Never too old for a song

Wandering through Yuyuantan Park in Beijing from 9:30 to 11:30 on any Wednesday or weekend morning, you can hardly miss the old-time chorus made up of hundreds of senior residents, mostly retired, from all over the capital.

Not all of the voluntary performers that have gathered for the past five years can be Sarah Brightman, of course, but they still attract crowds. The 30 core singers and musicians of New Beijing Choir, wearing dark-green military uniforms, have accumulated more than 1,000 followers over the years, according to Zhou Yuhui. The 60-year-old conductor co-founded the group in Beijing in May 2008 with her husband, Bao Yunting, 67.

"Too many people have retired. They've got nowhere to go. They are looking for fun," Zhou says. "Then they came to my choir. And here they have it."