AN over-80-year-old senior has written over 2,000 copies of family daily newspaper by hand for six years, the Daily Sunshine reported.

The senior, named Yu Zhengzhong, came to Shenzhen in 2005 to help take care of his grandchild. In 1999, Yu made the first copy of his family’s handwritten newspaper where he published a story about his grandfather, their recent situation and contact numbers of relatives, as well as parenting articles. He then sent copies of the newspaper to relatives living in different cities.

Yu halted the family newspaper’s publication after arriving in Shenzhen. However, an idea suddenly popped up in Yu’s mind in 2016. “I was thinking that although I can no longer make the whole family newspaper, I could make a small-sized family daily newspaper,” he said.

Since then, Yu has used pages of A4 paper to make the family daily newspaper. Each newspaper includes two to five articles about the family and the country.

Yu Bin, Yu’s daughter, said that her father has never stopped working since the first day he started. “He would take his tools and papers wherever he goes and share his papers via the family WeChat group to seek advice from family members,” she said.

Yu’s grandchild in Shenzhen advised him to use more colors and illustrations, while Yu Bin also suggested more small family stories to inform relatives about his current life.

The daily family newspaper provided a platform for the family to bond more. Yu’s grandchild in Shanghai said he would learn about his cousin after reading a story about the cousin who sent cakes to their grandparents.

However, there was a time when Yu’s eyesight deteriorated, where he cannot wear eyeglasses and had to undergo cataract surgery. Yu’s family advised him to change the daily paper to weekly, but Yu was reluctant to do it.

“I don’t think seniors should give up learning. One is never too old to learn,” Yu said, adding that “I will continue improving the quality of the newspaper.”

“These are our family’s heirloom and intangible cultural relics,” he said.

(Wang Jingli)