Retired cabby spends 8 years cleaning Ang Mo Kio carpark for free: 'Seeing it clean makes me happy'退休出租车司机义务清洁宏茂桥停车场8年：“看到停车场干净我就开心”
After retiring as a taxi driver in 2015, 78-year-old Chen Jinhe (transliterated) has spent the past eight years voluntarily cleaning a carpark in Ang Mo Kio.Chen, who worked as a taxi driver for 35 years, told Lianhe Zaobao that he "used to be out and about all day" and could not sit still at home after retiring.A TikTok video shared...
After retiring as a taxi driver in 2015, 78-year-old Chen Jinhe (transliterated) has spent the past eight years voluntarily cleaning a carpark in Ang Mo Kio.
Chen, who worked as a taxi driver for 35 years, told Lianhe Zaobao that he "used to be out and about all day" and could not sit still at home after retiring.
A TikTok video shared by the Chinese newspaper on Sunday (Sept 6) shows Chen, dressed casually with a broom and dustpan in hand, going about his sweeping routine in a carpark near Block 533 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5.
He reportedly started by helping to clean a senior citizens' club on the ground floor of an HDB block but slowly expanded his efforts to the nearby open-air carpark.
He now reportedly spends more than two hours a day sweeping up the fallen leaves.
"As long as my health allows, I'll keep sweeping. I'll sweep until I can't walk anymore, until I have no strength left," he said.
He told the Chinese newspaper that he couldn't bear to see the parking lot covered in fallen leaves and picked up a broom, saying that even if he didn't sweep, no one would care.
With no boss or salary, Chen said this arrangement gives him the freedom to manage his own time, allowing him to sweep whenever he wants and is convenient for him to fetch his grandchildren.
'A great sense of satisfaction'
Chen buys and uses most of his own tools and takes cardboard boxes from various places to collect the fallen leaves. Sometimes, if residents discard old brooms that he finds are still usable, he'll pick them up and continue using them.
However, he's quite particular about his tools, saying: "The broom bristles can't be too long, so I have to trim them after purchase. The bristles also can't be too soft, otherwise they won't be easy to use."
"It gives me a great sense of satisfaction to see the ground clean and makes me very happy," he added.
He shared that when he was a taxi driver, he rarely exercised and had a belly, but since taking up his sweeping routine, he joked that "sweeping fallen leaves can even help with weight loss".
In 2021, Chen received a community award at the Long Service and Community Awards ceremony for his contributions to the community, according to Lianhe Zaobao.
He shared that his family had expressed concerns about his prolonged exposure to the sun, as his skin became increasingly tan, and warned him that long-term sun exposure might increase his risk of skin cancer.
However, he felt that sweeping allowed him to get both exercise and some sun.
"As long as my health allows, I will continue sweeping — until I can no longer walk or have any strength left," he added.
esther.lam@asiaone.com
78 岁的陈金和（音译）于 2015 年从出租车司机岗位退休后，在过去的八年里，他一直自愿在宏茂桥的一个停车场进行清洁工作。
当了35年出租车司机的陈先生告诉《联合早报》，他“以前整天在外奔波”，退休后在家坐不住。
周日（9月6日），一家中国报纸分享了一段TikTok视频，视频中，陈某身着便服，手持扫帚和簸箕，在宏茂桥5道第533座组屋附近的停车场进行日常清扫工作。
据报道，他最初是在组屋一楼的老年人俱乐部帮忙打扫卫生，但后来慢慢地将工作范围扩大到附近的露天停车场。
据报道，他现在每天要花两个多小时清扫落叶。
“只要身体允许，我就会一直扫地。我会一直扫地，直到我走不动路，直到我再也没有力气为止。”他说。
他告诉这家中国报纸，他不忍心看到停车场上满是落叶，于是拿起扫帚，说即使他不扫，也没人会在意。
陈先生表示，由于没有老板也没有工资，这种安排让他可以自由支配自己的时间，想什么时候扫地就什么时候扫，而且方便他去接孙子孙女。
“极大的满足感”
陈先生自己购买并使用大部分工具，他还从各地收集纸箱来收集落叶。有时，如果居民丢弃的旧扫帚他发现还能用，他也会捡起来继续使用。
不过，他对工具的要求很高，他说：“扫帚毛不能太长，所以我买回来后得修剪一下。刷毛也不能太软，否则不好用。”
“看到地面干净整洁，我感到非常满足，也感到非常高兴，”他补充道。
他分享说，他以前当出租车司机时很少锻炼，肚子上有赘肉，但自从开始扫地锻炼后，他开玩笑说“扫落叶甚至可以帮助减肥”。
据《联合早报》报道，2021年，陈先生因其对社区的贡献，在长期服务与社区奖颁奖典礼上获得了社区奖。
他表示，他的家人对他长时间暴露在阳光下表示担忧，因为他的皮肤变得越来越黑，并警告他长期暴露在阳光下可能会增加患皮肤癌的风险。
然而，他觉得扫地既能锻炼身体，又能晒晒太阳。
“只要我的身体允许，我就会继续扫地——直到我再也走不动路或再也没有力气为止，”他补充道。
esther.lam@asiaone.com