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
New consumption scenarios have been seen playing a role in injecting vigor and vitality into the Chinese economy while meeting the people's diverse demands so far in the week-long National Day holiday which started on Tuesday. Around 24,000 events featuring cultural and tourism consumption are being unfolded across China in the holiday, in carrying forward traditional culture with new ideas and technologies.
Xi'an City in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, renowned for its abundance of historic sites, is enticing tourists by enabling them to taste cuisines from ancient recipes, wear customized costumes and visit old buildings dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.) with VR glasses.
In Changde City of central China's Hunan Province, traditional operas and music plays have been staged on the bank of the Yuanjiang River, wowing tourists taking the boat down the watercourse.
With new high-speed railways facilitating transport to eastern Guangdong, Shanwei City has attracted flocks of tourists with its island and sea views. "We can try wearing head-pinned flowers, integrating coastal culture with China's traditional dresses. I think it is a new fashion among us young people," said Li En, a tourist. As the government-offered subsidy of 60 billion yuan (around 8.51 million U.S. dollars) for trade-in consumption is being distributed across China, over 1.04 million consumers bought over 1.54 million sets of the eight designated kinds of home appliances in the first three days of the holiday, with the sales reaching 7.357 billion yuan (around 1.04 billion U.S. dollars), according to the latest data from the Ministry of Commerce.
The eight kinds of home appliances consist of refrigerators, washing machines, television sets, air conditioners, computers, water heaters, cooking utensils, and range hoods.
Mega-cities like Beijing and Shanghai have opened a new batch of commercial complexes for consumers. In Beijing, an old railway station with a history of over half a century has been converted into a fair selling China chic products. The 60 major commercial circles in Beijing registered nearly 27 million tourist visits in the three days, up 20.9 percent year on year. In Shanghai, new fashion stores and art spaces have opened, enabling people nearby to enjoy a quality life.
New consumption scenarios boost economy in China's National Day holiday
