STORY: From illiteracy to acclaimed author: inspiring life of 87-year-old Chinese grandma
SHOOTING TIME: March 5, 2024
DATELINE: March 8, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:02
LOCATION: HARBIN, China
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Jiang Shumei writing
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): JIANG SHUMEI, Author
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): ZHANG AILING, Daughter of Jiang Shumei
4. various of Jiang Shumei drawing
5. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): JIANG SHUMEI, Author

STORYLINE:

87-year-old Jiang Shumei was illiterate for much of her life. She only started learning to write Chinese characters at 60.

After more than a dozen years of hard work, Jiang published her first book at 76. 

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): JIANG SHUMEI, Writer
"I started learning to read and write at 60, and once I learned to write, I began writing my own stories, stories of my life experiences. By now, I have published six books."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): ZHANG AILING, Daughter of Jiang Shumei
"In 1996, my father passed away, and at that time, my mother was deeply saddened. I wanted to divert her attention, so considering she had never learned to read when she was young, I decided to teach her to read. After she learned to read, she could at least tell stories to the children. Later, I suggested she could write because she was good at storytelling. Gradually, she started writing, and her writings gradually were turned into books. In 2023, my mother and I collaborated on a book. I wrote about her life, and she illustrated her stories. The book is titled 'The Crazy Adventures of a Legendary Grandma,' a name she thought up herself, believing it would make it more interesting. My experience is that while I taught my mother how to write, what she taught me was about life."

In 2015, Jiang became a member of the China Writers Association. Beyond writing, she also took up painting and calligraphy, hoping that she could hold an exhibition of her paintings and calligraphy at the age of 90.

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): JIANG SHUMEI, Writer
"I'm not afraid of starting late; I'm afraid of a life too short. If I live to be 130, would my start still be considered late? I'm now learning to paint and practice calligraphy. In my lifetime, I want to have four 'important' roles: I am now a writer; I wish to become a painter, and a calligrapher, and I am already an elder."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Harbin, China.
(XHTV)