【推荐2】In an era (时代) when social media platforms are flooded with less than five-minute videos, a young vlogger walks against this to produce videos about 20 minutes long. The vlogger called 1900 (not his real name) has over 1.16 million followers on Bilibili, an online video platform. Among them, more than 400,000 new followers were attracted by his elaboration on (精讲) “the red classics collection (红色经典系列)” during the past five months.

When 1900 was a child, he was deeply impressed by the war scenes in the movie Decisive Engagement (《大决战》，1991), which is about China’s War of Liberation (1946-49). However, without rich knowledge of the history, he didn’t quite understand the movie.

Almost 20 years later, the 35-year-old realized that films and TV series simplify (简化) historical events or their significance. So he decided to make videos to elaborate on those revolution-themed (革命主题的) films and TV series, so that viewers, especially young people, can have a better understanding of Chinese history.

Since May, he has made 27 videos elaborating on The Great Transition (《大转折》), the Birth of New China and more. In these videos, he attempts to dig up behind-the-scenes stories of historical figures. He analyzes battles by showing battle maps to inform viewers of their intensity (激烈). He even analyzes poems to provide a deeper historical context.

These details require a lot of reading and research. To make the videos, 1900 has so far read about 30 books. He also interviewed history professors and teachers from Party schools. It is a tiring process, but “details make history lively and able to be felt for viewers,” 1900 said. “My slogan is ‘everything can be elaborated on’, which might seem like a challenging task to some. But I guess every person can find his or her friends with the same taste,” he said.

【推荐1】McMaster student Lianna Genovese, who invented a device called Guided Hands that allows people with limited hand movement to draw, write and paint, has been chosen as Canada’s national winner of the 2021 James Dyson Award.

Genovese was only 18 years old when she created the first version of the aided device in a course that introduces students to engineering design in the biomedical engineering fields. As part of the design projects for that first-year course, students worked with customers in the community. Genovese met Elissa, a woman living with dystopia. “Elissa mentioned that she had a hard time doing the buttons on her shirt, a hard time writing, but one thing that really stood out to me was that she had a really difficult time painting and that she was a talented painter,” Genovese said. “I wanted to help give her back her passion and improve her quality of life.”

Genovese said she saw a way that a device could assist. Her design was made on the principle of a 3D printer, with a person’s hand as the nozzle (喷嘴). The device’s unique sliding mechanical device guides hand movements in all directions when the user grasps a handpiece (手持件) tailored to their level of hand impairment (损伤). The handpiece can hold a variety of writing tools such as pens, pencils, paintbrushes, markers, etc. Genovese had a list of people testing the first few versions. Finally, she found one that worked. “Elissa loved it and she was able to paint again,” she said.

“Then I visited every single hospital, clinic, nursing home and retirement home in my city, and introduced it to over 150 patients and doctors,” Genovese said. One girl named Bella, who suffered cerebral palsy, tried the device out. “As soon as she began painting, the widest smile spread across her face. She turned to her mom and said, ‘Mom, I want one.’ At that moment, I realized this is an invention that can change the lives of so many people,” Genovese said.

【推荐2】When the COVID-19 pandemic forced the town in Manton, Michigan to shut down, Scott Chittle decided that the community needed a safe place to come together, and something to bring some joy during the boring winter months. And what is a better outdoor activity to get people outside in the cold than ice skating?

In order to make his dream a reality, Chittle searched the Internet for videos on how to build an ice rink (溜冰场). He ordered a large 3,000 square foot tarp (防水帆布) online and bought some wood to create the walls. It took 12 fire trucks from the local fire department to get enough water to fill the plot.

It took a little time as Chittle went door to door to convince people to come and see his creation, and soon Chittle’s backyard ice rink became a Manton hotspot. Parents joined in to help Chittle buy second-hand skates and hockey sticks for the neighborhood children. Soon enough, the children were skating and shooting.

“We kept seeing more things donated. It was fantastic because the whole community just came together. It was amazing how everybody worked together because of Scott.” says neighbor Audrey Hooker.

Skaters were welcome to come at any time. And each Saturday from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m., dozens of children and their parents gathered at the ice rink for skate parties. The children who had been confined to their homes for almost a year laughed and shouted with joy while skating around the rink. Parents gathered around feeling relief that their children had found a purpose again. It became a weekly event that neighbors could look forward to and it offered a place for people to see each other in a socially distanced way.

But the kindness didn’t stop with Chittle. When the community heard how much money he used to make this project happen, everyone helped. A fundraiser brought in about $1,300, and letters sent to Chittle’s home stuffed with cash brought in an additional $1,500, covering all of the costs with money to spare. Companies began sending supplies for next year’s ice rink including outdoor lights, a snow sweeping machine and shovels.

“This has been a community thing,” explains Chittle. “It’s not just me. I want to show the rest of the world what a little effort, the best intentions, and community can do not only for others but for the souls of all.”