Retired rubbish collector spends time teaching students to play mandolin
Wu teaches one of his many students how to play the mandolin.
A 66-year-old former rubbish collector in south China who plays instruments on the street and teaches about 40 students for free has received high praise from netizens, People’s Daily reported on Wednesday.
The man surnamed Wu, originally from Yunnan Province, now spends his time playing mandolin on the street after working as a rubbish collector for over seven years in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
Wu has loved music since he was a child, and played bamboo flute for more than 40 years. As he grew older his teeth began falling out, making it hard to continue playing. That's when Wu decided to learn mandolin.
In 2011, he bought a mandolin using some of the money he had saved and went about learning how to play the instrument on his own. Through a period of exploring and learning, he has formed his own unique musical style.
Later, Wu began to play mandolin on the street. His performances attracted a number of pedestrians and more than 40 students who wanted to learn from him.
Wu treats his students equally and teaches them patiently, all free of charge. He describes himself as an ordinary, grassroots person and argues that he's not qualified to charge people money for his time. He also likes to cook for his students and prepare fruit and cookies when they come.
Netizens praised the old man after his story went viral online. "He has a clear mind and is so nice to people," one gushed. "He was definitely very handsome as a young man," another joked.
