Yeyu Ying, an 80-year-old woman from China, has been officially recognized by Guinness World Records for having the longest career as a female language teacher, spanning an impressive 64 years and 33 days.
Yeyu Ying, an 80-year-old woman from China, has been officially recognized by Guinness World Records for having the longest career as a female language teacher, spanning an impressive 64 years and 33 days.
According to Guinness World Records, Yeyu Ying began her teaching career at 17 in a rural elementary school in Zhejiang, China.
Born into a poor family in Ruian, Zhejiang Province, she chose to become a teacher to support her family, marking the start of her remarkable journey.
After initially retiring in February 1999 at age 55, Yeyu Ying founded Yuying Elementary School, where she continues to teach. She currently conducts six Chinese language classes each week, exemplifying lifelong learning by continually updating her teaching methods and resources.
“I remember seeing record challenges on TV long ago and thinking about my own passion for teaching. I always believed my lesson plans were the most meticulous in the world,” Yeyu Ying said. She also shared that she had secretly harbored a desire to challenge the record but feared being laughed at. It was only earlier this year, encouraged by her daughter and colleagues, that she applied and succeeded.
Reflecting on her journey, she expressed joy and gratitude. “This recognition is a testament to my lifelong passion. Coming from a rural village in southern China, establishing a school in Lishui in the 1990s, and receiving such an honor for what seemed like an ordinary career fills me with gratitude.”
Yeyu Ying has consistently faced life’s challenges with courage and perseverance. Starting at 17, she managed mischievous students, and after retiring, she founded a school, moving locations three times in four years. Throughout her career, even walking to school became a strenuous task at times.
As a principal, she would rise at 5 am and arrive at school by 7:30 am to monitor teachers and students before beginning her teaching duties, often stepping in to teach when teachers were away.
She reminisced about her dedication to lesson preparation, stating, “In any spare moment, I was preparing lessons. Unlike today, we didn’t have convenient electronic devices. Every lesson was meticulously handwritten with a calligraphy brush, taking six hours to prepare each class. If I wasn’t satisfied with my handwriting, I would tear up the pages and start over.”
Remarkably, at 80, Yeyu Ying still has new goals, including establishing a nursing home to provide a comfortable life for the elderly. “I plan to open a nursing home next, dedicating my remaining life to society and helping the elderly live their final years with joy,” she said, noting she is currently conducting social research for this new project.
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