Our Story: 67-year-old retiree becomes lawyer

World
Europe

02:10

As many people will tell you, it's never too late to learn! A 67-year-old man nearly lost hope after six failed attempts at becoming a lawyer. But the National Judicial Examination's oldest-ever candidate continued to chase his dream. Earlier this year, Lyu Tiema officially became an apprentice lawyer. Victor Ning brings us his story.

LYU TIEMA, APPRENTICE LAWYER JINGRUN & PARTNERS "My name is Lyu Tiema. I was born in 1952. I spent time working in China's countryside, then went to college. Then I worked for different companies. Earlier this year, I became an apprentice lawyer."

Lyu Tiema spent seven years preparing for the National Judicial Examination after retiring at the age of 60. Despite failing the exam six times, he never lost hope.

LYU TIEMA, APPRENTICE LAWYER JINGRUN & PARTNERS "Every time I failed, and saw the results, my heart sank. I was extremely distraught, but I kept being optimistic."

As the saying goes - if at first you don't succeed, try and try again. Lyu woke up at three o'clock every morning to study. He read almost 3.6 million words of teaching materials from 15 different legal departments. At the same time, he exercised virtually every day to stay healthy and fit. He says the hardest part was remembering everything he studied.

LYU TIEMA, APPRENTICE LAWYER JINGRUN & PARTNERS "I can't memorize it like other people do, so I have to understand it. I have to look at it often, and read it again and again, to commit it to memory."

And all the hard work paid off. Lyu passed the test on the seventh try. The key to his success is faith.

LYU TIEMA, APPRENTICE LAWYER JINGRUN & PARTNERS "Faith should be your highest standard. You have to like what you do, or at least find it fun so that you can discipline yourself."

LYU's story has proved that age is not a barrier to learning.

LYU TIEMA, APPRENTICE LAWYER JINGRUN & PARTNERS "Some people say 'I'm already 50 or 60, what should I learn?' An old saying says, 'People don't learn arts after 30.' These are outdated ways of thinking; don't believe them."

Lyu's next goal is to become a good lawyer and help people pursue justice. Victor Ning, CGTN, Beijing.