People's District

Wednesday, June 29th, 2011

Qin Xi Lin is deaf. While he speaks sign language, he prefers to communicate using a pencil and paper to write out questions and answers in English. The below story comes from 11 pages of questions and answers over an hour and a half of sitting with Qin Xi Lin at Art Enables, an arts-based training and employment placement program for persons with developmental disabilities.

“I am Qin Xi Lin. Thank you for your interest in me. I am an artist from Shanghai, China, and have been doing painting and drawing since 1965. When I started learning art at 16, I did still life with water colors. From there, I started doing sculpture with clay. In China, I worked in art and spent 31 years at a bedding sheet factory. There, I designed flower prints.

“On June 15, 1996, I was invited to come to the United States with the National Theater of the Deaf. I became deaf as a small child because of a fever. In China, we have many deaf people, so life was not so difficult. I met a woman who could speak, but learned sign language. We lived together and had two daughters.

“After my invitation to come here, I stayed in America and made a life here as an artist. It was very difficult as I was all by myself and there was no factory work for me here. I took a job at a restaurant as a cook and did art work with the Community for Creative Non-Violence. My art was put in galleries in Bethesda and Rockville. While I was at CCNV, something happened and I lost all of my art work. I still do not know if it was stolen or was lost. Now, I am working with Art Enables to make more art and put more things in galleries.

“I like America, but living here is hard. I have to do everything myself because I have no family or friends here. I save all of my money, so that I can bring my family here from China. I own a house on the green line that waits for them. Until they come here, I am renting it and living in a shelter, so that we can have money for my daughters to go to school. For 15 years, I can only see their photos and read their letters. I am happy to bring them here soon and for us to be together again.”

Qin Xi was Art Enables’ first resident artist. His work can be viewed here.

People’s District will be taking a short break until July 18th. Until then, we share with you some of our favorite stories from the past year.