Showcasing the Chinese tradition of taking good care of older people, northeast China's Jilin Province is making sure more than 1 million retired workers and cadres have access to a wide range of facilities. That means 89 percent of all retired workers and public servants now have access to computers, entertainment and a wide range of activities.

The province is currently a nationwide leader, having surpassed the original target of 85 percent.

More than 2,800 social workers are dedicated to looking after the retirees who live in some 1,420 communities.

The majority of those communities have reading rooms, chess and card rooms, literature and art rooms, fitness rooms and community schools.

Insurance companies have set up retired personnel management service offices and administrative centers.

"The city of Yanji has set up file information for each of the 23,517 retired personnel," said Li Yunfu, a senior official from the Jilin Social Insurance Company.

By the end of October, Yanji had pumped 4.11 million yuan (US$500,000) into providing services for retired personnel, of which some 3 million yuan (US$360,000) came from the local government and 1.2 million yuan (US$145,000) came from the social insurance company.

Activity centers cover almost all the communities in Yanji, and more than 140 activities have been organized this year.

Changchun, capital of the province, pumped 3.5 million yuan (US$420,000) to build an 800-square-metre archive data and working office.

Communities or neighborhoods have played a key role in maintaining social stability. Half of all the management for retired personnel is done through their communities, according to sources.

(China Daily December 8, 2004)