Zou Dianrong, 81, took the national judicial examination in Ningxia Hui autonomous region on Nov 1, drawing widespread attention.

When Zou left the examination room wearing a big smile, he became the focus of the crowd. "The test was not difficult, although completing all the questions in time was a challenge. Therefore, I only answered half of the questions. It was difficult to figure out the computer, which wasted a lot of time."

Zou was a Chinese teacher before retirement. He could have enjoyed a relaxed happy life with his family, but he wanted to explore the sea of knowledge.

As the country began strengthening legal knowledge across the nation, Zou came up with the idea of taking the exam. "I just want to learn more about law," said Zou. He said he spent three months preparing for the exam, with at least two-hour study every day. Zou's family disagreed with his decision at first, as they thought the exam was useless for an 80-year-old person.

But Zou said he wanted to provide volunteer services to the public, including legal consultation and assistance, if he passed the exam. For him, the result doesn't matter. "If I fail this time, I'll try again next year."

"I hope that more people will take judicial examination and learn legal knowledge, to better defend our rights within the framework of laws," said Zou.