Each morning 81-year-old Li Guochuan gets up at 5 a.m. to perform a regiment of press-ups and sit-ups that would leave most young men gasping for breath.
Though her moves are not precisely to standard, Li could do more than 100 press-ups in five minutes, easily beating the records of many young men in China.
Li has gained a reputation among her neighbors in Xiamen, a coastal city in southeast China's Fujian province, for her passion and skills in sports. The octogenarian celebrated her 81st birthday in July and still practices basketball and performs pull-ups.
She even created an exercise she calls the "roly-poly roll". Sitting on the ground with feet and hands clutched, Li rolls around 100 times everyday at home. She believes this exercise is good for her muscles and bones.
"I enjoy doing sports. It is a way for me to overcome all the upsets. Exercising makes me happy," Li says.
Once a farmer in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Li moved to Fuzhou, the provincial capital of Fujian, at the age of 56. She still played the role of a typical Chinese granny, helping take care of her granddaughter until she was 68 years old and the girl had grown up and left Li plenty of time to start her "sports career."
"My little girl went to high school, so I had the chance and time to do something interesting. I first learned to play badminton, jump rope and kick shuttlecock. But I wanted to do more. So I started practicing basketball," Li said.
Besides having fun, her exercises have given her good health. "I feel really good. I have no illness. I am a light and fast walker. People won't believe my age if they only look at they way I walk and listen to my voice," she said.
To pass on her passion, Li has now volunteered to teach anyone interested, with more and more neighbors, young and old, joining her for exercise.
"Granny Li makes us young people look bad," said Xie Baoshu, Li's neighbor. "We should learn from her. I wish I could be as healthy as her when I am old."