照片上的这个小丑可不是马戏团里逗人开心的小丑，而是北京鼓楼①附近的一位“卖花小丑”。

他叫宋非凡，人称 “老宋”。其实老宋并不老，今年只有29岁。脱下小丑服，老宋是一个不起眼儿的小伙子，山东人，一米七几的个儿；而穿上小丑服，他却能立刻就引来无数的目光，成为人群中的焦点。走在大街上，人们都忍不住要看上他一眼，眼神里带着惊喜。人们喜欢这个小丑永远欢喜的笑脸，也对古老的鼓楼大街上这一抹亮色感到好奇。

对老宋来说，正是这一身小丑打扮②，使来北京打工③的他尝到了成功的喜悦。

老宋是1997年来北京的，最初在一家小饭店里给人打工，后来成了一名厨师，还曾经自己开过一家小饭馆儿。不过，爱美的老宋最想做的事情是开花店。

看着满大街卖花的小姑娘，老宋心想：自己这么大个子往那儿一站，拦住情侣卖花的话，花是肯定卖不出去的，没准儿还会闹出什么误会来。他琢磨来琢磨去，有了一个好主意，为什么不把自己装扮一下呢？这样既可以吸引人们注意，又方便卖花。于是，一个永远带着笑容的卖花小丑出现啦！

 

老宋还记得第一次当小丑的那个晚上，人们都冲着他笑，还有人跟他合影留念，花很快就卖完了。“那感觉，真是太好了！”老宋说。

有人问老宋，穿上小丑衣服送花有什么特别的感受吗？他说：“穿什么衣服会影响人的心情，虽然送花这活儿挺累的，可这衣服好像有魔力，我一穿上它，就高兴起来，我去给人们送花，大家一看到我就喜欢，都争着跟我打招呼。”

2006年初，老宋终于在旧鼓楼大街开了自己的“小丑花店”，他的名片上印着：北京01号卖花小丑。

如今，老宋每天都是这身小丑打扮，骑着电动自行车外出送花，有时甚至还要送到五环路以外，生意④很不错。见到他的时候，老宋又招到了一个卖花的助手，也是个高高大大的小伙子，穿起那身小丑衣服正合适，老宋把他叫做“02号小丑”。当被问到生意怎么样时，老宋带着美滋滋的笑容说：“还行，还行！”

想认识老宋吗？有空儿去鼓楼那儿走一走，很容易你就会发现他。

 

The clown in the picture is not one from a circus. Instead, he’s a florist making his livelihood on Drum Tower Street in Beijing.

Named Song Feifan (literally meaning “extraordinary”), the florist for some reason is called “Old Song”, a term not to be understood in its literal meaning. After all, he is only 29. Over 1.7 meters tall, Old Song is actually a lad from Shandong Province and looks rather ordinary in his daily clothes. When disguised as a clown, however, Old Song soon becomes the focus of attention in the street, attracting a large crowd around him. Passersby, surprised as well as delighted, can’t help casting a glance at him. They like the smile the clown wears and are curious about this new attraction around the Drum Tower.

As a matter of fact, it is the clown costume that has brought wonderful success to Old Song, a migrant seeking his fortune in Beijing.

Upon his arrival here in 1997, Old Song worked first as a waiter and then a chef in a little restaurant. Though he later ran a similar restaurant himself, what he desired most was a florist’s shop because he was so attracted to beauty.

More often than not, the flower sellers along the streets were teenage girls. He worried that if a man of his size stood in the way of a courting couple, the deal would end up depressing. Furthermore, it would be possible for his conduct to be misunderstood. The various thoughts thronging in his mind finally crystallized into a single idea: why not disguise himself as a clown? This image, drawing so much attention, would certainly promote his flower sales, he thought. Thus appeared this flower-selling clown with an ever-beaming smile lighting up his face.

In Old Song’s memory still lingers the evening when he first donned the clown disguise. Many exchanged smiles with him, some even asked for a photo with him. His flowers were soon sold out. “It felt fabulous!” he exclaimed.

When asked what was special for him as a florist about wearing the clown costume, Old Song said, “It has a great effect on my mood. It’s exhausting being a florist. I always tried to be cheerful; but when I put on the clown costume it seems to have some magic power; my customers usually take quite a shine to me and greet me with smiles as broad as mine.”

In early 2006, Old Song set up the Clown Florist’s, a shop of his own, on Drum Tower Street. Printed on his business card were: “No. One Clown Florist in Beijing”.

Nowadays, Old Song spends every day in his clown costume delivering flowers by electric bicycle. Sometimes, he has to ride beyond the 5th Ring Road. How busy he is! When we had the interview, the No. One Clown Florist had already employed a “No. Two” , a guy of the same height and age, whom the clown costume also fit beautifully. Asked how’s business, Old Song grinned with pleasure: “Quite good!”

Well, you might want to get to know the Clown Florist yourself. Take a stroll along Drum Tower Street and you’ll easily spot the guy.

 

① 鼓楼Gǔlóu: Drum Tower, the one in Beijing is located along the axis of the ancient city.

② 打扮dǎbɑn: clothes; costume.

③ 打工dǎɡōnɡ: work.

④ 生意shēnɡyi: business.