Grandpa Lee Chuan-pin, who for six decades hawked his wares along the streets of Chiayi City, rattling his rattle drum and pushing his vending cart as he went, died of colorectal cancer on Nov. 13 at the age of 89. On hearing the news, many Internet users left messages expressing their sorrow, as well as their worry that the traditional culture前 that Grandpa Lee developed in his youth might be lost.
Lee Chao-chi, head of the Cultural Heritage Section of Chiayi City’s Cultural Affairs Bureau, says that a portrayal of Grandpa Li’s life has left a precious legacy of folk culture. A few years ago, Taiwan’s Public Television Service made a video recording about him, which could be called a treasure of Chiayi’s cultural heritage. As people’s lifestyles change, with convenience stores and hypermarkets all over the place, old-fashioned scenes of vendors like Grandpa Lee roaming the streets and hawking daily necessities are gradually fading into the past.
Grandpa Lee’s daughter-in-law Cheng Shu-hsien says he had a decent and down-to-earth character. Starting when he was a young lad of 12 years old, he pushed his vendor’s cart along the streets and lanes, hawking his wares as he went. Over six decades, he advanced to the status of grandpa, “relying on this cart to raise a family of seven.” Despite its small size, the cart carried a wide range of goods, be it cosmetics or items like elastic, needles, thread and safety pins that are daily necessities for elderly women but hard to find in convenience stores.
Photo: Ting Wei-chieh, Liberty TimeS
照片：自由時報記者丁偉杰
One night a dozen or so years ago when visibility was poor, Lee’s vending cart was knocked over as he was on his way home, and Lee was injured. One of his regular customers was concerned for him and attached some CDs to his vending cart to reflect light and warn drivers at night. One time, an antique dealer offered a high price to buy the vending cart, but Lee turned the offer down straight away, insisting that, as an elderly person, he could earn something from his work, even if it was not much. He could do a little trading and get some exercise at the same time, he said, not to mention chatting with his regular customers.
(Liberty Times, translated by Julian Clegg)
Photo: Ting Wei-chieh, Liberty TimeS
照片：自由時報記者丁偉杰
手搖著搖鼓，拖拉著「雜細仔車」在嘉義市沿街叫賣逾一甲子的李(上林下金)濱阿公，十一月十三日因大腸癌過世，享壽八十九歲。網友得知訊息，紛紛留言表達不捨，惋惜李阿公用青春打造的傳統文化恐成絕響。
嘉義市文化局文資科長林朝基說，李阿公的人生寫照留下珍貴的民間文化，幾年前公共電視台曾為他製作影像紀錄，堪稱「嘉義文資的寶」，隨著人們生活方式改變，便利商店、大賣場林立，類似李阿公沿街叫賣日常生活雜貨的古早味場景，逐漸走入歷史。
李阿公的媳婦鄭淑賢說，公公個性古意樸實，從二十多歲的年輕小夥子時，就推著雜細仔車在大街小巷叫賣，一甲子下來，晉級成阿公，「靠這台，伊養活一家七口」；雜細仔車「麻雀雖小，五臟俱全」，像是化妝品或是便利商店不易找到的鬆緊帶跟針線別針等阿嬤級日用品，車裡一應俱全。
十幾年前，有一次因夜間視線不良，李阿公拖雜細仔車返家途中被撞翻車，人也受傷，老顧客相當不捨，幫雜細仔車掛上光碟片，具夜間反光警示作用。曾有古物商出高價購買雜細仔車，被他一口回絕，堅持「老人工，加減賺」，做生意兼運動，還能與老顧客聊聊天。
（自由時報記者丁偉杰）
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