Taiwan university seeks world record for 96-year-old graduate

Jun 13, 2009, 12:34 GMT

Taipei - A Taiwan university said Saturday it will apply for entry in the Guinness Book of World Records for a 96-year-old graduate it claims is the world's oldest master's degree recipient.

'We are very proud of Mr Chao Mu-he, and we will apply for a Guinness World Record for him,' director Chen Miao-sheng of the Nahua University in Chiayi, southwest Taiwan, told the graduation ceremony.

Chao was born in China on July 4, 1912 and taught at a primary school in China. He came to Taiwan when he was 40, and taught at college until he retired at age 66.

In 1998, to encourage his grandson to go to university, he and his grandson both enrolled in different universities. Chao studied arts at the Open University and graduated with a bachelor's degree four years later.

Two years ago, to encourage a friend's son to go to university, Chao enrolled in the Nanhua University's graduate school to study philosophy.

Attending the school three days a week, he never missed a class and set a good example for his classmates who were the age of his grandson.

For his graduation, Chao, a good calligrapher, wrote a thesis on the Niaochong Style Calligraphy - an ancient way of writing Chinese characters in which each stroke of a Chinese character resembles a bird or a worm.