What Will You Do When You're 90?

A 93-year-old barber takes on his biggest role · 一把推剪，一生匠心

If you were 90 years old, what would you plan to do? Few people want to take up new challenges at that age. This is the story of one old man who did something that surprised a lot of people.

At the age of 93, he accepted an invitation to play the role of the number one male actor in The Barber, a movie about the life of an old barber. Although he was familiar with the story, he needed to memorize all the lines in the script. He needed to live with the crew for many days. And he needed to act. What an enormous challenge!

His name is Jing Kui. He still lives in his own home in Beijing. He met the challenge and successfully finished the film. On top of that, the movie won both national and international awards. Mr. Jing took home a trophy for a special acting prize.

Mr. Jing has been a barber all his life. Born in 1913, he began his apprenticeship at age sixteen. When he was 88, he was still doing the same job. The only change was that he began to travel from home to home to serve his loyal customers. Most of them were senior citizens. He cut hair and shaved beards, using a traditional razor blade. In fact, all his tools were manual.

Imagine an old man with a full head of grey hair and a curved back, working smoothly—cutting, clipping, shaving, and washing. You would be touched by the scene. That's how he attracted the attention of the film director, who decided to make a film about him.

At age 93, the old barber began his movie adventure. Each day, he got up early to rehearse the script. Memorizing the lines was a big challenge. He worked hard at it, for he didn't want to disappoint the director. The movie director was nervous throughout the entire process because he didn't know whether Mr. Jing could keep it going until the filming was done. But Mr. Jing surpassed both his own and the director's expectations.

The two set a world record in the movie industry by having a non-professional 93-year-old actor star in an award-winning film.

What Will You Do When You're 90? — A 93-year-old barber becomes a movie star

If you were 90 years old, what would you plan to do? Few people want to take up new c(1)__________ at that age. This is the story of one old man who did something that surprised a lot of people.

At the age of 93, he accepted an i(2)__________ to play the role of the number one male actor in The Barber, a movie about the life of an old barber. Although he was familiar with the story, he needed to m(3)__________ all the lines in the script. He needed to live with the c(4)__________ for many days. And he needed to act. What an enormous challenge!

His name is Jing Kui. He still lives in his own home in Beijing. He met the challenge and successfully finished the film. On top of that, the movie won both national and international awards. Mr. Jing took home a t(5)__________ for a special acting prize.

Mr. Jing has been a barber all his life. Born in 1913, he began his a(6)__________ at age sixteen. When he was 88, he was still doing the same job. The only change was that he began to travel from home to home to serve his l(7)__________ customers. Most of them were senior citizens. He cut hair and shaved beards, using a traditional razor blade. In fact, all his tools were m(8)__________.

Imagine an old man with a full head of grey hair and a curved back, working smoothly—cutting, clipping, shaving, and washing. You would be touched by the scene. That's how he attracted the attention of the film director, who decided to make a film about him.

At age 93, the old barber began his movie adventure. Each day, he got up early to r(9)__________ the script. Memorizing the lines was a big challenge. He worked hard at it, for he didn't want to disappoint the director. The movie director was nervous throughout the entire process because he didn't know whether Mr. Jing could keep it going until the filming was done. But Mr. Jing s(10)__________ both his own and the director's expectations.

The two set a world record in the movie industry by having a non-professional 93-year-old actor star in an award-winning film.

📌 重点单词 · Key Vocabulary

🔗 重点词组 · Key Phrases

💡 语法小贴士 · Grammar Tips

✂️ 文化拓展 · Live and Learn: A Barber at 93

本文讲述的是一位真实的中国老人：1913年出生的理发师 Jing Kui，16岁拜师学艺，88岁仍在走街串巷为老主顾手工理发，93岁应导演之邀出演电影《理发师》的男主角，并一举摘得特别表演奖。片中的每一下推剪、每一次刮脸，都是他做了七十余年的本行——导演看中的不是演技，而是岁月本身。

在国际影坛，由毫无表演经验的普通人担纲主角并获奖并不常见，意大利电影《天堂电影院》之外最著名的例子当属意大利新现实主义作品——导演们相信，真实的生活质感是任何表演课都教不出来的。一位93岁的非职业演员主演获奖影片并创下世界纪录，正是「生活即最好的剧本」的最好注脚。

故事的开头是一个问题：If you were 90 years old, what would you plan to do? 老人用行动给出了答案——年龄从来不是拒绝新挑战的理由。真正的衰老不是皱纹和白发，而是提前对自己说「我不行了」。活到老、学到老，九十岁也可以是当打之年。