(Photo/cjn.cn)

How will spend your retirement? Some might idle around all day, but China’s greying generation proves that it is never too old to realize your dreams.

Sixty-eight-year-old Lyu Tiema, the eldest legal exam candidate in Beijing, passed the National Uniform Legal Professional Qualification Exam last year, and in April this year he officially enrolled as a trainee lawyer at a law firm in Beijing.

After his retirement in 2012, Lyu begun to read law books whiling taking care of his father. As his understanding of the abstract subject grew, Lyu grew more interested in law, which drove him to participate in the national qualification exam. During the past six years, Lyu has participated in six consecutive exams, and his hard work has finally paid off.

“The essence of my success is persistence. I believed I could achieve my goal as long as I stuck to it,” Lyu said.

Meanwhile, a group of senior models from central China’s Hubei province have also seen their age old dreams come true.

With an average age of 68, the male model team caught audiences’ eyes and won the first prize during their exchange trip to South Korea last November.

“Initially, I joined the model team just for fun after retirement, but now I regard it as a career,” said 73-year-old Shui Yunsheng, the eldest member of this team.

In addition to receiving an international prize, an old man from China won applause and respect from around the world. Xia Boyu, a 70-year-old double-amputee climber, scaled the world’s highest peak, Qomolangma, last May, becoming the first Chinese double-amputee climber to reach the summit of Qomolangma, touching the hearts of many.

Xia had lost both his legs in 1975 due to frostbite during his first attempt to reach the peak. He challenged the peak again in 2014, 2015, and 2016, but his dreams were shattered owing to an avalanche, earthquake, and bad weather, respectively.

“Reaching the summit of Qomolangma was always a dream and goal for me. I fought for it over the past decades. Despite several bad knocks, I never gave up. Perseverance has made my life colorful and meaningful,” Xia told Chinese media.

“The most important thing in the life is to live truly, regardless of pressure and prejudice from peers, and to pursue your dreams with courage,” said Xue Minxiu, an 81-year-old undergraduate at her commencement ceremony at Tianjin University.