Elderly driver's story impresses, moves netizens

An 86-year-old man who got his driver's license in about a year has surprised and inspired netizens in China, and not only because of his age.

The motivation behind Sun Zhenchu's taking the driving tests is to care for his wife.

Sun's wife didn't go out much after an operation left her with mobility problems last year. "The country has allowed people over 70 to apply for a driver's license. I am going to apply for it and buy a car after obtaining the license. Then we can go out and travel together," Sun said to his wife.

Sun then became an elderly trainee at a local driver training school in Hangzhou of Zhejiang province, and managed to pass the four exams, receiving perfect scores on two of them. After getting his license in March, Sun bought an electric vehicle.

"I've been passionate to learn new things all my life. One is never too old to learn. So I chose to buy an electric vehicle", Sun said, adding it was very interesting.

Sun said he will drive the vehicle to take his wife shopping for groceries, to the hospital or sightseeing along the Qiantang River.

What astonished people most was Sun's career — he was a specialist in nuclear weapons and made great contributions to the nation.

After graduating in nuclear testing at the Harbin Institute of Military Engineering in 1964, Sun was selected as one of the researchers to participate in China's first atomic bomb test.

After the successful test, he went to Beijing to work at the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense. There he continued to conduct research and testing for nuclear weapons for 32 years.

He retired in 1995, but did not stop learning new things. Fishing is one of his hobbies and he has won awards in competitions thanks to a sonar fish finder he invented.

In a commencement speech he delivered at Zhejiang Gongshang University in late June, he shared more about his life and encouraged graduates to keep learning to stand out in a competitive and challenging society.