Increasing number of Chinese seniors actively participating in social activities after retirement

Instead of spending their days after retirement inside their own homes, more and more Chinese seniors are opting to continue taking part in social activities and seeking out ways to enjoy their wonderful lives to the fullest, reflecting improvements to people’s health status and life expectancy in the country.

“I don’t like sitting idly at home, which makes me feel old,” said a senior citizen surnamed Li, who retired as a teacher two years ago from the school of humanities of a university located in Shanghai.

Li recalled that he felt tired of being idle and wanted to do something valuable shortly after his retirement. Following his wife’s advice to find a job that features flexible working hours, he finally succeeded in taking up work as a contributing editor for a magazine. Li soon discovered joy in the new job, which has enabled him to leverage his expertise and encounter new things and new words, in this way widening his horizon.

Ji Wanrong (L) instructs a young worker to inspect bridge construction equipment. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

Similarly, Ji Wanrong, who retired from China Railway Jiujiang Bridge Engineering Co., Ltd. in 2012, has continued to work for the company. “I have a very strong sentimental attachment to my company and my job. So when my company expected me to pass on my skills to youngsters, I didn’t hesitate to take the job,” Ji said.

With a rich experience installing gantry cranes, Ji has always been very patient with young employees and answers all of their questions about specific techniques.

“I become an experienced technician with the help of my former senior colleagues and the company, so it’s my responsibility to pass on knowledge and experience to the next generation without reservation,” Ji said, adding that he enjoys discussions with young colleagues and has in turn learned a lot from them as they have quick wits.

Zhao Zhong, a professor with the School of Labor and Human Resources under the Renmin University of China, pointed out that population aging and improvements in life expectancy created objective conditions for many retirees to re-enter the workforce.

China aims to increase the level of social participation among the elderly, according to a recent guideline for measures to further implement its national strategy to address population aging, which was jointly issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the State Council.

Zhao said that the guideline set out measures to fully tap senior residents’ potential by providing flexible employment, which helps them maintain an optimistic attitude and live more fulfilling lives.

Meanwhile, some retirees have taken part in voluntary services. After retiring from a carpet plant in Boxing county, Binzhou city, east China’s Shandong Province in 2018, Ma Yumei has been living in an elderly care center in the county’s Bochang neighborhood. Although she met like-minded friends at the center, which provides high-quality elderly care services, she still felt a sense of emptiness.

Ma Yumei (L) and other elderly volunteers display handicrafts that are to be donated. (Photo/Li Le)

Ma’s life began to change when the county encouraged nursing homes to establish branches of the CPC to let senior Party members take the lead in carrying out volunteer work. The initiative aims to enrich the lives of seniors and make them feel a sense of achievement from doing whatever they like to contribute to society, according to Dong Min, deputy head of the publicity department of the CPC Boxing county committee.

Ma, a Party member bearing five decades of Party membership, signed up for the volunteer program immediately after she learned of the news. Since then, Ma has taken part in various volunteer activities, such as visiting a special school, participating in charity dance performances at schools, and visiting seniors in their homes. Now Ma enjoys a wonderful post-retirement life, one where she can also realize her values.

“Senior residents are an important force for voluntary services. While some seniors accumulate rich social experience, get familiar with local communities and have sufficient time, others enjoy a high reputation among locals. All these are favorable conditions for the elderly to participate in and play an important role in community-level governance,” Zhao Zhong said.