Many people would be happy just to be around at age 90, and then there is Isabel Crook, a few months before turning 106. 

She is the trailblazer of English language teaching after the People's Republic of China was founded on October 1, 1949, having taught a great number of English speakers in China and made a remarkable contribution to education and to the friendship between the people of Canada and China.

In 1948, a representative from the Communist Party of China (CPC) approached her and her husband, David Crook, asking them to remain in China and teach English to future diplomats.

They were among the first teachers at the Beijing Foreign Studies University and ended up staying in the country permanently. "We belonged. This is why we stayed."

Gently down the stream will be aired on CGTN's Big Story, a weekly program for groundbreaking documentaries probing a range of current affairs. Through unique documentary storytelling, the program each week explores the critical issues and current affairs impacting people all across the globe.

(Cover image: Isabel Crook poses with her colleagues at Beijing Foreign Studies University. /CGTN)