The island province of Hainan in south China has been officially declared a "World Longevity Island" by the International Expert Committee on Population Aging and Longevity. Alongside South Korea's Jeju Island, Hainan is now one of only two islands worldwide to receive the honor.
Home to 1,944 people over the age of 100, 1.2 million residents over the age of 60 and a population of octogenarians expected to reach 170,000 by 2015, Hainan is hoping to further cash in on hordes of health tourists seeking the secrets of longer life. Promoted internationally as the "Hawaii of China," it looks like Hainan might have to change it's sobriquet to the "Florida of China."
The city of Wenchang in north-east Hainan was already declared "China's Longevity Village" earlier this year by the Gerontological Society of China. With seniors comprising 17.31 per cent of the city's population, the average life expectancy in Wenchang is nearly 82 years old, compared to 75 years old nationally. Wanning, in the south-east of the island, has also been christened a Longevity Village, boasting a life expectancy of 80 years.
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