COVID-19, Life

Many Chinese Are Missing Another Spring Festival Reunion


SHANGHAI — There’s a saying in China that people always return home for the Spring Festival, no matter the distance. But the pandemic has changed that for many who had no choice but to cancel plans to reunite with their family for the third year in a row. With hundreds of millions of people crisscrossing the country during the peak travel season, authorities are concerned about … Continue reading Many Chinese Are Missing Another Spring Festival Reunion

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Uncategorized

China’s Elderly Have a New Obsession: Video Games


Old Man Yang can barely contain his excitement as he tries out the racing video game Gran Turismo Sport. The 86-year-old has hooked up a steering wheel and set of pedals to his PlayStation 5, and is now fighting to keep a Volkswagen sedan from swerving off the track. As the car lurches toward the barriers, his entire body sways from side to side. “This … Continue reading China’s Elderly Have a New Obsession: Video Games

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Health

Mental Health Used to Be a Taboo in China. That’s Changing Fast.


SHANGHAI — In 2021, China’s most talked-about new gallery wasn’t based in Beijing’s trendy 798 Art District or in the laid-back southwestern city of Chengdu. It was inside a Shanghai mental hospital. The No. 600 Gallery — a small space in the Shanghai Mental Health Center’s (SMHC) downtown facility — opened its doors to the public in August. It began with a tiny budget; its … Continue reading Mental Health Used to Be a Taboo in China. That’s Changing Fast.

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aging

China’s Solution for Loneliness: Play Time for Grown-ups


SHANGHAI — Inside a downtown community center, eight retirees are sitting around a table, each clutching a length of plastic drainpipe. “Everyone pass the ball through your drainpipe one by one,” a social worker instructs the group. “Anyone who fails to catch and pass on the ball will receive a ‘punishment,’” she adds with a smile. It’s playtime at Huayang Integrated Elder Care Center, and … Continue reading China’s Solution for Loneliness: Play Time for Grown-ups

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aging

Who Will Care for China’s Aging Population? The Elderly.


SHANGHAI — At 71 years old, Pan Guoli is over a decade into her retirement. But in her neighborhood, she’s now considered a prime job candidate. Hongqiao, a subdistrict of western Shanghai, is one of many places in the Chinese megacity struggling to cope with a rapidly aging population. Nearly four in 10 residents are over 60 years old — and the social care system … Continue reading Who Will Care for China’s Aging Population? The Elderly.

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