Taking a good run at life

Lin's nickname online is Woaimama, meaning "I love my mother" in Chinese.

With his 88-year-old mother still healthy at home, he says he feels forever young.

Opinions of family members have never bothered him, although he keeps his mother informed when he's away running.

With his family living in Shantou, he lives alone in a village at the bottom of Wutong Mountain in Shenzhen to ensure his independence, but travels back and forth frequently.

"This way, I don't have to take care of others, nor do others need to take care of me," he explains.

He is addicted to running, as Lin puts it, because he enjoys running himself, and people around him enjoy seeing him run, just like they would appreciate a stage performance.

Jiang Hai, a former special operations soldier in the military and currently an entrepreneur, is one of the many runners encouraged and inspired by Lin.

Having known each other via a runners' group online, Jiang offered to visit him in Shenzhen and they became friends later.

Jiang, 44, usually calls Lin his teacher. He says, Lin, who is more than 20 years older, thinks differently and his life philosophy unwittingly helps him open his mind and resolve conflicts in life.

Day to day, Lin frequently hangs around Wutong Mountain, nearly 1,000 meters above sea level, singing freely out of his own creativity. Sometimes he goes up and down more than once a day.

"I will run as long as I'm alive. That's my final wish," he says.