The Aging Dragon
Topic of the day: Caring for old China
On Saturday, I tagged along with a colleague when she organized a volunteering trip to a local senior residents home. The visit to the center, located about 40 minutes (by bus) from downtown Beijing, was the first time I've been to a Chinese retirement home. I've been toying around with the idea of photo documenting China's aging population for a while, so figured this was a good way to start.
A direct link to my photo essay: Caring for Old China
And a short background:
China’s quickly aging population is posed to be a serious problem for the developing country. According to a 2005 United Nations report, China’s elderly population (60 and over) will increase by 430 million people (31 percent) by 2050. The global average for 2050 is predicted to be 21.7 percent. The UN report goes on to say that such a high elderly population for a country where the GDP per capita only recently surpassed USD 1,000 is “unprecedented”.
China’s aging population poses several tough questions for the country. Namely, how will the huge elderly population affect on the country’s labor force (a huge contributing factor to the development and the economy of China)? Also, with so many elderly citizens, how will the country properly and adequately care for all of them?
This photo essay explores the current conditions of elderly care in China, as well as the current state of the country’s aging population.
On Saturday, I tagged along with a colleague when she organized a volunteering trip to a local senior residents home. The visit to the center, located about 40 minutes (by bus) from downtown Beijing, was the first time I've been to a Chinese retirement home. I've been toying around with the idea of photo documenting China's aging population for a while, so figured this was a good way to start.
A direct link to my photo essay: Caring for Old China
And a short background:
China’s quickly aging population is posed to be a serious problem for the developing country. According to a 2005 United Nations report, China’s elderly population (60 and over) will increase by 430 million people (31 percent) by 2050. The global average for 2050 is predicted to be 21.7 percent. The UN report goes on to say that such a high elderly population for a country where the GDP per capita only recently surpassed USD 1,000 is “unprecedented”.
China’s aging population poses several tough questions for the country. Namely, how will the huge elderly population affect on the country’s labor force (a huge contributing factor to the development and the economy of China)? Also, with so many elderly citizens, how will the country properly and adequately care for all of them?
This photo essay explores the current conditions of elderly care in China, as well as the current state of the country’s aging population.
3 Comments:
Your informations are very interesting with a subject we uselly ear for developed country. Will China will change its birth restriction policy?
evocative photos shayla...in a society where it is taboo to not care (at home) for your elderly, it is definately reassuring to see that there is -- in existence -- rudimentary care for the aged. In any society, there are those that are left behind with the stampede of progress -- a stark fact in this 'harmonious' society of unequals...
Le_cedre: Thanks for your comment! As far as I know, I don't believe I have heard that China will change its birth policies (although there always were exceptions to the rule - for example, some ethnic minorities are allowed to have 2 children. Also, impoverished peasants in rural China tend to have more than one child). However, the government is well aware of this problem though...
Cynic: Loser, your heart felt comments are always appreciated. :)
Post a Comment
<< Home