QIANJIANG EVENING NEWS (China), UDN NEWS (Taiwan)
SHAOXING - In the Chinese calendar, next Monday will be Senior’s Day. This festival, also called the Double Ninth Festival or the Zhongyang Festival, is when people pay their respects to their ancestors and to the elderly.
For one family in particular there will be a lot of respecting to be done. A family of three brothers and one sister, who are altogether 382 years old, are celebrating the festivity together again, the Qianjiang Evening News reports.
Mo Hongxing, 101-years old, is the eldest, his younger brothers are 100 and 92 respectively -- and their little sister is 89. And all of them are still in great health.
In spite of a slightly hunched back, Mo Hongxing can still cook his own rice though his son, who is not exactly a youngster either, brings him food every day. Hongxing is healthy and still has good eyesight. “But the one who looks the youngest is my third brother Mo Hongsen,” he told the Qianjiang reporter.
Indeed, the reporter was very surprised to find how young the third brother looked, with his smooth skin and a full head of black hair. He speaks loudly and moves with suppleness. “When we go out together, people often ask me if he is my younger brother,” Hongsen’s son told the Qianjiang Evening News, both proudly and helplessly at the same time.
As for the youngest of the siblings, Mo Zhiying, she walks vigorously and cooks, as well as continuing to mend her own clothes.
So what’s the siblings’ secret to living so long and in such good health?
“Having filial descendants is the secret of our longevity,” they all said in unison. All of them are talkative, optimistic and lively, according to the United Daily News. “My children and grandchildren celebrated my 100th birthday last year. There were more than 200 of them all together," said Mo Hongxin happily.
In addition to milk, honey, and sweet porridge, which are easy for the elderly to eat, the siblings don’t have a particular diet, nor do they take health products.
“We all enjoy our longevity. It’s a blessing and we cherish it," the sister said.
