Photo: by 胡陆敏
Note from Kuang:
魏先生住的屋子不足十平米，从外面看毫不起眼，进门满屋都是摆放整齐、讲究的石头首饰。他给我展示他收集的石头，如数家珍，眼里闪着如同孩子般的纯真和憧憬。
The house Wei lives in is less than 10 square meters; you could pass it without a second glance. The small room is lined with nothing but the delicate stone jewelry and ornaments he made. Wei showed me his collection, his eyes lit with childlike enthusiasm.
Wei Jieguang, 62, Beijinger, retired worker, stone lover
I was born near Qianmen Dajie, just like my parents.
The small house I’m living in was allotted by the government decades ago. It used to be a coal shed. I heightened the ceiling, added lights to make it my own place. The neighborhood hasn’t changed much over the decades. Most of the families still live in those shabby old houses—look nice from the outside, but terrible to live in.
I’ve been a big fan of stones since I was a kid, to the point of obsession. When I was young and energetic, I traveled around a lot and discovered the special stones in Alxa League in Inner Mongolia, to my great joy. So I visited Alxa often to collect the stones. I also bought the stones from local farmers. Many locals knew me there.
Just look at these stones! They’ve weathered the wind and rain of hundreds of thousands of years. How incredible is that! We human beings are less than dust in front of them. These silent stones are more powerful than us.
Unfortunately, not many prize Alxa stones—they prefer sapphire and agate. But in my eyes Alxa stones are treasures. I want to add more value to them through my creation. Alxa stones are too small for carving, so I use them for rings and ornaments.
I don’t make a living from Alxa stones. They were only a hobby until I retired. I keep all my stuff here. I don’t have a shop, because I’m not a businessman. I don’t want to be one either. Only those who already see the stones’ value have bought my stuff. For those who don’t, it involves a lot of vain explanation.
Is my family supportive? I’ve been doing this for over two decades and yet have earned next to nothing from it. They don’t oppose me at least. My wife isn’t a big dreamer. All she wants is a peaceful life. She often teases me that I’m only amusing myself and digging my own grave. But I think nothing is ridiculous to someone who takes it seriously.
I’m from an ordinary family—both my parents are workers. Plus I’m not intelligent, at least not according to the education system here, so I didn’t go anywhere with my study. That meant a very plain life journey for me so far. I’m regularly overwhelmed with a feeling of self-pity. I’m nobody but an ordinary man, but I want an unordinary life. If only I could make people see the hidden value of these stones as I do, I’d think this life was worthwhile.
That said, my life is actually not that bad. I’ve got my own little world here. I even talk to the stones sometimes. Fooling around with these stones, a day can pass like nothing. And I have nothing but long days now. I might as well enjoy my time, right?
I can see people walking by outside my window, both old and young, men and women. If it isn’t a lively picture. When I lie on my sofa to sleep, I can see the sky, and sometimes I can even see the stars.
Edited by David Huntington
魏洁广，62岁，北京人，退休工人，石头爱好者
我出生在前门大街，父母也是在那里出生的。
我住的这个屋子以前是一个工厂的小煤房，政府分房分给我，我把屋顶修了修，加高了些，安上灯，也就住下了。这么多年这一片区几乎没什么变化，这些老旧破败房子外人瞅着好看，住起来很不舒服。
我自幼喜欢石头，可以说得上痴迷了。年轻的时候体力好，经常各地跑。八零年我无意中发现了阿拉善石，之后便常去那里收集石头，有时候也从当地牧民手里买，阿拉善左旗当地的很多老百姓都认识我。
你看看这些石头，都是经过了大自然1亿5千年的风吹雨打的。在经受了数万年风雨的石头面前，人实在太渺小了，甚至算不上一粒灰尘。沉默的石头，比人更有生命。
可惜，大家追捧的是那些个什么蓝宝石啦玛瑙啦，没多少人把阿拉善石头当回事儿。可是在我眼里这些石头都是宝贝，我想通过我的手，给它们创造更多价值。阿拉善石头个儿小，不适合雕刻，我一般都是用来做首饰。
我退休之前是一个普通工人，石头只是个人爱好。我做的东西都是放在这小屋里，我没有店铺，因为我不是一个商人，我也不想做一个商人。做了这么些年，买我的东西的人少，买的一般就是懂的人。不懂的人，你跟他解释也白费劲。
我玩儿石头家人支不支持？我做这个二十来年，没赚什么钱，他们能不反对就不错了。我媳妇儿是个老实人，只希望安安稳稳地过日子。她常打趣我说我这是自娱自乐，自掘坟墓。嗨！我自己把它当回事儿就成了。
我啊，父母都是普通工人，没背景没后台，加上自己也不是个什么聪明人，学业上没什么成就，一辈子一直过得平平庸庸，挺不甘心的。我是一个俗人，可我又想做到不俗。我就梦想着有一天，能把我鼓捣出来的这些宝贝们推出去，让大家看见它们的价值，我觉得我这一辈子也就值了。
要说不甘心呢，我的生活倒也不赖。沉浸在自己的这个小天地里，玩着石头，一天就过去了。我有时候还会跟这些石头说话，我现在有的就是大把没用的时间，得给自己找乐子啊你说是不是？
我坐在这小屋里，看着窗外来来往往的人，有男有女，有老有少，别说还挺有意思。我躺在沙发上睡觉的时候，抬头就能看见窗外的天，有时候晚上还能看到星星。
Kuang is the founder of Beijing Lights. She would love to hear your thoughts about the column and is open to new collaborations. She can be reached at kuang@spittooncollective.com.