the double ninth festival or chongyang festival is usually marked on the ninth day of the ninth month on the chinese lunar calendar, which falls on october 23 this year.
number nine is the highest single-digit number and in chinese language it is pronounced asjiu,which sounds like another word for "long and healthy life." the double ninth festival has long been a day for people to show care and love to the elderly in china, a country with a fast-growing aging population.
a variety of activities will be held during the festival, many of which are inherited from the past, including visiting the elderly, admiring chrysanthemum, drinking chrysanthemum wine or tea, wearing cornel twigs and climbing to the highlands.
"the community organizes a variety of celebrations every year during the period of chongyang festival, it's really heartwarming to see that," said a senior citizen in yanshanhe community, xihu district of hangzhou, east china's zhejiang province. along with cultural activities to celebrate the festival, the community organizers also send cakes, longevity noodles and holiday blessings to the seniors in the community.
by the end of 2021, china had 267 million people aged 60 and above, or 18.9 percent of the total population. over the past decade, the country has seen remarkable progress in elderly care, offering an increasingly diverse range of services for old people.
basic old-age insurance
more chinese people have access to coverage provided by the country's basic old-age insurance, since the adoption of improved management of insurance funds in the form of a unified approach, according to authorities.
china's basic old-age insurance covered 1.05 billion people by the end of 2022, 24.3 million more than a year earlier, data from the ministry of human resources and social security showed.
the country formally launched a national unified management of basic old-age insurance funds for enterprise employees in january 2022, to make the old-age insurance system fairer and more sustainable.
since then, steady reforms have been made, with wider insurance coverage and overall balance in revenue and expenditure of insurance funds, said qi tao, an official with the ministry.
under the unified management, pension policies have been basically unified nationwide so that the rights and interests of workers and retirees are better protected, he said.
community canteens nourish rural seniors
welfare canteens are also part of chinese authorities' efforts to promote community-based elderly care services, especially for those who live alone and in rural areas.
for example, roughly at 11 a.m., a rural community canteen in east china's zhejiang begins to hum with elderly locals sitting and chatting while waiting for lunch.
"it is convenient, and my children feel assured that we have decent meals here," said luo quanxin, a 77-year-old villager in fengyi community, zhuji city. luo's children work in other cities and do not live with him and his wife, who suffers from alzheimer's. the couple have had lunch here almost every day since the canteen opened in may last year.
the welfare canteen is dedicated to providing affordable and nutritious meals to elderly villagers, particularly empty-nesters like luo and those with disability.
a set lunch served at the canteen is priced between 4 yuan (roughly 54 u.s. cents) and 10 yuan at most, depending on the resident's age. each lunch comprises one meat dish, three vegetable dishes, rice, and soup.
elderly care service system
china released a national standard for at-home care services for the elderly on friday, the first of its kind, in response to an urgent need to improve the country's elderly care service system and optimize seniors' life quality.
the standard specifies seven at-home care services for the elderly, including basic care, health management, spiritual consolation, and renovating the living environment at home for the convenience of seniors, among others.
china's state council released a plan last year for the development of the country's elderly care service system during the 14th five-year plan period (2021-2025).
the plan specifies major goals and tasks for the five-year period, including expanding the supply of elderly care services, improving the health support mechanism for the elderly, and advancing the innovative and integrated development of service models.
china will step up institutional innovation, and boost policy support and financial input to enable the elderly to share in china's development achievements, according to the plan.
(with input from xinhua)
