A 91-year-old professor interviewed by a local newspaper in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, told reporters that he was looking for a partner to wed.

Gao Shiliu, a professor in geodesic astronomy at Wuhan University, was the first Chinese person to arrive at the North magnetic pole in 1951 when he lived in Canada, as reported by Science and Technology Daily in 2001.

Gao Shiliu sits in front of the piano. [cnhubei.com]

The old professor is looking for a woman aged between 55 and 70, who is healthy, tender and kind, fond of music and writing, with an educational level above high-school degree and foreign language capability, said Chutian Jinbao, the tabloid carrying the news about Gao's romantic longings.

More than 100 female readers dialed the newspaper hotline in three days, the youngest of whom was 25, and the oldest 75, according to the newspaper.

Most of these respondents love music, singing and dancing, and can use computers, said the newspaper.

Miss He, 25, was one of the hopefuls. "I think he is responsible and knowledgeable enough to be a good husband," she said.

However, she believed her chances were slim.

Gao, who retired from Wuhan University in 1990, divorced in 1999. But he said his search was not prompted by loneliness. On the contrary, "I never feel lonely because I'm too busy," said the professor. "I don't have enough time, so I want to find a good wife who can help me manage the home, and be my assistant."

"I plan to write about my experiences abroad, academic reports and articles, and I expect to find a wife to help me proofread," the newspaper quoted him as saying.

"She can help me post books and letters to my friends, because I am too old to do so."

And there is another reason. One of Gao's three children is mentally handicapped and lives with him.

"My health is deteriorating, and my son is only 53, so I hope to find someone to take care of him after I die."

"He is too old to marry again," a netizen scoffed at tom.com. Some readers doubted that he was looking for a maid or a secretary.

"No," the professor replied firmly. "I already have a housemaid to do the housework," he said. "Even if I get married, I will keep the maid."

"My future wife will share some of my work, but that doesn't mean there is no room for affection. I hope to find a soul mate with the same interests as mine, to make life richer."

Gao's second son is a surgeon, and his daughter a librarian. "They oppose my getting married again and have warned me to be careful," Gao said, "but they have no right to interfere in my life."

Many of his colleagues and friends have called to support him, Gao said, and his niece congratulated him from Australia. One of his friends from Canada told him, "You are a great father."

Everyone has the right to marry and has their own expectations about a partner, so it's perfectly acceptable for an old professor to look for a wife, said Liu Mingyan, director of the Wuhan Counselor Training Base for Marriage and Family.

"The economy and modern culture are increasingly diverse, so we should tolerate marital diversity as well, including a big age difference in marriage," said Liu.

Senior people need more care, especially love from a spouse, Liu added.

In 2004, 82-year-old Chen Ning Yang, Chinese American Nobel Laureate of physics, married 28-year-old Weng Fan, which sparked controversy across China.

However, a recently-published book spoke of the happiness of their union.

"I recommend that other old people do like me," Gao said.

The strong-willed professor said the marriage was very important to him, and that he would need at least six months or a year to get along with his partner before getting married.

"I am a Christian, and I insist on marrying in a church," he said.

"If I die before my future wife, I will leave my heritage to her -- including the 130-square-meter house -- and my son," he said.