1 . I was 68 when I first stepped on stage as a standup comedian in 2003. I’d never set foot in a comedy club before. I’ve always been a performer-I’ve worked as a singer, actor and musician-but all that came to an end after I found people around didn’t want to go out and entertain themselves.

It was then that I started to think about comedy. I realized people needed to laugh, to enjoy themselves again, and thought that with a little training I could do it. I took a few classes, tried to work out a routine, and finally plucked up the courage to get up on stage. That first time was terrifying. I had no idea what the audience would make of me.

In New York, comedians are typically young men with beards. It’s hard enough to break through, even harder as someone old enough to be their grandmother. As I stepped on stage that first time, people laughed nervously. But by the time I tried my first joke , people were properly laughing. 1 was enchanted (陶醉) by the charm and power of comedy.

Now, 1 might be on stage for 10 minutes in front of a dozen people, or my one-woman show is a full hour in front of a crowd of 100. After a show, people young and old come up to me, saying what an inspiration I am.

They say they want to be as active as me when they reach my age. I’m pleased 1 can show that as an old person you don’t need to take a back seat in life.

Last year, I was recognized as the oldest female standup comedian in the world. My friends think I’m mad. They don’t understand why I wouldn’t choose to take it easy. But I like engaging with the world and you’ve got to be in touch to be funny. I’ve no intention of stopping comedy. I’m trying to stay alive, and I hope to still be performing when I’m 100.My goal is to still be up there making people laugh. It’s hard work, but it stops me being bored.

2 . As William Shakespeare is to literature in English, so is the poet Du Fu to the Chinese literary tradition. “We have Dante, Shakespeare and Du Fu. These poets create the very values by which poetry is judged,” remarked Harvard Professor Stephen Owen in Du Fu: China’s Greatest Poet, a BBC documentary that aired on April 7.

Aimed at introducing the charm and beauty of traditional Chinese literature to viewers around the globe, the documentary invited the famous British actor Ian McKellen, who played the wizard Gandalf in the film series The Lord of the Rings, to read 15 of Du’s poems that have been translated into English.

The one-hour film traces the poet’s life experiences in detail. Born in 712, Du lived in the reign of the Emperor Xuanzong of Tang(712—756), a time marked by extraordinary prosperity, inclusiveness and glorious cultural accomplishments.

However, as An Lushan’s rebel army floored the empire, the 43-year-old Du, the former civil servant at the Tang court, had to take his family out of his hometown, and faced starvation and sufferings. Through ups and downs, the poet never stopped writing and about 1,500 poems have been kept over the ages.

Even though he never held a high position in the government, Du still cared about common people. For example, in the poem My Cottage Unroofed by Autumn Gales, he wrote that “Could I get mansions covering ten thousand miles, I’d house all poor scholars and make them beam with pleasure”.

“That is why he is honored as the Poet Sage by later generations. A difficult life and his spirit of concern about the world helped him create so many masterpieces,” Shi Wenxue, a cultural critic based in Beijing, told the Global Times.

Without doubt Du is a cultural symbol of ancient China, but his brilliant works and core spirits have also inspired people outside China. As the documentary notes, his work represents a precious cultural heritage for the entire world, not just China.