The heartbreaking story behind a 70-year-old Chinese woman’s delightful Minnie Mouse get-up

A 70-year-old woman has been posing for photos in a Minnie Mouse costume to earn money for her family’s medical bills, according to Chinese media reports.

The woman, Ying Peizhi, a farmer from nearby Dezhou, posed with tourists at a park in Jinan, Shandong province, local news portal Iqilu.com reported on Wednesday.

Temperatures in Jinan have increased rapidly recently, and have the number of visitors to the park. Many people were attracted by the Minnie costume, which was not authorised for such use by the Walt Disney Company, with some willing to pay from one to five yuan (15-73 US cents) to take photos with the famous cartoon character.

For Ying, the job is more difficult than labouring in the fields. According to the report, each time a child came near, Ying bent down to talk with them, then posed as demanded.