Ballet dancing, surfing the Internet, traveling or even studying for a degree are not exclusively for the young, as more and more elderly people in China adopt new pastimes.

Like most women her age, 50-year-old Shi Hang is not slim. But to the admiration of her friends and colleagues, she is attending ballet classes twice a week.

"I've always longed to be a ballet dancer, but never had the chance to receive any formal training when I was younger," said Shi, a resident in Hangzhou, provincial capital of Zhejiang, a rich province on China's east coast.

Shi has worked so hard at the local ballet school that her toesache badly and she sometimes has trouble walking at the end of a training session.

But she declares she will never give up. "Ballet dancing helps you be graceful and keep fit," she said.

The past four years of practice have not just improved her dancing skills, but her English as well, thanks to the British edition of a textbook each student has.

Contrary to what her friends had expected, Shi is never the "lonely old one" at the ballet school surrounded by youngsters of her daughter's age -- though the training program was initially designed for people aged between 25 and 35, it also drew many women over 50.

"Many young students have given up over the years, but most of the older ones have persisted," said a ballet teacher named Yao.

Like Shi, a large number of senior citizens across China are attending school to learn calligraphy, painting, tennis, swimming and traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture, to make a long-held dream come true, or simply to fill up a lonesome, boring retirement with more fun. A retired brewery worker in Zhejiang Province hit local newspaper headlines last month as China's oldest student to pursuea master's degree.

Xu Lesan, 62, was admitted this fall semester to the bioengineering department of Jiangnan University, based in the neighboring Jiangsu Province.

An avid learner, Xu developed a patented, prize-winning fermentation technology and dozens of new products when he was working for the brewery.

Xu said he had always longed for more systematic studies at college and taught himself many courses over the years, which proved to be the "open sesame" for his graduate school admission.

But most elderly learners are studying for fun rather than a degree: many are hooked on cyberspace, countering the traditional belief that the Internet is the preserve of the young.

Each morning, Wang Yinghua, a retired medical worker in Hangzhou, put on her glasses, sits in front of her beloved computer and chats with her children working or studying nearly half a world away from home.

"Though they have not been home for quite a long time, they know very well what's going on here," said Wang, "I tell them how we celebrated National Day, what new building projects have been completed and every single change in their hometown -- things they're always happy to hear."

Computers and the Internet have also helped dispel the idlenessthat overshadows the life of many retired people.

Life for a time was boring for Lu Xiaojiang, a retired electrical engineer, and his wife, with all their three children away in the United States. When their son came home for a visit this summer, he bought his parents a computer and several operational manuals. The elderly couple, both nearing their 70s, have learned to click on a mouse and clumsily type Chinese characters and will soon be able to chat with their children on the Internet. Mrs. Lu even attended a training class to pick up things faster.

As the world's most populous country, China is taking active measures to address the problem of its graying population.

Statistics show that China's citizens aged over 60 had exceeded120 million by the end of 2001, and the figure is still climbing at an annual three percent.

The Chinese government has set up a social security network and50,000 welfare institutions nationwide to provide medical care, exercise and cultural activities for the elderly and to ensure their well-being.

Eyeing the huge "graying market", travel services across the country offer sightseeing tours for elderly people.

Last year, when Beijing was making last-minute preparations forits bid to host the 2008 Olympic Games, some 900 senior citizens in east China's Fujian Province, most of whom had spent many yearsabroad, signed a joint petition in support of Beijing's bid duringtheir sightseeing tour to the Chinese capital.

Senior citizens, from large cities and rural areas alike, also featured in the crowds of holidaymakers at major tourist attractions in Fuzhou, provincial capital of Fujian, during the Oct. 1-7 National Day holiday.

"I was just back from a tour to Hong Kong and Manila when I decided to join this tour group to Fuzhou," said Cai Xiuzhu, a 70-year-old woman farmer, as she posed for a photo. "But I'm not tired at all and I've enjoyed traveling by air."

(Xinhua News Agency October 9, 2002)