Chen Yuzhou left Changsha train station with mixed feelings last month. The 21-year-old film and television drama literature major at Southwest University had just finished shooting a documentary about homeless people who live at the station during Spring Festival. His intention was to help them by raising awareness for their situation, but it became an important life lesson for Chen.
上个月，陈宇舟百感交集地离开了长沙火车站。这位21岁的西南大学戏剧影视文学专业学生刚刚完成了一部纪录片的拍摄，该片讲述了春节期间住在火车站的的流浪者群体的生活。他希望通过电影唤起外界对他们的关注，却意外地为自己的人生上了重要的一课。
Helping hand
伸出援手
Chen has always shown concern for vulnerable groups. During last year’s Spring Festival, the group of homeless people at Changsha train station caught his eyes. Although they had big bags, they weren’t in a hurry to catch a train and go home happily. “It seemed like these 40- and 50-year-olds were living in the station,” says Chen.
陈宇舟一直都很关注弱势群体。去年春节期间，住在长沙火车站的流浪人群引起了他的注意。尽管背着沉重的行李，他们却并不急着赶火车开心回家。他说：“似乎这些四五十岁的人们就住在火车站里。”
He immediately felt pity for them. After chatting with them, Chen decided to make a documentary about them to let more people know of their situation and help them.
看到此景，他立刻心生怜悯。交谈后，他决定拍摄一部有关他们的纪录片，让更多的人去了解他们的处境，并伸出援手。
“I felt it was my responsibility to help them through what I’m good at,” says Chen. According to him, helping others and raising awareness of such issues has become a trend in universities across the country. “Students are increasingly using their knowledge and skills to help people in need,” he says.
“我认为自己有责任通过发挥所长来帮助他们”，陈宇舟说。他认为，在全国各大高校中，帮助他人、呼吁人们关注此类社会热点已成为一种趋势。他表示：“学生们正逐渐利用知识和技能帮助有需要的人。”
Chen used his video camera to capture the homeless people’s struggle. The touching story won him the Best Documentary award at the 20th Beijing Student Film Festival in May.
陈宇舟用镜头捕捉到了这些流浪者的挣扎。去年五月，这部感人的电影获得了第20届北京大学生电影节最佳纪录片奖。
Hard reality
残酷的现实
The success of Chen’s movie has turned the public’s attention to homeless people. But it also sparked controversy, especially after the documentary was put online, with some viewers criticized their craftiness.
电影的成功让这群流浪者得到了关注。但争议也随之而来，尤其是在这部纪录片被上传到网上之后，一些观众指责这些人偷奸耍滑。
As Chen discovered while shooting the documentary, some of the homeless people tried to exploit his team. “They thought we were journalists, so they took us along when they went to the relief station. They thought with us around, they would get more support,” says Chen.
在拍摄记录片时，陈宇舟发现一些流浪者试图利用他的团队。陈宇舟说：“他们以为我们是记者，所以去救济站时让我们同行。他们认为有我们在，他们会得到更多帮助。”
As shown in the documentary, one of the homeless people received a free train ticket from the relief station but then got a refund for it at the ticket office. This behavior shocked Chen.
在纪录片中，一位流浪者从救济站获得一张免费车票，但却去售票处退票来换取现金。这一举动令陈宇舟感到震惊。
“I worried about it a lot and that’s why I waited so long before putting it online,” he says.
他说：“这个场景令我十分担心，这就是为何我等了这么久才把纪录片放到网上。”
Chen realized that the documentary should reflect the reality of the homeless people’s lives, even if the truth is sometimes hard to accept.
陈宇舟意识到，这部纪录片应该反映流浪者的真实生活，尽管事实有时令人难以接受。
“No matter what, I must present the truth and let the audience decide what to think of it,” says Chen.
“不管怎样，我必须呈现事实，观众自有评判”，他说。