A 2008 study of villages in Hubei provinceby Huazhong University of Science andTechnology found suicide “is a culture” insome villages, with the elderly often takingtheir own lives after family arguments orwhen they feel they can no longer work.
“The new family structure is not onlyabout the changes in lifestyle and valuesbetween young and old,” said professor Yuan.
“Smaller families mean simpler relations,making society overall more detached.”
As well as having the world’s largest population with 1.3 billion, China also has one ofthe fastest ageing rates.
The number of people aged 60 or above stood at 167 million in 2009, almost 13percent of the population, according to the China National Committee on Ageing. Withfeelings of insecurity on the rise, experts say families must prepare for the future, while theneed for the government to create a better social security system is growing urgent.
“We’ve had some good examples of private-run nursing homes but the number ofplaces (offered for the elderly) is far from meeting demand,” said Zhong Changzheng,spokesman for the China National Committee on Ageing.
Policymakers are encouraging diversified services for the elderly, he said, as well asadvocating a change in attitude toward placing relatives in nursing homes, which at themoment is seen as an “undutiful act”.
Authorities are also promoting community-based care services and facilities so oldergenerations will be able to receive help in their own homes. Hotlines launched in Beijingalso offer professional advice on care options.
The capital alone is home to 2.6 million people aged over 60, putting nursing homesplaces and assisted care apartments at a premium. This has resulted in many propertydevelopers starting on residential projects aimed at filling the needs of 4-2-1 families.
In Shanghai, where more than 20 percent of the population is classed as “elderly”,workers can now postpone their pensions for five years and carry on working after themandatory retirement age (60 for men and 50 or 55 for women, depending on theirstatus).
The move, which was introduced by the city’s human resources bureau on Oct 1, isaimed at addressing a financial shortfall in the social security fund. However, critics claimit will reduce the number of opportunities in an already tough job market.
Family investments
For those who can afford to, investing in property remains one of the preferredchoices for families looking to prepare for the future.
“Being a landlord is my own way of preparing for the gloomy days of getting old,”
said Li Xue, 32, who has a 5-year-old son and rents out three apartments in Beijing’sdowntown area.
Jia Xuan said her parents have also sold their three-bedroom apartment in Tianjin’sHedong district and are buying a bigger house for the whole family in the city’s easternsuburbs.
The move will mean a longer commute for the couple but it will allow their daughterto spend more time with her grandparents.
“The community has better child care services and we will have more room for thefamily,” said Jia, 28.
She said she feels guilty about using her parents to help take care of their child but, asthe mortgage accounts for almost half of the couple’s income, they cannot afford a nanny.
“After we got married, my parents urged me to have baby early so they would still have theenergy to help with the baby,” said Jia, although some experts warn that the heavy involvementof grandparents can lead to conflicts due to their different views about education.
Jia and her husband Li Wenbo, 31, know the challenge they face in caring for theirparents in the future, but for the time being are focusing on finding the right kindergarten.
“Right now, it’s OK because our parents are still healthy and can take care ofthemselves,” said Jia, “but we need to plan ahead.”
October 14, 2010
Bidding fashionable farewell to the dead
How traditional ritual is getting a modern makeover.
Phoebe Cheng in Hong Kong reports.
The shelves inside Au Yeung Ping-chi’s store are chocked full of the latest gadgets andfashions, from high-tech smart phones and digital cameras to limited-edition sneakersand brand-name handbags.
Get closer, however, and you will see each one is a carefully crafted paper effigy madeto look like the real thing.
Welcome to one of Hong Kong’s most modern ming zhi pu, or ghost money shops,where Chinese shoppers regularly buy paper gifts to burn for dead loved ones to use in theafterlife.
Au Yeung decided to tweak the traditional service and follow the latest consumertrends after taking over the family business from his father.
“When I made my first electronic dance mat (out of paper), my father didn’t evenknow what a dance mat was,” said the 33-year-old, who started working at the shop inSham Shui Po after graduating from design school about 10 years ago.
Once he had mastered the ancient handicraft, Au Yeung began applying his innatesense of creativity to combining the old with the new and making effigies that are chic andrelevant to today’s society.
“He gave me the freedom I needed to use my creation on this age-old handicraft,” hetold China Daily as he looked over at his aging father, who sat by the entrance of the shopchatting with other staff members in his faint and raspy voice.
“I wanted to stand out (from others) in the industry by selling paper effigies that arenot commonly found in shops,” said Au Yeung, whose workbench was covered in piles ofcolored paper and pots of glue for his latest work, a handheld Ninendo DS games console.
For Hong Kong shoppers, Au Yeung’s store does stand out. His trendy works havealready attracted the attention of people with relatives who died at a young age.
The store receives several orders from customers who want custom-made effigies offashionable items, including cell phones and accessories.
