Universities for senior citizens enrich lives of China’s graying population

A 60-year old woman surnamed Dai in Beijing retired this year and became a student at a university for senior citizens, where she takes two classes for yoga and one for oil painting each week.

Senior citizens practice a realistic form of traditional Chinese painting at a university for seniors in Xi’hu district, Nanchang of east China’s Jiangxi province. The university offers senior citizens courses such as vocal music, calligraphy, traditional Chinese painting, and dance. (Photo/Ma Yue)

Noting that the courses cost 570 yuan (about $88) every week, Dai said it’s definitely money well spent. She added that seniors are willing to pay for high-quality courses, which enable them to explore their interests and hobbies.

Heading back to universities for further study and cultural enrichment is a popular choice among senior citizens like Dai in China.

As the aging population continues to expand and senior citizens’ consumption increases, apart from government departments and social organizations, more and more social forces have set up universities for senior citizens in recent years, offering the elderly customized courses covering sports, recreational activities, health, science and technology, among other areas, said Wu Yushao, deputy director of the China National Committee on Ageing.

The total population of Chinese people on the mainland aged 60 or above has reached 264.02 million, accounting for 18.7 percent of the total population, said Wu, citing data from the seventh national census conducted last year.

Wu added that the market potential for elderly education is huge in China, as senior citizens are willing to spend money to cultivate their hobbies and enrich their lives.

Statistics from the committee show that China so far has established 70,951 universities and schools for the elderly, with more than 10.88 million students attending classes. The country has also set up 6,215 universities and schools that offer distance-learning courses for senior citizens, with over 3.4 million students participating in distance learning.

To meet the high demand for universities among senior citizens, community-based teaching centers for the elderly have also been established. For example, Shanxi University for the Aged in north China’s Shanxi province set up its first community-based teaching venue in a community in Taiyuan, capital of the province, in 2019, enabling elderly individuals to attend the university for seniors near their own homes.

“It’s a good attempt, as it meets seniors’ education demands and psychological and social needs,” said Lu Shiyu, a senior researcher at the Tencent Research Institute.

So far, the university has set up five branches and one teaching avenue by working with government departments, communities and other higher educational institutions. It will enhance cooperation with social forces to establish more teaching centers, attract more teachers and improve its curriculum system, in this way enabling more seniors to enrich their lives.

The university has also moved its courses for the elderly online, a move that has also been widely seen across China, thanks to the wide application of Internet and digital technologies. “This year, we are providing two more online courses: traditional Chinese bird-and-flower painting and seal cutting,” said Shi Huiling, an official at the university.