Huang Yongyu cherishes many things—pipes, dogs, cars, tea, lotus flowers, movies, cameras, antique furniture, Peking opera, mountain climbing... He loves keeping parrots, and his paintings are often completed amid rock music intertwined with birdsong and dog barks. His parrots greet him with "Boss, hello" and can even speak a few words of English;He collects pipes, amassing six or seven hundred pieces. He also keeps monkeys, owls, and sika deer. At age 76, on a whim, he bought a horse-drawn carriage from Germany and galloped along the roads of Huaihua in western Hunan. Doing what he loves keeps him cheerful and energized, benefiting both his mind and body.
When discussing his creative work, his response was somewhat unconventional: "I truly paint for fun. The same goes for writing—when I hit a particularly satisfying passage, I burst out laughing." No wonder he's still known as the "Old Mischief-Maker," with a style that defies convention—unconstrained, unorthodox, always finding ways to extract joy from life.Huang Yongyu is energetic and seizes every opportunity to exercise and strengthen his physique. Once, a TV crew followed him to Fenghuang, Hunan, to film a documentary titled The Genius Huang Yongyu. He invited the young crew members to see how the locals celebrated the New Year in the ancient town.Amid the vibrant New Year atmosphere, the sound of gongs and drums for the dragon dance filled the air. Huang Yongyu tucked his pipe into his pocket, declared, "I'll dance it," and shot forward. He took the dragon head from the dancer and began to dance. The dragon head was heavy, requiring the coordinated effort of over a dozen people to move it. Without considerable physical strength, it was absolutely impossible to handle.
Huang Yongyu loves mountain climbing. His hometown is in Fenghuang County, Hunan, home to Fenghuang Mountain—not very high but extremely rugged. Though now in his eighties, he still insists on returning home several times a year to climb it.Regarding mountain climbing, Huang has his own wisdom: "Take steady steps, regulate your breathing—inhale deeply and exhale slowly. Save your gasping for after reaching the summit. Avoid resting midway; push through with one burst of energy. Along the way, don't forget to admire the scenery; it helps ease fatigue. Regular climbing keeps your back straight and legs agile—the benefits are numerous.Upon reaching the summit, you'll feel a sense of accomplishment and your mood will lift."
Huang Yongyu's exercise routine differs from other seniors; he enjoys punching a sandbag. He has hung a sandbag weighing over ten pounds behind his house and punches it several times daily. With a strong boxing foundation, his punches are swift and powerful, and he demonstrates his technique to teach younger people boxing.
Huang Yongyu's outlook on life is straightforward: First, get back up immediately after falling—you can even admire the dent you made upon impact. Second, treat everything with compassion. Third, cling tightly to your craft without letting go. "I feel like I'm a worker ant painting and writing all day long. Doing what I love is joy in itself."