With its 24 exits, Nanjing’s Xinjiekou Metro Station is a complicated place. Easy for the younger generations perhaps, but not for the elderly and visitors to our city. Taking care of them is a 78-year-old volunteer.
Uncle Chen, as he is now affectionately known, has been volunteering at Xinjiekou Metro Station since 2012. Some days, he stations himself at entrances to the station, on the lookout for those in need of a little assistance, those with that lost look on their face.
Chen commented that when many people encounter Xinjiekou Metro Station, their first reaction is as to how complicated it appears, while it is also very crowded. It is obvious that some assistance should be on hand to help guide people the right way.
As such, Chen has prepared a simplified map of Xinjiekou station that clearly shows the locations of all the exits. On his patrols, he gives this little piece of paper to old people who are lost and have no smart phone.
But according to Chen, his service is not just for the elderly or tourists. Every once in while, his service can also be a lifesaver for the young, when their smartphone-enabled navigational systems take on a mind of their own. And for everyone else too; after all, everyone knows what it is like for their phone to run out of power and then not be able to pay for anything.
Reflecting on his years of service, Chen wishes there were more like-minded people, willing to participate in the service of those in need, reports The Paper.
Recently, Chen received a reward for all his years of effort, in one form at least. This year he has been given a “red armband”, that which is given to officially mandate those undertaking community work, as a way of differentiating them from Nanjing’s many fraudsters.
But Chen remains reticent, almost as if he feels undeserving of such recognition. He keeps the armband in his pocket, saying, “I wouldn’t dare wear it”.
However, with the armband comes responsibility. Aware that he has to live up to new expectations, Chen is feeling the pressure. “It’s a lot is stress”, he says. “People don’t believe me.”
