at 7:30 a.m., the man, named Tian Maokun, plays the national anthem on his mobile phone and raises the national flag in his yard.
每天上午7:30，這位名叫田茂坤的男人就會用他的手機播放國歌，並且在院子裏升國旗。
This has been Tian's daily routine for 18 years.
這已經成爲田茂坤18年來的日常慣例了。Tian lost his job in the wake of organizational reforms, but he has received a pension from the local government ever since.
供銷社體制改革之後，田茂坤失去了他的工作，但是自那時起他就收到了地方政府的養老金。His monthly income reached 1,930 yuan (289 dollars) in 2012, and the pension keeps rising every year.
2012年他的月收入達到1930元（摺合289美元），養老金每年都在不斷上漲。
Thankful for the government's support, Tian decided to raise the national flag to express his gratitude toward the country.
爲了感謝政府的幫助，田茂坤決定升國旗來表達對國家的感激之情。Tian started his routine in 1998, and has kept at it since that time. Whenever Tian is away from home, his wife raises the flag for him.
田茂坤於1998年開始了他的日常慣例，自那時起就一直堅持。當田茂坤不在家時，他的妻子就替他升旗。Some of Tian's fellow villagers doubted at first that he would carry on, but Tian's dedication has changed all their minds.
田茂坤的一些同鄉起初懷疑他是否能夠堅持下去，但最終田茂坤的堅持改變了他們的想法。Some noted that the informal flag-raising ceremony is a good way to show respect for the improved quality of life in China's rural areas.
一些人指出，這一併不正式的升旗儀式，是對改善中國農村地區生活質量表達尊重的一個好辦法。
