How an 85-year-old grandma from China built a hobby, brick by Lego brick, in Canada
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Mrs Yushu Zhao, a Chinese grandmother living in Alberta, Canada, began her journey into the world of Lego at the age of 85.
PHOTO: JOHN WU
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Lego enthusiasts often joke about the recommended age range for its building block sets: four to 99.
But for Mrs Zhao Yushu, a Chinese grandmother living in Alberta, Canada, her journey into the world of the colourful plastic bricks began at the age of 85.
In the span of less than a year, she went from struggling with instructions to building huge sets with thousands of pieces – all while recovering from a hand injury.
Her accomplishments first drew online attention via social media platform Reddit when her grandson, 28-year-old John Wu, posted a list of 15 Lego sets she had built in 2025, complete with photos.
The post, which garnered more than 27,000 “upvotes”, saw users laud Mrs Zhao as an inspiration.
Mr Wu told The Straits Times that Mrs Zhao came to live with him in Calgary, Alberta, after breaking her thumb in July 2024 after falling in her home in China, where she lived alone.
Mrs Yushu Zhao began with smaller sets containing less than a thousand pieces, such as the Botanical Series which features floral and plant arrangements.
PHOTO: JOHN WU
Learning to build
In February 2025, Mr Wu was picking up a gift for a neighbour’s child at a toy store. He believed at the time that Lego was only for children, but noticed a flower bouquet set on one of the shelves.
“This feels like something my grandma would enjoy,” he thought. It seemed good for keeping her fingers moving and her mind active, and so he bought it for her.
Mr John Wu chose sets with irregular or less stable base structures for his grandmother, so she would have to work on hand stability while assembling them.
PHOTO: JOHN WU
Mrs Zhao began with smaller sets containing fewer than a thousand pieces.
Her grandson said: “That period was pretty challenging. I often had to walk her through the build step by step, because she struggled with reading the 3D instructions and telling similar pieces apart. But you could really see her gradually catching up.”
He intentionally chose sets with irregular or less stable base structures, so she would have to work on hand stability and force control while assembling them.
As Mrs Zhao Yushu progressed to larger sets, she had trouble with some and occasionally had to rebuild them from scratch.
PHOTO: JOHN WU
A month later, Mr Wu decided to get Mrs Zhao her first large set – the 3,000-piece Tudor Corner – which took her two weeks to build.
As she progressed to larger sets, she had trouble with some, having to rebuild several from scratch after accidentally knocking them over or building some parts incorrectly.
However, by May 2025, she was tackling the 6,020-piece Hogwarts Castle with little issue.
Building sets from the Harry Potter, The Lord Of The Rings and Star Wars franchises allowed Mr Wu to introduce his grandmother to these movies.
PHOTO: JOHN WU
“Every now and then she’d make comments like, ‘How on earth do the designers manage to make something so sophisticated and realistic?’” he said, adding that this period was “rewarding” as she overcame her hand tremor.
“Now, she’s able to do pastry work and other activities she used to enjoy before the injury. I think that’s a huge improvement.”
Mrs Zhao Yushu’s favourite set is the 2,083-piece Concorde plane, as she did not take her first flight until she was around 60.
PHOTO: JOHN WU
Research shows that playing with Lego helps battle cognitive decline in the elderly as well.
In an article by the AARP, formerly the American Association of Retired Persons, gerontology researcher Natalia Kasperovich said that Lego helps to engage the elderly through tactile and visual stimulation.
Beyond the builds
Mrs Zhao has since attended several community events, such as the annual Brick Roundup event where Lego fans gather to display creations, as well as The Art of the Brick exhibition, which showcases works and sculptures created with Lego.
A 2024 study showed that Lego-based therapy helped activate areas of the brain associated with spatial awareness and stimulating the brain’s sensory processing centers.
PHOTO: JOHN WU
Building sets from the Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings or Star Wars franchises also allowed Mr Wu to introduce her to these movies.
“In a way, Lego has opened a window into pop culture for her that she probably wouldn’t have been interested in otherwise.”
Mrs Zhao enjoys watching the Lego Masters reality competition TV series, where participants compete to create themed builds in a set time.
PHOTO: JOHN WU
The two have become especially close after bonding over the bricks.
“Even before Lego, we were close, but I always felt she kept her emotions and interests to herself, always putting what was best for others ahead of what she wanted,” said Mr Wu.
“Lego gave me a chance to finally get through that closed door.”
As a former geological engineer, Mrs Yushu Zhao showed great interest in a pumpjack and oil processing plant brick set made by another toy company, JieStar.
PHOTO: JOHN WU
Mrs Zhao maintains an independent streak despite her age.
“There were times when she’d get annoyed at me for trying to help, saying, ‘don’t touch it, want it all done by myself’, and other times when I could clearly see how amazed and proud she was,” said Mr Wu.
He has begun getting her second-hand sets, which requires Mrs Zhao to sort through the mixed pieces before she begins building, unlike with brand-new sets where pieces come in numbered bags.
“The sorting process adds an extra layer of challenge, and makes her use her vision and problem-solving skills even more. It also helps us keep the cost down,” he said.
Mr John Wu says it took his grandmother only a few months to progress to large flagship Lego sets.
PHOTO: JOHN WU
Mr Wu estimates that his grandmother has gone through about C$6,000 (S$5,570) worth of sets, with him bearing about two-thirds of the cost and the rest contributed by family members.
After Chinese New Year, Mrs Zhao’s family plans to take her home to China, where Mr Wu’s uncle and cousin will continue to check in on her. No prizes for guessing what will be in her luggage.
