导读:18年，6500多个日夜轮换，即使国旗换了6面，旗杆换了15根，升旗、降旗的动作重复了13000多次，但鲜艳的国旗依然准时在田茂坤家的院坝里迎着朝阳升起。
For the past 18 years, a 68-year-old man from Fenggang County, southwestern China’s Guizhou province has demonstrated his love for China in a special way. He has raised a national flag every day for the last 6,500 days.
18年来，中国西南部贵州省凤冈县的一名68岁的男子以一种特殊的方式表达了对祖国的热爱。在过去的6500天，他每天都升国旗。
Each day at 7:30 a.m., the man, named Tian Maokun, plays the national anthem on his mobile phone and raises the national flag in his yard. This has been Tian’s daily routine for 18 years.
每天上午7:30，这位名叫田茂坤的男人就会用他的手机播放国歌，并且在院子里升国旗。这是田18年来的日常惯例。
Tian lost his job in the wake of organizational reforms, but he has received a pension from the local government ever since. His monthly income reached 1,930 yuan (289 dollars) in 2012, and the pension keeps rising every year. Thankful for the government’s support, Tian decided to raise the national flag to express his gratitude toward the country. Tian started his routine in 1998, and has kept at it since that time. Whenever Tian is away from home, his wife raises the flag for him.
供销社体制改革之后，田失去了他的工作，但是自那时起他就收到了地方政府的养老金。 2012年他的月收入达到1,930元（289美元），养老金每年不断上涨。为了感谢政府的帮助，田决定升国旗来表达对国家的感激之情。田于1998年开始他的惯例，自那时起就一直坚持。田不在家时，他的妻子就替他升旗。
Some of Tian’s fellow villagers doubted at first that he would carry on, but Tian’s dedication has changed all their minds. Some noted that the informal flag-raising ceremony is a good way to show respect for the improved quality of life in China’s rural areas.
田的一些同乡人起初怀疑他坚持不下去，但田的坚持改变了他们的想法。一些人指出，非正式的升旗仪式是表达对改善中国农村地区生活质量的尊重的好办法。
