China has expanded its elderly care services over recent years to cope with its rapidly aging population, with a particular emphasis on the development of at-home and community-based care.
As of the end of June this year, the country had built a total of 410,000 elderly care institutions and facilities, doubling the level in 2019, the data from the Ministry of Civil Affairs showed on Monday.
Of these, 369,000 were community-based elderly care institutions and facilities, marking a 120-percent increase over 2019.
The country has also stepped up efforts to cultivate elderly care talents. As of the end of 2023, colleges and universities nationwide had opened more than 770 majors related to nursing and elderly care service management.
From 2020 to 2022, the country trained a total of 2.48 million professional elderly care workers, 10,000 nursing home directors, and 100,000 full-time and part-time senior social workers.
"Going forward, the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Office of the National Working Committee on Aging will promote the transformation of the work related to senior citizens towards people's whole-life-cycle preparation for elderly care. We will also coordinate and improve the social security, elderly care service and health support systems, optimize the elderly assistance and social welfare systems, deepen the reform and development of elderly care services, expand the scale and impact of the 'Silver Age Action', and guide senior citizens to actively participate in social activities," Liao Ming, deputy director of the elderly care service department of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, said at a press conference in Beijing on Monday.
The "Silver Age Action" is an initiative launched in 2003 with the goal of leveraging the expertise and knowledge of senior professionals across different domains to assist in the development of underdeveloped areas.
Official data showed that there were 297 million people aged 60 and above in the country at the end of 2023, accounting for 21.1 percent of the total population. The number of people aged 65 and above reached 217 million, or 15.4 percent of the total.
China improves elderly care services to cope with rapidly aging population
A cold front has brought snowfall and freezing temperatures across many parts of China, disrupting transportation and prompting emergency responses. On Sunday morning, many places in Handan City of north China's Hebei Province have experienced snowfall.
The province on Sunday activated a Level-IV emergency response for major meteorological disasters in preparation for incoming heavy snowfall.
According to the provincial meteorological observatory, heavy snow is forecast to hit areas including Shijiazhuang, Cangzhou and Hengshui from day to night on Sunday. Some regions may experience blizzard conditions.
Forecasters warn that the severe weather will disrupt transportation, urban services, and greenhouse agriculture.
Local authorities have been urged to closely monitor weather conditions, enhance risk assessment, and eliminate potential safety hazards.
China has a four-tier emergency response system, with Level I being the most severe response.
Starting early Sunday morning, a new round of snowfall began in areas such as Qingyang City and Dingxi City in northwest China's Gansu Province.
In order to ensure smooth traffic and people's normal life and production, local departments have made coordinated efforts to clear snow from roads.
Local traffic police have also increased presence at key areas to direct traffic and ensure timely response to emergencies.
In addition, widespread snowfall affected the northern parts of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, posing challenges to urban transportation and railway operations.
Traffic police and city departments are mobilizing to clear roads and ensure safe travel for residents.
Railway authorities also implemented pre-arranged snow-response plans, using equipment such as wind-powered snow blowers and de-icing equipment to clear key sections of track and prevent switches from freezing.
The current round of snowfall in the northern parts of Xinjiang is expected to end on March 2. Some areas in east China's Shandong Province also experienced heavy snow on Sunday. At 11:00, the provincial weather service issued yellow warnings for icy roads.
At the Mount Tai scenic area in Tai'an City, the weather transitioned from a mix of rain and snow to snowfall during the day. As of 15:00 on Sunday, the average precipitation had reached 18.9 millimeters, with the snowfall still ongoing. To ensure the safety of visitors, the scenic area has decided to suspend all access routes starting from 16:00. On Sunday morning, cold air prompted snowfall in many places of north China's Shanxi Province. The Shanxi Provincial Meteorological Observatory issued a yellow alert for blizzard, covering areas such as Jinzhong City, Linfen City, and Yuncheng City.
Icy road conditions led to temporary traffic restrictions on several highway sections.
Local authorities promptly activated emergency response plans, deploying crews for snow removal and traffic control.
Snowfall hits many parts of China, affecting transportation
