WhenLiWeipingboardedtheflightfromNewYorktoBeijinginApril,itheraldedherindependence.The75-year-oldChinesehadstayedintheUnitedStatesfortwoyearsafterherhusbanddied.
ArrivingattheBeijingCapitalInternationalAirport13hourslater,Liwasanxiousasshesteppedintothearrivalhallwithhertwolargesuitcasesintow.ShelookedaroundandsawthesignwithhernamebeingheldaloftbyWangHongyu,asocialworkerfromJinheNursingHomeofBeijingtheretopickherup.
“MydaughtersettledintheUnitedStatesandshewantedmetolivewithheraftermyhusband’spassingaway,”LitoldChinAfrica.“Butnow,IpreferlifeinChina.AstheChinesesayinggoes,‘Fallenleavesreturntotheroots.’”
Despiteherdaughter’sinsistencethatshestayintheUnitedStates,LiappliedforresidencyatJinheNursingHomeonlineaftermakingthedecisiontoreturntoChina.
Howtospendlaterlife,wheretostayandwhotolivewithareconcernsthatLiandmillionsofherpeersacrossChinafaceastheyentertheirtwilightyears.
AccordingtotheOfficeofChinaNationalWorkingCommissiononAgeing,bytheendof2017,thenumberofpeopleaged60orabovereached241millioninChina,accountingfor17.3percentofthetotalpopulation.TheUNpredictsthisnumberwillexceed480millionby2050,andthoseover80willreach110million.
Pensionforall
Thosebornbetweenthe1930sand1950sarecalled“generationthatenduredhardships”inChina.
Likemanyofhergeneration,Li,borninBeijinginthe1940s,experiencedtheShangshanXiaxiang(DowntotheCountryside),apolicymainlyinthe1960sand1970swhichsawprivilegedurbanyouthsenttoruralareastoworkandlearnfromthefarmers.In1977,thegaokaoorthenationalcollegeentranceexamination,whichwasresumedthatyear,broughtherbacktoBeijing.“Ourgenerationmadealotofcontributionstooursociety,andIdevotedmyselftothenation,communityandmyfamily,”LitoldChinAfrica.“Now,it’stimeformetochoosethelifeIwant.”
ObserversbelievethatthegreatachievementsChinahasmadesinceitadoptedthereformandopeninguppolicy40yearsagoareinseparablefromthecontributionoftheoldergenerationswhohavelongbeenthecountry’sbackbone.Toprovidetheelderlywithabetterlife,theChineseGovernmenthastakenvariousmeasurestoestablishasoundold-agesecuritysystem.
Onesuchpolicythathasmadeabigdifferenceinthisregardisthebasicendowmentinsurance.SourcesfromtheMinistryofHumanResourcesandSocialSecurity(MOHRSS)saytheschemehadcoveredmorethan900millionChinesebytheendof2017,andmorethan1.3billionChinesepeople,orover95percentoftheentirepopulation,arenowcoveredbybasicmedicalinsurance,constitutingthelargestsocialsecuritynetworkintheworld.
“Iretiredasacollegeprofessorwithamonthlypensionof7,000yuan($1,100).Icanaffordlivingaloneinanursinghome,”saidLi.“Thepensionisafinancialguaranteeforusseniors.”
China’sbasicpensionschemeconsistsoftwocategories-urbanworkersandruralresidents.Theschemeseesurbanworkers’monthlycontributionsof8percentofaslidingscalerelatedtoindividualsalaries,matchedbya20-percentcontributionfromtheiremployers.ThisappliestoallemployedChinese,whilethoseunemployedcanstillmakepensionpayments,buthaveoptionsinrelationtotheirfinancialstatus.
Althoughanageingsocietyputsincreasingpressureonpensionpayments,Chinahasraisedtheamountfor14yearsinarow.Fromthebeginningof2018,theaveragemonthlypaymentforpensionersofenterprises,governmentagenciesandpublicinstitutionsincreasedby5percentfromthe2017level,accordingtoMOHRSS.Thissurpassesthe1.6-percentgrowthintheconsumerpriceindex,oneofthekeyfactorstakenintoconsiderationfortheincreaseofpensions.
Today,thenationalmonthlybasicpensioninChinahasreachedanaverageof2,362yuan($375)in2017forenterpriseretirees,accordingtoMOHRSS.
Betternursingmodel
Pensionpayoutsaside,respectandlovefortheelderlyisconsideredakeyvirtueinChina.Childrenareexpectedtotakecareoftheirparentsinoldage.
Apartfromnursinghomes,morediversifiedformsofelderlynursingmodelsareemerginginChina.Forexample,thehome-basedapproachtoelderlycarehasbecomeparticularlypopularinurbanChina.
Despitehisfatherhavinganaboveaverageretirementpayment,56-year-oldBeijingresidentYangXingrefusestosendhis83-year-oldfather,whosufferedaparalyzingstroketwoyearsago,toanursinghome.“ThoughIambusyandhavelittletimeandenergytotakecareofhim,Idon’twantustobeapart,”YangtoldChinAfrica.
Hechosetoasksocialworkersinhiscommunitytoprovidehelp.Thesocialworkerscometohisapartmenteverydayandhelphisfatherwithbathing,dressing,mealsandtransportation.“Aftersomanyyears,elderlypeoplearenotwillingtoleavetheirfamiliarlivingenvironments,theirpersonalrelationshipsandtheirdailyinteractionswithneighbors,”saidQianYonghui,astaffmemberatSanliheCommunityElderlyCareCenter.“Affordabilityofhome-basedservicesovernursinghomeswasalsoanimportantfactorforitspopularity,”saidQian.AccordingtoadocumentissuedbyBeijingMunicipalBureauofCivilAffairsin2016,theratesofapubliccommunityelderlycarecentershouldbelowerthanotheroptions.
TheChineseGovernmentgivesmuchsupporttohome-basedelderlycarefacilitiesandservicesincities.TakingBeijingforexample,accordingtoaplanpublishedbyBeijingMunicipalBureauofCivilAffairsinApril2017,atotalof1,000elderlycarecenterswillbeestablishedinBeijingby2020.Thelocalgovernmenthascommittedtoprovidingthepremisestooperatorsfreeofcharge,alongwithfinancialsupportforoperationalcosts.
ElderlypeoplereceivefreemedicalchecksinFujianProvince
AcommunityelderlycarecenterinFujianProvincehostsbirthdaycelebrationsfortheelderly
ElderlypeopleparticipateinculturalactivitiesorganizedbyacommunityelderlycarecenterinZhangjiakouofHebeiProvince
Ruralcare
InChina’sruralareas,theprevioushome-basedelderlycareapproachhaschanged.Olderpeopleinthecountrysideusedtobesupportedbytheirchildren.Butnowadays,mostyoungpeoplehavegonetocitiestowork,leavingbehindtheirelderlyfamilymembers.Asaresult,manyvillagesarebecomingdesolate.
Mostelderlypeopleinruralareasarerelativelypoorcomparedwiththeirurbanpeers,andtheyhavenoextramoneytopayforelderlycareservices.Toassistwiththis,in2009,theNewRuralSocialEndowmentInsurance,avoluntarypensionprogramtargetingruralelderlypopulation,wasintroducedtosomeregionsinChina.Theprogramwasexpandednationwidein2012.
Pensioncontributionsaresharedbyindividualcontributors,thelocalvillagecommunities,thelocalgovernmentsandtheCentralGovernment.Individualcontributorshavefivedifferentoptionsofcontribution,varyingfrom100($15.9)yuanto1,000yuan($158.7)peryear.Pensionpayoutsarethendeterminedbytheindividualcontributionandbasicbenefitsfromthegovernment.Theminimumageatwhichoneiseligibleforreceivingpensionbenefitsis60.
Inadditiontopensionbenefits,tosolvetheproblemofloneliness,aruralplanwhichadvocateselderlypeoplecaringforeachotherinselfhelplodgingwithincommunitiesisalsobeingwidelypromoted.
InNalongVillageofFusuiCounty,southChina’sGuangxiZhuangAutonomousRegion,villageheadCaiQingyanghelpedestablishanactivitycenterfor25elderlypeoplelivingbythemselves.Dutiessuchascooking,cleaningandcaringforthosephysicallychallengedaresharedbytheoccupants.Thismodelisnowbeingrolledoutasasolutiontothechallengeofcaringforarapidlygrowingruralpopulation.WangDewen,asocialsecurityeconomistattheWorldBank,saysthisself-helpmodeloffersalow-costandmorestreamlinedalternativetoruralelderlycare.
Challenges
ThoughChinahasmadegreatachievementsinservingitselderly,thegrowingelderlypopulationcontinuestocreatechallenges,withpensionfundshortagesinsomeregionsaffectingthesustainabilityofthesystem.ChinesePremierLiKeqiangpointedoutatthisyear’ssessionoftheoftheNationalPeople’sCongressinMarchthatthereisindeedashortfallofpensionfundsinsomeprovinces,mainlyduetothedeclineinfiscalrevenueattimesofcomparativelyslowereconomicgrowth.Chinadoes,however,havethecapacitytoensurepensionsarepaidinfullandontime.AccordingtoLi,localgovernmentshavetakenmultiplemeasurestoaddresstheissue,includingbetteruseofexistingfunds,bettermanagementofstate-ownedassets,andrelevantfiscalarrangements.ThebalanceofChina’spensionfundsnowstandsat4.1trillionyuan($650.8billion),andthereisalso1.8trillionyuan($285.7billion)ofsocialsecurityfundasastrategicreserve,enablingthepensionbenefitstobepaidontimeandinfull.
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