{"id":35723,"date":"2026-08-07T09:21:26","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T09:21:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/?p=35723"},"modified":"2026-08-07T09:21:26","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T09:21:26","slug":"after-retirement-many-in-china-are-finding-new-purpose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/?p=35723","title":{"rendered":"After retirement, many in China are finding new purpose"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Residents rehearse for dancing at a community in Yinchuan, northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, June 17, 2024. (Xinhua\/Liu Hai)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At 57, retiree Chen Jinfeng has discovered a new sense of purpose after retirement. Much of her day is spent lending a hand to neighbors as a volunteer and making a difference in the lives of those around her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On a quiet evening, Chen gently knocked on an elderly resident’s door. “There will be a free health checkup tomorrow morning. Remember, no breakfast beforehand,” she reminded the woman with a smile before heading upstairs to notify the next household.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The neighborhood where Chen lives and volunteers is located in the old downtown area of Yinchuan, capital of northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. Home to around 19,000 households, the community has more than 3,000 residents aged 60 and above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the senior population continues to grow, the community is exploring new ways to help them remain active, connected and engaged in community life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We provide support and create platforms, but older residents here are the ones who take the lead,” said Zhao Naixiang, Party secretary of the community. “Our goal is to let them participate in community life and realize their own value.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To help elderly people navigate the challenges of rapid digitalization, Chen regularly visits several residents over the age of 80, many of whom struggle to keep up with smartphone-based services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“For some elderly residents, a face-to-face reminder is still the easiest way to receive information,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The neighborhood has printed a handbook listing bus routes, public service locations and emergency contacts. “For older residents, flipping through this booklet is much easier than searching online,” Chen said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chen is one of many residents who have embarked on a new, purposeful chapter after retirement. Across the neighborhood, older residents are stepping forward to organize activities, offer assistance and share their skills and experiences with others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A mutual support group founded by older people with cancer has grown from just three members to more than 60. Through book clubs, group walks and day trips, members not only find companionship but also share experiences and encourage one another through difficult times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It gives us a place where we can talk, support each other and feel that we are still needed,” a group member said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A volunteer patrol team, made up mostly of military veterans, is also doing its part to give back to the community. The team conducts routine safety inspections around the neighborhood. During this summer’s flood season, members also organized a drowning-prevention campaign along a nearby canal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drawing on their previous experience and skills, the veterans have turned their personal backgrounds into a new form of community service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While encouraging seniors to remain active, the community has also built a support network to help them live more secure and convenient lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For residents over 65 with limited mobility, the community has assigned family doctors to provide regular health checks and medication guidance. Chen’s family has benefited from these services: her 92-year-old mother-in-law receives home visits from a family doctor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Community worker Xie Yuanyuan makes regular visits to elderly residents living alone. “Their children are often busy with work, so we check in on them and offer help whenever they need it,” Xie said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A licensed lawyer also visits regularly to provide free legal consultations tailored to seniors’ needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The community where Chen lives offers a glimpse of how China is adapting to a rapidly aging population. Official data shows that the country’s population aged 60 and above exceeded 323 million by the end of 2025, accounting for about 23 percent of the national total.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

China’s development plan for 2026-2030 calls for strengthening community-based elderly care while creating more opportunities for older people to stay active and continue contributing to society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Chen, retirement has brought a different rhythm of life — one filled with new responsibilities and fulfillment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Although I’ve retired, my life is still busy and meaningful,” she said. “As long as I can help, I’ll keep doing it.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reference Link:-https:\/\/english.news.cn\/20260807\/692dabebc2f14c72963a577705429b15\/c.html<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At 57, retiree Chen Jinfeng has discovered a new sense of purpose after retirement. Much of her day is spent lending a hand to neighbors as a volunteer and making a difference in the lives of those around her. On a quiet evening, Chen gently knocked on an elderly resident’s door. “There will be a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27584,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"aside","meta":{"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[2307,33115,33114,33112,33113,33111],"class_list":["post-35723","post","type-post","status-publish","format-aside","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sample-category","tag-china-3","tag-healthy-life-2","tag-new-life","tag-new-purpose","tag-post-retirement-life","tag-retirement","post_format-post-format-aside"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35723","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=35723"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35723\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35724,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35723\/revisions\/35724"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/27584"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=35723"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=35723"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=35723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}