Ex-opera singer, 72, finds fulfilment as a children's hospital clown
Retired opera performer says voluntary work at a children's hospital makes him feel fulfilled
A firm believer in the healing power of laughter, Liu Jinjun visits the Beijing's Children Hospital every Wednesday afternoon with his secret "cure" for the kids - a suitcase full of colourful balloons, magic props and a clown costume. A volunteer at Magic Hospital, a non-governmental organisation devoted to bringing happiness to sick, abused, neglected and orphaned children, the 72-year-old from Beijing has been performing magic for children in hospital for 11 years after his retirement from a Beijing opera group.
It was actually because of a good friend. He's an American magician, and we often performed together. One day, he called me up and said: "I have a task for you. Do you want to come?" I asked him what it was. He told me it was about doing voluntary work at a children's hospital. I said I would go if you also go, so the two of us went along. That was before Sars [severe acute respiratory syndrome] swept Beijing in 2003. Because of the outbreak, we stopped the work for three months, but continued afterwards. It's unpaid, but my friend needed to earn money to support his family. So he found another magician to replace him. After he left, I stayed and have come every Wednesday, from 2003 to now.
It's both. Gradually, I found it pretty interesting. I feel happy to be around children. It has grown on me. While they learn simple magic tricks from me, I can also learn from them. For example, I've learned the English words for apple, banana, orange, dog, rabbit and bear. It's mutually beneficial to learn from each other. The kids like me a lot, so I keep coming back every week. But not everyone can do this. The other magician who replaced my friend left soon after he joined and another four came and left after him. They couldn't keep it going every week. When they had other performances arranged, they would give up their appointments here. In the past 11 years, I was also asked by many people to perform for them on Wednesday afternoons, but I always refused.