生为自由 | Born to be free

https://v.qq.com/txp/iframe/player.html?vid=a0367zmw3l6&width=500&height=375&auto=0Hitting the open road, grabbing a saxophone and making a living on talent and wits is the start of many a novel. 

当我们谈论流浪艺人时，我们在谈论什么？

背着一把琴，公路无边无际......

不止是说说而已

But for a 47-year-old Chinese man from northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, neither rich nor famous, casting aside the mundanity of a regular job and home to embark on a journey promising adventure in an RV (recreational vehicle) is a dream that became a reality.

年近半旬的东北爷们儿 非福非贵 却把小说里的乌托邦 变成了每日践行的现实世界

他就是李波 全中国唯一一位开着房车吹萨克斯的流浪艺人

Li Bo is the only man in China to drive an RV while making a living playing the saxophone, experiencing joy and sorrow all the way along the journey.

让我们来感受一下他苦乐参半的一路追寻

Growing up in Harbin, where the snow season can last as long as half a year, Li was obsessed with cars as a youngster. In 2010, he saw an RV at an exhibition - and fell in love. 

出生在哈尔滨的李波 从小就特别爱车

在2010年的一场车展上 他第一次见到房车

就开始日思夜想 不能自拔

The vision of a life on the road occupied his thoughts from that day on. But his humble income meant it was not easy for him to buy a car, let alone an RV. His dream lingered, and the eventual moment of inspiration came while reading a joke in a magazine:

然而工薪阶层要买辆车都挺费劲 别说房车了

直到在杂志上读了一则小故事 让他茅塞顿开

“ 

“There was a Chinese grandma and an American grandma who met up with each other in heaven. The Chinese grandma had been saving money for her whole life, finally bought a house and lived in it for only three days. The American old lady, however, bought a house and lived in it for her whole life and it was only three days before she came here [the heaven] that she finally paid off the loan.”

中国老太太和美国老太太在天堂见了面

中国老太太说，我辛辛苦苦攒了一辈子钱，买大房子，住了3天就到这里来了

美国老太太说，我年轻的时候贷款买了大房子，住了60年，刚把贷款换完了3天我到这里来了

”

“The story did enlighten me quite a bit that you’ve got to learn to use the money from tomorrow,” said Li.

“你要学会花明天的钱。”

It was a big step for Li. He not only remortgaged his house, but also borrowed money from his friends - that’s how he was able to cover the down payment on an RV.

李波开始了大计划 他不但抵押了房子换来贷款

还问朋友借了钱 终于付了首付

就这样 李波把房车开回了家

“I can’t describe how much pleasure I had when I drove it home the first day,” recalled Li.

“那种高兴啊，愉悦啊，没法用语言形容。”

And soon after taking the wheel for the first time in 2010, Li moved on to bigger things - choosing to explore China away from the freezing cold weather.

至此 李波开始了他的流浪艺人之路

To reconcile his quest for adventure and freedom with the realities of his finances, Li played the saxophone to earn money as he traveled.  

You can live literally anywhere. Home is where you are. At the core, this is what Li’s lifestyle is truly about. “I’m not going back to where I was before.”

“我喜欢哪个城市就可以去哪个城市，哪个城市都有我的家，我要是待够了，随时可以去第二个城市住一住。回归以前的生活，我不愿意。”

Having traveled each and every highway, the RV has taken Li across all of China (except Lhasa). As he has always longed for warmer weather, he found his niche in southernmost China’s Hainan Province.

从小在冰天雪地的东北长大 李波一直向往着四季如春的地方

于是 他选择了海南作为临时落脚点 在三亚边走边唱

During the bittersweet days in the warmth, Li has also felt doubts. For all the liberty of unconstrained movement, financial freedom has proved more elusive. 

剥去自由的外衣 疲惫与压力也是诗意栖居里的现实

“Yesterday I had no business, two days ago I made 20 yuan and three days ago 40,” said Li. But looking back over the last six years, he still thinks it’s worth it. And the loan should be paid off in another three. “What’s a big deal for another three years?” he said.

“I’m not afraid of stress, and I always believe things will get better. The peak season in Sanya is coming soon during the Lunar Chinese New Year, and I’ll probably make money by then.”

“昨天没开张，前天赚了20，大前天40，有点压力了。但我不怕压力，我想慢慢会好的。马上到旺季了，过年的时候人多，到时候会有点收入吧。”

Regrets, Li’s had a few. The biggest is that his mom passed away before he had a chance to take her on the RV and enjoy a journey together. 

说到遗憾 李波最后悔的就是妈妈没坐过他的房车

“I can’t leave any more regrets,” said Li. His 90-year-old dad, who used to bring Li and his siblings for picnics on the banks of the Songhua River in their hometown, has enjoyed more excursions thanks to Li’s RV.

“It’s now my turn to take my dad out and have fun, like he did for us when we were young,” said Li.

为了不再留遗憾 他带着90岁的父亲到处玩儿 也算圆了老顽童的梦

“小的时候爸爸经常带我们玩，还在在松花江边野餐。现在该我带他玩儿了。”

Li is determined to drive his RV until he’s 70 – the age until which people in China are allowed to drive. “Even if my RV would be scrapped by then, I’ll leave it somewhere I like, take it as my home and stay in it as always,” said Li.

中国的驾照允许开到70岁 李波就打算开到那时候

“就算车报废了，我也要把它停在一个地儿，继续住在里面。”

No matter how bittersweet his experiences have been in recent years, he is determined to keep driving on the road of adventure. 

It’s the best decision he could have ever made.

无论一路有多艰辛 他选择继续前行

对李波来说 

最大的幸福 就是自由

边走边唱 浪迹天涯

Keep going. Don’t settle.