The municipality is one of the country's first regions to have an aging society, with more than 300,000 local citizens aged 80 or over.

With better living conditions and improved health care, more and more of Shanghai's elderly are still hale and hearty at 60 or 70, local officials say. Instead of sitting at home, after their retirement these elderly people often engage in a colorful range of activities.

Zhang Yaokui, 80, has a full agenda every day as he holds down three "jobs". He serves as a government advisor, a senior knitting expert and a member of a retired senior experts' association.

Asked if he was exhausted by such a busy life, he said, "Not at all. You are happy and contented when you feel yourself useful and needed by others."

Currently in almost every residential quarter of Shanghai, a host of recreational activities from chess and table tennis to singing and dancing are provided for the elderly.

In an "Activities Room" for the elderly in a residential quarter named the "Shanghai New Community", a group of enthusiastic, aged Peking opera fans can be seen practicing the art every Monday afternoon. However, on Wednesday afternoons, they will be found learning English.

Shanghai has also developed a fairly-complete medical care network for its elders, with 95 local hospitals keeping health records of citizens over 60. All senior citizens can get immediate medical service at times of emergency by just making a phone call.

"Seven years ago, we had to use ice to reduce the temperature in the wards in summer time," said He Jinxian, vice-president of Linfen Hospital, a designated hospital for the elderly. "Now we let the patients choose between air-conditioning and electric fans."

Psychological therapy has also introduced in the hospital to help ease the anxiety and nervousness caused by the extreme summer temperatures, he added.

(eastday.com August 1, 2002)