“Four generations under one roof” is a common Chinese idiom, an indicator of a successful and prosperous life. Now, just getting two generations in the same house is a challenge fewer and fewer Chinese can afford. Over 70 percent of Chinese seniors in urban areas live away from their children, according to recent data reported in China’s official press.
Xun Qi, a 77-year-old resident of Changzhou in Jiangsu Province, has placed newspaper ads in hopes of finding a family that will “adopt” him. He has led a solitary existence for years, living off a pension.
“I don’t have anyone to talk to,” Xun told Xinhua, the official state mouthpiece. “I talk to myself every day and often spend one or two hours murmuring while looking at old photo albums.”
Xun is lonely but doesn’t wish to burden his own family that lives far away, by moving in with them, since they “don’t possess the means.”
For a family willing to take him in, Xun offers to share his monthly pension and pay for his own funeral.
Part of what motivated Xun’s ad placement was the sudden death of his neighbor, during the 2012 New Year season. His caretaker was on vacation at the time and the body was not discovered until after the holidays.
Xun Qi is just one of millions of elderly Chinese who reign over childless households—called “empty nesters” colloquially.
According to research by the China National Committee on Aging, between 2015 and 2035, there will be an annual increase of 10 million seniors. The proportion of elderly in midsize and large cities who live alone has reached 70 percent, placing a significant strain on the health care and social security systems.
The phenomenon is a product of China’s rapid social and economic changes, as well as the effects of the communist regime’s one-child policy, which has led to a graying population.
