Pearl S. Buck was born in Virginia, the United States in 1892 and her parents were missionaries. When Buck was four months old, her parents took her with them to China.

From childhood, Buck spoke both Chinese and English. She grew up playing with Chinese children. She never developed a feeling of superiority toward the Chinese. Rather, Buck was better equipped to recognize some of the absurdities (荒唐的行为) her parents’ profession.

Buck returned to the United States to attend Randolph-Macon Women’s College. However, the country of her birth was largely unfamiliar to her, so she felt like a foreigner. After graduation, she returned to China to take care of her sick mother. Her first and only biological child, Carol, was born a few years after she got married. Due to a tumor, Buck had to have an operation. Soon afterwards her daughter was severely ill. Almost at the same time, her mother died after her long illness. Despite these misfortunes placed on her life, she refused to be defeated.

The Good Earth, her best-known book, was published in 1931. The novel quickly gained an international reputation. It was cited in the decision to award her the Noble Prize for Literature, “for her rich and truly great descriptions of peasant life in China and for her biographical masterpieces” a year later. Pearl Buck’s works after 1938 are too many to mention. Her novels continued to deal with the confrontation (对抗) of East and West, her interest spreading to such countries as India and Korea.

Buck also devoted herself to humanitarian causes. With her husband, she founded an adoption agency for mixed-race Asian and American children. These children were often outcasts in Asian countries because of their mixed blood and because they were often the illegitimate (私生的) children of American servicemen.

Buck spent all her life trying to help people in the USA understand Chinese culture. She wanted to prove to her readers that the universality of mankind can exist if they accept it.

A job is more than just a job, especially to the older generation. “It’s not the money that matters, but the sense of self-worth,” 56-year-old Cheng Wonlan said. So, every day Ms Cheng carries a bag of parcels, letters and documents of all shapes and sizes and does her rounds in North Point. She’s a deliverer.

Five years ago, Ms Cheng was a nurse at a private clinic. She had worked there for almost 30 years but was made jobless when the clinic closed down. It was extremely difficult for her to find another job as a nurse. “People do not trust my ability when they learn how old I am,” she said. After two years of searching, the mother of two eventually found another nursing job. But then after two years, she quit. Why?

“My colleagues were young and they didn’t understand me because of my age. They often asked me, ‘You are so old, what are you working for?’ ”I was very unhappy.“ she said. So while the rest of her family left for work, she was left to lonely boredom at home. Then, one of Ms Cheng’s neighbors told her about Employee’s Retraining Board (ERB) offering retraining courses for older people on specific occupations, such as convenience store assistants, junior clerks and so on.

”I was interested in courier work. I didn’t think my age was a barrier because I was fit and healthy,“ she said. Upon graduation from the ERB, Ms Cheng was offered a job by the Speeding Shuttle Courier Service Company Limited. But then Ms Cheng was caught between honor and employment. It took Ms Cheng 24 hours to make up her mind and eventually she took heart and went off to work as a courier.

Ms Cheng’s employer is delighted with her. “Ms Cheng has been working with us for two months and has shown a good responsible attitude to work.” Anthony Chong, who runs the company, said. Mr Chong said he hired older people because they were able and reliable. “Age is not an important factor but attitude is. Many old people are more capable than youngsters. They will not run from difficulties but young ones might,” he said. “It is not easy to recruit young people since many of them shy away from hardship and challenges.”