Heroes come from the people：Book-loving Millennial with Visual Impairments Shares: “Reading Can’t Change Life Itself, but It does Change Your Attitude”
80后盲人读者高博：“读书不能改变生活，但是能够改变态度”
极目新闻记者 徐颖
Jimu News Reporter: Xu Ying
通讯员 竺佳怡 翁利鹏
Correspondent: Zhu Jiayi, Weng Lipeng
摄影记者 肖颢
Photo: Xiao Hao (Jimu News)
翻译：许洲，冯思怡，卫拉（湖北大学）
Translators: Xu Zhou, Feng Siyi, Lisa M. K (Hubei University)
4月份即将迎来世界读书日。在广大的读者群体中，有一个特别的群体是盲人。盲人是怎样阅读的？盲文图书是什么样子的？盲人读者在阅读中收获了什么？
World Book Day is just around the corner this April. Among the broad readership, exists a unique group - the visually impaired. How do they read? What do braille books like? What do readers with vision loss gain from their reading experiences?
4月8日，在武汉硚口区一住宅楼，极目新闻记者进入了37岁盲人青年高博的阅读世界。
On April 8th, in a residential building in Qiaokou District, Wuhan, our team explored the literary world of the 37-year-old visually impaired book lover Gao Bo.
高博在摸读从湖北省图书馆借来的盲文图书 Gao Bo reads braille books borrowed from Hubei Provincial Library
与音乐和书籍为伴，他的房间里装着的是“精神世界”
Surrounded by Music and Books: His Room is a “Haven for the Soul”
高博与父母亲一起，居住在一处几十平方米的LOFT房子里。一楼摆放的是沙发和电视，曾经中过风的父亲，平常喜欢在这里看看电视。
Gao Bo lives with his parents in a modest house spanning just a few dozen square meters.The first floor was furnished with a sofa and television—a place his father, who previously suffered a stroke, enjoys spending time watching TV.
上二楼的楼梯，两旁都加装了扶手，方便高博和父亲上楼。楼上两间房，一间是父母亲的，一间是高博的。在高博的房间里，有一张窄窄的单人床、一个简易的床头吊柜，与这简易形成对比的是成套的架子鼓和音响设备，占据了四分之一的空间。床边还有两本厚厚的盲文书——余秋雨先生的《泥步修行》，这是高博近期正在“阅读”的书。
The staircase leading to the second floor is equipped with handrails on both sides to assist Gao Bo and his father. Upstairs are two bedrooms: one for his parents and another for Gao Bo. In his room, a narrow single bed and simple overhead bedside cabinet are a sharp contrast to the complete drum set and audio equipment occupying a quarter of the room. Beside the bed lie two thick braille books - Cultivation on Muddy Paths by Yu Qiuyu - which Gao Bo is currently “reading.”
从小学习盲文，练就了一双“识字”的手 Learning braille from a young age develops his “reading” hands
说是“阅读”，其实是“摸读”。当五指划过书页，盲文的凸凹点，便激活了脑中的记忆，高博时而大声、时而小声地读出书中的内容来，“什么是修行？下定义是容易的，但做起来很难呐，难就难在很多人一上来就走偏了……修行的关键不在于吸取，而在于排除……”
It’s called “reading,” but for Gao, it’s actually “reading by touch.” As his fingers glide across the pages, the raised dots of braille awaken memories and understanding in his mind. Gao Bo reads aloud in varying tone -- sometimes loud, sometimes soft: “What is self-cultivation? It's easy to define, but hard to practice. The real challenge is that many lose their way from the very beginning. The key lies not in acquisition, but in letting go ...”
盲文书《泥步修行》上印有中国盲文出版社、国家彩票公益金资助的字样，侧面还贴有图书馆的借阅码。高博告诉极目新闻记者，“这还是上次湖北省图书馆的工作人员，给我快递送书到家的咧。”
The braille edition of Cultivation on Muddy Paths bears imprints indicating publication by China Braille Press and funding from the National Lottery Public Welfare Fund. A library barcode is affixed to its spine, marking it as part of the library's collection. Gao told the reporter, “This book was delivered to my home by express delivery from staff at Hubei Provincial Library.”
一般情况下，每次借书，高博的父亲会开车送他和妈妈一起去园博园坐地铁7号线，到了湖北省图书馆，一进门右手边就是盲文馆，回来的时候，他通常会借两套书，三个月到期之后，再去“换书”，有时候湖北省图书馆工作人员也会给他寄书到家。
On most library visits, Gao Bo’s father would drive him and his mother to Yuanboyuan Station where they could take Metro Line 7 to reach Hubei Provincial Library. The braille library is located just inside the entrance, to the right. Gao Bo typically borrows two sets of books for a three-month loan period, returning later to exchange them. Occasionally, the library staff would mail requested books directly to his home.
读到有意思的内容，他会与身边人交流，时而开个玩笑 Gao Bo shares interesting reads with a laugh
他时不时爱开个小玩笑，时而又展示出思辨的理性
He enjoys cracking witty jokes, while also demonstrating sharp intellectual depth
“世界读书日即将到来，我是盲人读书爱好者高博，现在跟广大读者朋友们分享一下我最近阅读的好书。”采访过程中，高博时不时俏皮一下，或“变声”为主持人，用浓浓的播音腔回答记者的提问，或是粤语腔，或是湖北各地方言，来个小玩笑。在谈到最近读到的好书时，除了余秋雨的《泥步修行》，他还向记者推荐了蔡崇达的《皮囊》。
“With World Book Day around the corner, I'm Gao Bo a blind reading enthusiast. It’s my honor to recommend some noteworthy books I’ve been reading to all book lovers,” he announced during the interview, dramatically slipping into the tone of a radio host. Throughout the conversation, Gao Bo jokingly took on new personas -- sometimes adopting a formal broadcaster’s voice, other times mimicking Cantonese or various Hubei dialects to deliver a quick joke. When discussing his recent reads, in addition to Yu Qiuyu’s Cultivation in the Mud, he also recommended Skin by Cai Chongda.
高博从手机里寻找伴奏 Gao Bo searches for a backing track on his phone
“这本书中描述的就是生活的本质。蔡崇达写到了他的家人、朋友，书里讲家庭观念，讲生离死别，讲得很直接，读来很戳心。”高博说，“蔡崇达写的母亲的倔强，父亲的辛劳付出导致中风，都戳到了我。因为我爸爸也中风过。”时隔十多年，高博仍然记得得知父亲中风的日期，“2008年9月9日，我妈妈突然回家来收拾衣物，被我发现了，妈妈说爸爸情况有点特别，我到了医院，知道具体情况后，无法抑制情绪，浑身发抖。”“书里，蔡崇达写到了母亲的坚韧，也不由得让我联想到了自己的母亲。这么多年如一日，她耐心地照顾家庭，照顾我和父亲。我真的能够深切感受到，天下的妈妈都是一样的伟大。”“书中还写到了他的大学室友厚朴，不会唱歌却偏要唱歌，他这种执着，别人或许不能理解，但同为音乐狂热者的我，很理解他。”
“This book depicts the essence of life,” said Gao Bo.“Cai Chongda writes about his family and friends—exploring familial bonds, death and loss with raw honesty. It really hits home.” “When Cai describes his mother’s stubbornness and his father’s stroke after years of backbreaking work, it touched something deep in me -- because my own father had a stroke too.”Over a decade later, the memory is still fresh in my mind, "On September 9, 2008, my mother suddenly came home and started packing clothes. I noticed and pressed her for answers until she finally said something was wrong with my dad. When I got to the hospital and learned the severity of his condition, I lost it and broke down—I was trembling uncontrollably. “The book’s portrayal of maternal resilience mirrors my own mother—how she tirelessly cared for my father and me, day after day. It testifies to the extraordinary strength all mothers share.” “Another passage about Cai Chongda's college roommate Hou Pu struck me deeply. Though completely tone-deaf, he insisted on singing. Some might dismiss it as absurd, but as a fellow music enthusiast, I completely understand his unwavering passion.”
“读书能给你的生活带来什么样的改变？”
When asked, “How has reading impacted your life?”, Gao Bo responded thoughtfully:
“读书不能改变生活，但是能够改变态度。”高博回答记者说，“我从阅读中感悟到别人的人生，也给我自己的生活带来了不同的震撼体验。从读书中，我更明白了多维度思考的重要性，变得更能容人了。”
“Reading can’t change life itself, but it can change my attitude towards life,” Gao Bo replied. “Through books, I gain insights into the moving and impactful life stories of others. Reading has taught me to embrace the different sides to any situation and made me more open-minded and patient.”
打架子鼓是最嗨的时候 Nothing beats the adrenaline rush from playing the drums
摸读书籍也有“卡壳”的时候，来点音乐更嗨
When Reading Fails, Music is My Pick Me Up
记者看到，小红书上也不乏盲人读者分享读书的视频，有读者总结了盲人读书的几种方式：摸读纸质书，听书，以及一部分视障者可以通过放大器的辅助来看书。
The reporter noted that on Chinese social media platform, RedNote, many visually impaired users share videos about their reading experiences. Some summarize approaches like tactile reading of braille books, listening to audiobooks, and using magnifiers -- an option for partially sighted readers.
高博因为出生时颅内出血导致视神经萎缩，那时候还有一些光感，因为2017年、2018年在网上做直播，太过劳累，加剧了视力损伤，现在完全看不见了。他用不了放大器，只能听书或者摸读。
Gao Bo was born with optic nerve atrophy due to intracranial hemorrhage, retaining minimal light perception. However, excessive fatigue from livestreaming in 2017 and 2018 further damaged his eyesight, leaving him fully blind. Unable to use magnifiers, he now relies solely on audiobooks and braille.
高博说，相比听书，他还是喜欢摸读纸质书。“因为听书，不容易专注。摸读，边读边思考，读得更深入。”摸读书籍，也有苦恼的时候。高博说，《泥步修行》中也有“摸不懂”的地方，“盲文摸读的是拼音，而不是具体的字，所以书中较深的内容，比如讲到与佛教、经文有关的内容时，我就举棋不定，卡壳了。”
“I prefer tactile reading to audiobooks,” Gao Bo explained. “Listening distracts me, but with braille, I can pause, reflect, and engage deeply with the content.” Yet challenges arise. He mentioned struggling with sections of Cultivation on Muddy Paths: “Braille uses phonetic symbols, not specific characters. When the book delves into Buddhism or scriptures, I often feel lost and overwhelmed.”
他对自己收藏的音乐碟烂熟于心，用手弹弹碟片的声音就能分辨是哪张碟 He knows every music disc in his collection by heart, identifying each one by the sound it makes when tapped.
遇到这种时候，他会放下来，等有机会了再请教朋友，好在他还有另一个“灵魂伴侣”——音乐。
When he gets stumped by a challenging passage, he sets it aside and reaches out to friends for further help. Lucky for him, he can always count on a faithful companion - music.
“昨天湖北省图书馆的工作人员给我打了两次电话，邀请我参加光明阅读活动，我答应了去做表演嘉宾，打架子鼓。”讲到这里，高博忍不住要在房间里来一段solo表演了。表演开始前，他先从手机上导出QQ音乐，然后将手机与音箱连接，反复调试架子鼓，待到一切设备完美衔接，房间内回荡起激昂的鼓点和音乐声，高博的身体跟着节奏律动。这时，他不再是盲人了。
“Yesterday, the Hubei Provincial Library called me twice,” Gao Bo said with a grin, “ They invited me to perform the drums at their ‘Enlightened Reading’ event. I said yes -- I will be playing the drums!” At he spoke, he could not pass on the chance for an impromptu solo right there in his room. He pulled up his music app, QQ Music, on his phone, exporting his playlist and connecting it to the speaker, before he carefully adjusted the drum kit. Once everything was perfectly in sync, the room filled with the energetic beats of the drums and the accompanying music, and Gao Bo’s body swayed rhythmically to the tempo. In that moment, he was a musician -- free, focused, and fully in his element.