Around 600 people gathered for a "laughing party" organized by
67-year-old Zhong Yuanxiang in a square in Chongqing city on Sunday. Some 70 percent of
the party-goers were senior citizens.
The first 10 minutes of the party passed chuckle-free until an
80-year-old man dressed as Santa Claus broke the ice with a funny
song. The audience cracked up and the merriment lasted for the rest
of the hour.
The party was the first "laugh club" event Zhong Yuanxiang has
organized. Zhong thought he would never smile again after he lost
his beloved wife in May, but changed his mind after reading about a
man in Shenzhen who relieves his anxieties and sorrows by laughing
aloud in a park. Zhong was so impressed he decided to set up his
own laughter club to help people forget their sorrows.
(CRI November 13, 2006)
