Ding Bingcai, 87-year-old grandfather was viral in social media in 2016. Father of 5 children and grandfather of 10 grandchildren before was just an ordinary farmer. However, with one magic touch from one of his grandchildren, Ding Guoliang, made him now touted as the “Coolest Grandfather in China”.
Ding Bingcai was born six years after the death of China’s first president, Sun Yat-sen, in 1931. That year was almost two decades before a communist Chairman Mao seized power in 1949.
Ding underwent his childhood in Songshuping. He lives in a countryside in the suburb of Shaowu, Fujian Province. While staying there, Ding’s daily life is to work as a farmer, growing rice and cutting bamboo to survive.
For decades living in this world must have made Ding through many lifetimes, from hard times to improve. By the end of his twenties, Ding had sensed how difficult life was. In those days there was a famine that devastated the Chinese countryside and was thought to have caused the death to 45 million people.
Fortunately, Ding can survive in these difficult times. He had to struggle to survive with not much food. He was always starving and there was not a penny in his pocket. He is very grateful that now things have improved.
After the famine was almost over, Ding then married his childhood friend Zhang Jiyu. A few years later he has five children: two daughters and three sons. Unfortunately, his wife passed away in 2014.
With all the difficult times that his grandfather had, Ding Guoliang or Jesse used to try to give a little happiness to Ding Bingcai. Jesse works as a professional photographer who regularly handles fashion shoots. He always uses the 20-year-old model, at one time he thought of making his grandfather as his model.
Three suits, a fedoras hat, and stylish sunglasses borrowed from his friend complimented the grandfather’s appearance. Background of shooting only in public places such as streets or cafes in Xiamen, Shanghai, and Fuzhou.
Amazingly, after the makeover process, the grandfather looks so cool and classy. Jesse said that not everyone is suited to wear a suit, but looks so good on his grandfather. Instead, he looks amazing with the new look.
Jesse himself presented this idea with the intention of carving a smile on the lips of his beloved grandfather. He remembered that his grandfather had always kept good food and fruits for Jesse. Therefore Jesse wanted to repay Ding’s kindness by making him feel more useful and elegant in his old age.
Jesse acknowledged that Ding was a kind person, even to someone he did not know yet. Once upon a time when Jesse and Ding were in a crowded elevator, his grandfather then tried to share what he had in his pocket on everyone in the elevator. Ding thinks everyone is his friend. It was as simple and truthful as Ding thought.
Despite his age, Ding never lingered. As discussed in a previous article that one’s happiness also affects the health condition of the person. Although Ding may not be undergoing extreme sports like everyone else does, he always tries to live happily and loves whatever he does. That is a healthy living trick that can be emulated from Ding Bingcai.
