80-year-old Miss Universe entrant inspires seniors to pursue dreams

An 80-year-old South Korean Miss Universe contestant has showed senior citizens a new way to pursue their dreams and embrace a colorful way of living in their later years, giving new hope and a new lease of life to the increasingly aging population.

In a groundbreaking move, the Miss Universe competition has shattered its age restrictions and focus on superficial beauty, opening the door for the unprecedented entrant, Choi Soon-hwa.

Beauty knows no age. That's the message at this year's Miss Universe competition, which features the event's oldest-ever competitor.

"After seeing that the Miss Universe competition has no age limit, I said I am participating in this. Then my son said, 'Mom, are you going that far? Okay, mom, go for it if you want.' So, I sent them photos yesterday, and then they said, 'Our mother is amazing, our grandmother is great.' So, I feel very happy," said Choi Soon-hwa.

Long criticized for being out of step with the times, Miss Universe organizers lifted many restrictions on age, marriage, and motherhood as of this year.

"Since many restrictions such as the age limit have been lifted, as of this year, more participants can enter the competition, and more standards for women's beauty now have been applied," said Kim Sung-shin, a Miss Universe contestant.

Promoter Yang Sun-mook, also CEO of DQ Communications, has been working with pageant organizers in South Korea to ensure the event represents the country's rapidly aging society.

"[South] Korea is having a very fashionable moment with old age. You see it in advertisements, on TV shows, fashion shows and even in international beauty competitions," Yang said.

As a mother and grandmother who is now pursuing her modeling career and who recently ran as a candidate for the National Assembly, Choi, with her action, has given a message to other seniors -- follow your dreams.

"With your talent, go to the place where you can find confidence, go outside home to anywhere as you like to participate in social activities, so that the senior society can be more active," Choi said.

80-year-old Miss Universe entrant inspires seniors to pursue dreams

The 2026 Qixi Festival Gala, produced by China Media Group (CMG), got underway at 20:00 Beijing Time on Wednesday, marking the annual celebration of one of China's oldest and most cherished traditional festivals.

The Qixi Festival, also referred to as the Chinese Valentine's Day, falls on the seventh day of the seventh month on the Chinese lunar calendar. It dates back more than 2,000 years and was inscribed on China's national intangible cultural heritage list in 2006.

The festival's enduring romantic association stems from the legends of the cowherd Niulang and the weaver girl Zhinyu, star-crossed lovers separated by the Milky Way who are permitted to meet only once a year when a flock of magpies forms a bridge across the heavens.

In ancient China, young women celebrate the festival by praying to Zhinyu for clever hands and domestic talents. Today, couples usually spend the day by exchanging gifts and many partners choose this auspicious date to register their marriages or hold collective traditional weddings.

This year's gala centered on the motif of a bridge, linking ancient myth with contemporary life.

A travelogue performance themed around the mythological bridge ran through the entire event, which featured songs, dances, traditional operas and ballet.

A highlight of the gala was a micro-film which explores shared Qixi customs between people from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.

Among the evening's touching highlights was a short film featuring the enduring romance of 88-year-old Chinese radar technology expert Ben De, recipient of China's 2026 State Preeminent Science and Technology Award, and his wife. The award is the nation's highest honor for scientific and technological achievement.

This year's gala centered on co-creation, featuring segments with real couples from across the country to jointly celebrate the millennia-old traditions through contemporary expressions of love.

CMG airs special TV gala to celebrate China's 2,000-year-old love festival