Ageing population

Yao Jianhua, one of the few old Beijingers who is still living in a hutong. (Photo: Li Shanyi)

The last few guardians of Beijing's hutong culture

While hutongs are a unique historical sight in Beijing, they are quickly disappearing as people move out and relocate to government housing with modern amenities. Those who remain are generally the older generation, while the look and function of hutongs is also changing. How much longer will hutongs last?
The matchmaking corner at Chongqing People's Park, China. (SPH/Edwin Ong)

Desperate parents gather in China's latest matchmaking park for the sake of their kids

Since the start of this year, hordes of parents have descended on the Chongqing People’s Park matchmaking corner every weekend to find a potential mate for their children. Many parents there lament that the matchmaking corner is like a “hypermarket” where parents try to “outmanoeuvre” each other. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Edwin Ong believes that it is also a microcosm of the socioeconomic divide in China.
Elderly people chat outside a restaurant along a street in Beijing, China, on 16 March 2023. (Jade Gao/AFP)

Why both old and young are against raising the retirement age in China

With pension funds slowly depleting, Chinese officials are looking to increase the statutory retirement age to alleviate the pressure on government coffers, increase pension contributions and resolve labour shortages. However, Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Edwin Ong notes that the policy is facing resistance from those nearing retirement as well as the younger generation.
In this file photo taken on 11 May 2021 children play outside a cafe in Beijing. (Greg Baker/AFP)

Shrinking population impacting preschools in China

Following the recent report on China’s shrinking population, Zaobao’s correspondent Wong Siew Fong takes a closer look at how this might affect China’s education system, and what the authorities will have to do to mitigate these effects, in terms of planning ahead and being proactive rather than reactive.
A woman walks along a street with two children in Beijing, China, on 3 February 2023. (Jade Gao/AFP)

It's not just China: Asia faces a shrinking population

Lianhe Zaobao associate editor Peter Ong looks into why Asian countries are facing a declining population, especially those that have witnessed successful economic transformation. What social conditions have led to the staggeringly low birth rates? And is migration a solution?
Children share candy floss as they visit a hutong (alley) in Beijing, China, on 31 January 2023. (Wang Zhao/AFP)

Population decline could be a good thing for China

Population decline can actually bring multiple dividends, contrary to popular belief, says East Asian Institute senior research fellow Lance Gore. Instead of looking for solutions to economic crises and population decline that are capitalist in nature and do not address the root causes, this is an opportunity to explore how socialism in China can deliver solutions that turn crisis into opportunity.
Everything is a blur and makes no sense... (Photo: Candice Chan)

When these eyes of mine can no longer read

Hua Language Centre director Chew Wee Kai ruminates on ageing and what goes on inside and out as one inevitably moves into the twilight of life, not least the obvious signs of failing eyesight. Where once it was a joy to read The Water Margin and The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, now the spirit is willing but the eyes are weak.
Passengers are seen in the arrivals area for international flights at the Capital International Airport in Beijing, China, on 8 January 2023. (Noel Celis/AFP)

China’s declining population cannot be easily reversed

The latest announcement of China’s first population drop in six decades has gained much attention, with concerns over the long-term implications for the economy and the community. How will this affect China’s GDP and its aim to overtake the US as the world’s biggest economy? Can China reverse the population trend?
Shoppers crowd at the Ameyoko shopping district, Tokyo, Japan, 29 December 2022. (Issei Kato/Reuters)

AI is taking the place of mental labour but fear not

Technology expert Yin Ruizhi believes that the advent of AI-enabled ChatGPT might be a solution to the ageing populations in Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea and China, as humans are freed from jobs that ChatGPT can handle.