Web users help dying man 'see the world'
By Dong Zhen |
May 14, 2012, Monday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
THOUSANDS of Internet users responded enthusiastically to a campaign to "take my grandpa to see the world," proposed by a Beijing woman last Friday evening.
The woman asked people to help her seriously ill grandfather tour the world vicariously before reaching life's end.
The woman, who uses the Weibo nickname of "Buddy," in real life is 29-year-old Beijing native Ling Yifan, a professional cartoon illustrator. She said the family was deeply touched by the response from those who read about it on the Internet.
Ling drew a picture of her grandfather wearing a slight smile and uploaded it to Weibo. She wrote a note encouraging people to take a picture of the portrait in different places so that, in a way, he would get to see more of the world.
She said her grandfather is now restricted to his sickbed and doctors have concluded he may have little time left.
Ling hoped people would help him fulfil his wish to travel.
The 86-year-old engineer has been diagnosed with lymphoma. He has never been abroad but always has expressed an interest in seeing more of the world, according to his granddaughter.
In less than two days, the post has been forwarded more than 80,000 times on Weibo, with web users from across the country and overseas responding to her request and also gathering to pray for her grandpa.
Ling said as of yesterday they had helped her grandfather complete virtual trips to about 20 countries.
People uploaded their photos with a print copy of her grandfather's portrait or showing it on the screens of their smart phones or tablet computers. Many used photo editing software to place grandpa at scenic spots.
The old man has been helped to "visit" Buddhist temples in Thailand, "attend" a live NBA game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and even "set foot" on the South Pole. A pilot also "took" him into the cockpit of a Boeing 737 jet.
The granddaughter also expressed gratitude to a friend who "took" the Shanghai-born senior back to his hometown by combining the portrait with iconic scenes of Shanghai.
The illustrator's cousin also said on Weibo that she had told their grandfather about the campaign and showed him some of the photos when she visited him in hospital in Beijing on Saturday. She said the senior laughed happily like a baby and said, "Now I have become a world celebrity."
The campaign motivated some to urge people to spend more time with their parents and grandparents.
The woman asked people to help her seriously ill grandfather tour the world vicariously before reaching life's end.
The woman, who uses the Weibo nickname of "Buddy," in real life is 29-year-old Beijing native Ling Yifan, a professional cartoon illustrator. She said the family was deeply touched by the response from those who read about it on the Internet.
Ling drew a picture of her grandfather wearing a slight smile and uploaded it to Weibo. She wrote a note encouraging people to take a picture of the portrait in different places so that, in a way, he would get to see more of the world.
She said her grandfather is now restricted to his sickbed and doctors have concluded he may have little time left.
Ling hoped people would help him fulfil his wish to travel.
The 86-year-old engineer has been diagnosed with lymphoma. He has never been abroad but always has expressed an interest in seeing more of the world, according to his granddaughter.
In less than two days, the post has been forwarded more than 80,000 times on Weibo, with web users from across the country and overseas responding to her request and also gathering to pray for her grandpa.
Ling said as of yesterday they had helped her grandfather complete virtual trips to about 20 countries.
People uploaded their photos with a print copy of her grandfather's portrait or showing it on the screens of their smart phones or tablet computers. Many used photo editing software to place grandpa at scenic spots.
The old man has been helped to "visit" Buddhist temples in Thailand, "attend" a live NBA game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and even "set foot" on the South Pole. A pilot also "took" him into the cockpit of a Boeing 737 jet.
The granddaughter also expressed gratitude to a friend who "took" the Shanghai-born senior back to his hometown by combining the portrait with iconic scenes of Shanghai.
The illustrator's cousin also said on Weibo that she had told their grandfather about the campaign and showed him some of the photos when she visited him in hospital in Beijing on Saturday. She said the senior laughed happily like a baby and said, "Now I have become a world celebrity."
The campaign motivated some to urge people to spend more time with their parents and grandparents.
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