Age

1980 · réf. 223104 — Unknown.: No publication details. circa1980. A poster with the image of an old man Lao Lai Zi outlined with white characters on a black background text in simplified Chinese characters 77 x 52.5cm small 1cm closed tear right edge and lower left corner repaired. In good condition with clear and well defined characters making the text easy to read. Lao Lai Zi a symbol of aging and filial piety is here represented in what appears to be a white line drawing on a black background. On closer inspection however the lines are made up of poignant and occasionally amusing rhyming verses listing the indignities of old age imploring the young not to look down on the elderly. The original stele carved with a similar image titled “Lao Lai Nan” Growing Old is Hard is located at the Temple of the Medicine King in Beipo village in Shaanxi Province. It isn’t known exactly when the Beipo stele was carved but it is said to be related to a Mrs Li who lived in the temple and wanted it carved to teach her unfilial children a lesson. The use of simplified characters and catchy verse written in modern Chinese indicate that it is a 20th century artefact. The Beipo stele includes smaller carvings of eight old people using sticks along the vertical edges. This poster is a modern artistic stone rubbing interpretation of the main visual feature on the Beipo stele i.e. the central figure outlined in characters in a pose and design similar to the original. A well known educational Chinese folk illustration “Lao Lai Nan” is a moral lesson on respect for the elderly. 老来难， 老来难，劝人别把老人嫌， 当初嫌别人老，如今轮到我头前，千般苦， 万般难，听我从头说一番。耳聋难与人说话， 差七差八惹人嫌. … Getting old is hard it’s hard I urge you not to look down on the elderly. Earlier I despised others for being old but now that I’m facing it head on with a thousand kinds of troubles and difficulties listen to everything I say. Being hard of hearing makes it difficult to communicate if you miss this or that you annoy people… … …痛苦难言聆，明不明睡不着， 一夜小便七八遍，怕夜长， 怕风寒， 时常受风病来缠 年老肺虚常咳嗽， 一口一口吐粘痰，儿女们都恨咱说，我邋遢不像前，老的这样还不死，你还想活多少年… … … It’s hard to explain all the difficulties one can’t sleep and every night one gets up to urinate seven or eight times. I hate long nights cold breezes and I get sick from being in draughts. My lungs are weak and I cough and cough and cough up phlegm so my children dislike talking to me. They seem to think I’m unkempt and don’t look like my former self. So old and still not dead how much longer am I planning to live . No publication details. unknown