An elderly woman who has chosen a life of backpacking in her retirement has won millions of fans on Chinese social media. The 73-year-old retired teacher Ms Qi says she opted for travelling over offering live-in care to her children and grandchildren.
The short online video has arisen a hot online discussion about the traditional idea that China's elderly should move in with their children and spend the rest of their lives taking care of grandchildren. “Why do elderly Chinese people have to do housework and look after their children and grandchildren?” she tells Pear Video. “We should have our own lives.”
Ms Qi says in the video that she has been travelling all her life, visiting countries in Europe, North America and Asia. Pear Video followed her as she started her latest trip to Quanzhou in China's southeast Fujian Province. She stays in a dormitory in the video, and says she saves money by travelling with students and sharing journey costs. She says that meeting young people is one of the most important things about her travels. "I like talking with them and they have lots of fresh things to say," she says.
Her mother is still alive, and Ms Qi says she video-calls the 92-year-old daily to let her know how she is, and frequently posts pictures on social media for her children and grandchildren. “I have a public account,” she says, “And I've had it for about five months. I write everything: my memories, my inspirations—a diary of memories for my children and grandchildren.” The three-minute video featuring Ms Qi has been viewed more than 11 million times on video website Miaopai.
本时文内容由奇速英语国际教育研究院原创编写,未经书面授权,禁止复制和任何商业用途,版权所有,侵权必究!(投稿及合作联系:微信:13350077298 QQ:757722345)