It’s no secret that Beijing’s population is aging fast. According to a report released by the Beijing civil affairs authority last year, there are more than three million Beijingers aged over 60 – that’s nearly a quarter of the capital’s registered population.
Last month, plans for a trial program were launched in Beijing to move elderly residents outside of the city. Because most of the capital’s elderly care facilities have long waitlists and very strict admission requirements, the government is attempting to remedy the problem by subsidizing certain residents if they will move to elderly care homes in Tianjin and Hebei province, South China Morning Post reports.
Tianjin Wuqing district was one of the locations chosen for the trial program. The second will likely be a facility near the border between Beijing and Wuqing, though nothing has been finalized.
Despite the government's plan, Beijing’s elderly are not all on board with the idea. Many residents don't want to live outside of the city.
“I enjoy my retirement in Beijing. I don’t want to go elsewhere," one senior citizen said to the South China Morning Post. “Even if one day I have to lie in bed watching TV at my home it’s different from a strange elderly care center in Hebei.”
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