Throughout the Spring Festival, Shanghai senior citizen's homes will have far more young residents than usual.

The elderly residents at the Jiading District Kangfu Elderly Caring Center can either choose to stay at the center or go to their children's home to celebrate the festival. Or, their children can celebrate at the nursing home.

The center has prepared rooms for the young couples who want to spend the holiday with their parents. So far, dozens of families have booked a room, which is free of charge, and they will move into the center tonight to have nianyefan (the family reunion dinner enjoyed on the Chinese New Year's Eve) with their parents.

"We offer the service because many of our old clients are not willing to go to their children's, and their children are not satisfied with only paying an one-hour visit here," said Sun Qixin, director of the center.

He said of all the center's 80 clients, less than 20 want to go back home for the festival.

"Most elderly people adopt the living habits totally different from their children's. They go to bed at 8pm, which marks the beginning of their children's night life. They get up at 6am, having to walk like a silent cat to avoid waking those who are still in bed. They don't feel at home," Sun explained.

Besides, they may feel lonely even surrounded by the whole family, he said. "Old people don't share same topics with the younger generations. While others are warmly chatting about on-sale clothes or TV shows, they simply feel at a loss."

Sun Pengbiao, director of the Shanghai Research Center on Aging, said the new practice is good for the elderly.

"It's common in foreign countries," he said. "To stay at the rest home or go home, I believe it's the old people who have the right to make decisions."

(Shanghai Daily February 8, 2005)