"Old people", what do those two words bring to mind? Gray hair, lack of energy or worse yet? Perhaps for those born and raised in the west, "old people" in general would not be an acceptable way to address a senior citizen, let alone name a college after, imagine though a place called "Old People College"?!
The term "old people" literally translated into Chinese is 老年人. However, what is interesting is, the term 老年人that is "old people" is not nearly as negative in connotation as it is in English. Thus in Tianjin China the"老年人大学"literally "Old People College" is alive and well. We will suggest however the more English friendly versions of: "The Seniors School", "The School for Seniors" and "The College for Senior Citizens". Linguistics aside, the presence of this school in Tianjin reflects well two prominent aspects of Chinese culture: 1) a person is never too old to learn; 2) respect must be shown to those older than oneself, especially family relatives.
As to the first, someone is never too old to learn, there is a common Chinese saying 活到老学到老 which literally translates to "live until old, study until old". The core meaning and message of this phrase is "never stop learning". For Tianjin seniors this phrase isn't just spoken, it is lived. Thus in 1985 the city of Tianjin established "The Tianjin College for Senior Citizens". From its infancy of 10 classes and 552 students, the Tianjin College for Senior Citizens has grown to maturity, with recent stats of 413 classes and a student body of over 12,000. From these numbers alone, it is clear that Tianjin seniors never stop learning. Not to mention, there is a college campus in each of Tianjin's major districts.
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| An English study group for seniors in Tianjin. |
As to the second, respect must be shown to seniors, especially within ones family, this can be seen, felt and sensed in all aspects of Chinese life. Older members of the family are often bowed down to, literally. Parents, even grandparents often live under the same roof. Marriage hardly is thought to be the sole decision of one man and one woman, rather two families. Thus, the influence of senior citizens within Chinese culture and society is quite pronounced. As such, be it a college specially founded and established for them, or the many other social customs, Tianjin seniors are alive, active and influential. Any expat coming to Tianjin, especially with goals of conducting business, should study, understand and adapt to the massive social and economic influences Tianjin seniors possess. Due to many families having only one child and two parents working full time the one spending the most time with the children is the grandparents. Thus when it comes to where to go, what to do, and what to eat, the Tianjin seniors are really the ones in charge!
Outside of looking after the grandchildren, what do Tianjin seniors enjoy doing? Well, pretty much about everything and anything! Based on the courses available at The Tianjin College for Senior Citizens, there is no question Tianjin seniors are busy learning and participating in a variety of activities! The courses for seniors range from computers, piano, zither, singing, dancing, opera, martial arts, calligraphy, painting, photography, cooking, and gardening. Whew, I'm tired just writing that list?! Clearly, Tianjin seniors are not just sitting in their rocking chairs watching the grandkids and letting those golden years pass by. Tianjin seniors generally speaking are very active; in fact it appears even more active than seniors abroad.
One of the easiest ways to catch Tianjin seniors in action is to live here and wait for the early hours of the morning to arrive. No need for the rooster or an alarm clock, as you will often hear from the courtyard of your apartment complex the sounds of Chinese Tai Qi music and movements being announced through a speaker as a collection of seniors follow along! Neither the cold nor early hours will keep Tianjin seniors down and out. Day by day they enjoy their exercise and it seems the earlier the better. The movements they do are not simply and often require balancing and flexing into various positions. Tianjin seniors seem quite adventurous in the area of exercise. Compared with the seniors abroad who seem afraid to slip and fall, here these mature folks are stretching and contorting into positions even those young in years may be unable to do, sometimes even balancing on one leg and striking "karate kid" like poses!
As the summer rolls around in Tianjin, parks, and open spaces everywhere around town are full of families, which of course include our dear Tianjin seniors. Tianjin Seniors love post meal walks, early evening dancing and badminton. There is a famous Chinese phrase饭后百步走，活到九十九 which literally means "after food one hundred steps walk, live until 99". This phrase comes to life daily by means of Tianjin seniors. Even Chinese seniors living abroad are often the most active in their communities, seen routinely making the rounds after meals, outside getting their power walks in. Another activity Tianjin seniors really enjoy is something similar to kicking a hacky sack back and forth. Many Tianjin seniors love to kick around a small object with feathers attached to the end of it, in Chinese it is called 踢毽 and literally translates to "kick shuttlecock". However this object is not the same as the shuttlecock used in Badminton play. Rather it is specifically designed for kicking back and forth. Be a solo performance or as a group with fellow friends, Tianjin seniors love to kick around this small object and stay active! It takes quite a lot of coordination, balance and physical stamina. For expats staying in Tianjin who want to get active themselves, find your local park and get into the action with your friendly Tianjin seniors!
The minds of Tianjin seniors are as active as their bodies! The love for Chinese calligraphy is a prime example of their vibrant minds at work. Chinese calligraphy is indeed art. It takes years of study and painstaking practice, thus with age often comes increased beauty to ones calligraphy. Chinese calligraphy takes patience, inner calm and commitment; qualities Tianjin seniors perhaps possess more of than their younger counterparts. Chinese calligraphy is a hobby which does not require a lot of money and in case one is physically limited, can still provide one with a great sense of joy and satisfaction as they practice each Chinese character one by one. In this era of digital this and digital that, many young people struggle to write basic Chinese characters with accuracy and finesse, much less ever come to be called calligraphy masters 书法家. Therefore many of the best calligraphy masters are those advanced in years. It is highly recommended that expats explore the beauty and brilliance which is Chinese calligraphy, which likely will have you meeting some of the friendly Tianjin seniors along the way. The Tianjin College for Senior Citizens has classes helping those in their later years to keep learning and improving their Chinese calligraphy talents.
Besides the mind and body, don't forget the vocal cords! Tianjin seniors love to sing! Singing classes also make the list at The Tianjin College for Senior Citizens. Long before the days of the The Voice and other popular reality television shows started rising up on the charts, Tianjin seniors have been leading the way with their passion for pop. Granted their choice of tunes may differ slightly, their love for the musical arts does not! Thus, in addition to the structured study of how to sing, many an amateur vocalist can be heard when out and about in Tianjin. Tianjin seniors are not bashful and often put on public performances in parks and courtyards alike. Even when at home, depending on where you live, hearing one advanced in years singing loudly within their home is not out of the question. The singing skills of Tianjin seniors are intimately related to their memory skills. As they can often sing entire songs by memory! Spend a little more time in the parks and open areas of your Tianjin apartment complex and you will be sure to happen upon a live performance!
No discussion of Tianjin seniors would be complete without mention of cooking. Cooking is so intrinsic to Chinese culture. Not to mention if you have yet to come to China or Tianjin, you likely do not know what Chinese food really tastes like. Many so called Chinese restaurants abroad have already greatly altered their culinary cuisine to accommodate the western palate, thus to eat a home cooked authentic Chinese meal in Tianjin as cooked by a Tianjin senior, should be on the list of expats coming to town. Food is huge in Tianjin. In fact, if you ask local Tianjin seniors about what they care about most, one thing that very well will make the list is eating! Eating doesn't happen without cooking, so you will find a large number of cooking enthusiasts here in Tianjin. As to what to cook, Tianjin seniors especially enjoy seafood. Be it shrimp, crab, or the various fish local to the rivers and seas nearby, many dishes include seafood. Soups are a stable to most meals. A typical meal will include several stir fried vegetables, a meat dish, rice and a soup. The soups vary greatly some being light and others eating more like a meal. Don't forget Chinese dumplings, noodles and other wheat based baked goods! Make friends with a Tianjin senior and most likely an opportunity to sample their cooking will not be far off! Tianjin seniors likely cook for themselves every day several times a day. Therefore cooking and eating their own tasty creations is near and dear to their hearts.
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| A Latin dance class for seniors in Tianjin. |
In addition to what Tianjin seniors enjoy doing in their spare time to enjoy their later years, there are also the practical issues associated with retirement. Retirement 退休 is a topic that pretty much every Tianjin senior talks about and has an opinion on. In recent times, the topic of retirement has become quite the buzz, even more than usual. This is due in large part to some major policy changes as it relates to the retirement age for Chinese men and women, which may occur at some point in the future. What are these policy changes? How does retirement inside China compare with retirement abroad? What are the reactions to potential changes? Let's take a few moments to examine the relative details.
In Canada, most jobs do not have a mandatory retirement age. If you are capable to carry out the job duties physically and mentally, you can continue as long as you wish. In fact, many jobs cannot restrict employment on the basis of age, as this would be considered one type of discrimination. I have several examples of colleagues in public occupations that are still working well into their 70's and one in his 80's. They obviously enjoy and love their jobs and are not working for the sake of money because if they were to retire, their pension would be almost the same as what they are now receiving as their salary.
In America, the standard retirement age is 65 years old for both men and women. At this point a citizen may apply to the US government for social security. This social security payment made monthly to the senior citizen is typically not considered enough to cover all basic living expenses. Therefore it is very common in the States for those in their 60's to continue working, even though they may be getting social security. Some however opt to not take social security from the government as their personal earning power exceeds the government payment and they do not want to face the tax liability associated with accepting social security.
In China, retirement is mandatory and it is presently age 55 for women and 60 for men. However, this may change in the near future as the Chinese government is considering changing this rule and extending the retirement age. This is becoming a very controversial issue. On the one hand, as China's population grows and becomes more affluent, social support programs are being expected to provide greater services for the population, especially for the retired elderly. But these demands are outreaching resources and especially for the recently retired who have not contributed when such programs were not in existence. One solution is to extend the retirement age and have additional contributors into the programs.
There is opposition to this planned extension because many young graduates and new work force members are finding it difficult to find employment. We have seen recent stories of university graduates having to work as waiters in order to gain employment because of the shortage of jobs. Positions that will be further reduced if the planned retirement extension is enacted.
There are also those that are now near the existing retirement age, those women that are 53 or 58 for men, that have been looking forward to retirement and collecting their pensions in order that they can travel or take care of their grand children. They don't want to work another five years and feel it is unfair that they need to wait another five years, whereas their colleagues were able to retire at 55 and 60.
The situation in China is further complicated by the one-child family policy, which was introduced to control the exploding population. It worked and probably too well, as last year, China's employment pool started to reduce. With fewer contributors to social programs, China needs to resolve the underfunding of these programs, especially old age pensions. One can see the recent easing of the one-child policy, allowing single child sibling parents are now allowed to have a second child and rural parents are allowed to have a second child if their first born was a girl.
The working-age labor force in China declined by 3.45 million people last year, according to the government. The United Nations has forecast a drop of about 24 million in the population age 15 to 59 from 2015 to 2025, while people age 65 and older will increase by about 66 million. Scarcity is helping push up labor costs, driving companies such as Samsung Electronics to relocate production to other countries such as Vietnam. (Contrary to the earlier example of job shortages, this example of worker shortages is for low skilled jobs.) Raising the male retirement to 65 by 2020 may help keep the labor force somewhat stable, statistics-bureau data show were 41.5 million men age 47 to 51 in 2011. There were 51.5 million women age 37 to 41.
Canada, only has 34 million people and is faced with similar problems of underfunding of social programs. Over half of all government revenues go towards social programs and this is spiraling as medical costs are rising. Canada started their Pension Plan in 1965, much earlier than China and still encounters problems. In Canada, individual tax rate rates are dependent upon income levels and the average tax rate is near 50% for most professionals. Some of my Chinese friends are surprised at this and ask how Canadians can put up with this. I explain that with a small population and such a large country, this is accepted when you see the high level of living standard and support services to the public.
While US tax rates on average are not quite as high as in Canada, they still are quite significant, ranging from 30-50% depending on one's tax bracket. The US is facing huge financial pressure related to the social security program and providing health care for seniors. Some financial professionals have even commented that US citizens in their 20-40's currently should not expect to be getting social security when they reach retirement age, as the US would lack the monetary means to provide it.
Most developed countries experience the problems of reducing employment pools, higher life expectancy and higher living costs. In Canada, pensioners will receive a reduced pension if they apply for payments before they reach age 65 and a larger amount if they apply when they are 70. The UK is considering raising their pension age to 66 and Australia plans to raise their pension age to 68 by 2030.
China is considering similar plans to provide a larger payment if applied for when the citizen is older. In fact, one academic indicated that the government would prefer that their citizens stop working at 50 and collect pensions at 65. It is also expected that this increase will be staged over time. Perhaps increases of 3 months per year in order to reduce the impact.
An important factor for this is higher life expectancy. Being 50 or 60 is no longer thought of been that old so extending the retirement age does make sense. The average life expectancy in Canada is 82 for women and 80 for men. The China average is 74 for women and 72 for men but as high as 82 for women in Beijing or Shanghai. However, local public opinion appears to be generally negative towards extending the current retirement age.
One reason for this strong objection is likely those ready to retire are in their 50s and they struggled China coming out of the Cultural Revolution and rapid economic expansion which required heavy demands on country and workers and resulted in double digit growth for three decades. The leap has been dramatic, from being the poor man of Asia to the second largest economy in the world. So now most of the populace want a chance to enjoy it.
Not everyone stops working when they retire. In North America, the most obvious example is the Wal-Mart door greeters. They are usually retirees that work part time greeting customers and helping with directing them to find goods.
There are also numerous volunteer opportunities. Check any Canadian airport and you will see retirees helping travellers find the right check in counters or especially International travellers who need help because of language. These volunteers are not paid but are given passes for local city attractions and become great ambassadors for the city while working at the airport only a few hours a week and promoting attractions for tourists. There are similar volunteer opportunities in Tianjin, see an earlier article about Jian Hua Foundation.
The bottom line, some Tianjin seniors want to or need to keep working. Many Tianjin seniors play a major role in contributing to the families overall monthly income. For such ones, if the retirement age for men and women in China is raised, they would benefit. It would actually afford them the opportunity to stay in their jobs legally longer without the fear of being "required" to retire. On the other side, some Tianjin seniors are eager to move on to the excitement and freedom associated with retirement years and the thought of working additional years is less than thrilling. They have already made their "golden years to do list" and do not want a policy change to delay their plans.
One thing is for sure, Tianjin seniors in general are very active. Be it due to necessity or by choice, seniors around town are on the move. An example is how they get around. Many seniors can be seen taking public transportation. They are very capable in getting where they want to go and their advanced age is not slowing them down in any way. This is in the context of Tianjin buses not always offering the smoothest or roomiest ride, yet, Tianjin seniors fear not standing, squishing or holding on for a roller coaster like trip. In this respect Tianjin seniors seem very hardy and capable of taking care of themselves. Also on the transportation topic, the metro system is expanding rapidly in Tianjin. As such, Tianjin seniors seem to be adapting their routes and learning the ropes of this underground travel option, already so familiar to the seniors of Beijing and Shanghai years ago. Included in the modes of travel for Tianjin, seniors ride bicycles, tricycles and drive small electric cars. Cabs and full-size motorized vehicles seem to be the last on the list as it relates to transportation at current. However, with more and more families buying cars in Tianjin, China, and additional regulations in the works on controlling non-licensed vehicles, which take up precious Tianjin road space, in the coming years Tianjin seniors may more than likely to opt for the comfy seat of the family sedan.
Outside of the locals, what about the expat seniors? Don't be mistaken, they do exist! While those of retirement years do not always set their sights on travel abroad, the truth is, it may be a real option. As with locals, for expat seniors there is plenty to do in Tianjin.
One option for expat seniors in Tianjin is study. The Chinese government has done a lot to open up Chinese scholarship options for not just the young in years, but the young at heart. With a bit of research online you can find options to apply for a Chinese scholarship in Tianjin. These scholarships are not bad at all. Typically they will include all the costs of classes, lodging, and even a monthly allowance for living expenses. Expat seniors from America, Canada, Korea and many other places have found coming to Tianjin to learn Chinese and experience the culture first hand to be quite interesting and rewarding. In addition under the care of a major university, often most major issues related to finding a place to stay and getting to/from classes can be avoided completely.
In talking to such expat seniors, surprisingly it was found, several had little to no Chinese language skills before coming to Tianjin. Yet this did not deter them. Through the help of friends and the Chinese universities, they were able to successfully apply for a scholarship and arrive in Tianjin. This is a great encouragement to anyone intimidated by the thought of learning Chinese and coming to China! Like the Chinese saying noted earlier: "never stop learning" 活到老学到老! Indeed do not let age be an automatic barrier to traveling abroad and learning a new language. In fact some research has even indicated that learning a new language helps tremendously to keep the brain active and prevent Alzheimer's disease. So for the anti-aging benefits or the once in a lifetime experience, perhaps studying Chinese in Tianjin is a great choice for expat seniors.
Expat seniors may also want to consider working in Tianjin. In some cases, you may find serving as a foreign expert is possible. As such, the compensation and provisions made for foreign experts working in Tianjin are typically quite acceptable. In addition to the fact that the overall cost of living in Tianjin is less than in Beijing and Shanghai or back home, a later life work experience in Tianjin may be just the right fit. Tianjin residents' young and old value learning and life experience, so a foreign expert with specialized industry experience or training may find themselves quite in demand. Not to mention, due to the continued dedication and desire to learn English by Tianjin locals, expat seniors will likely find themselves staying busy during their stay in Tianjin with requests to teach English.
As we've seen from our article, one really is never too old to learn! Tianjin seniors are setting the pace and keeping active well into the later years of life. Although possible policy changes may result in some Tianjin seniors working a few extra years, in general having something to do is far better that sitting around with nothing to do! So too, expat seniors looking to spice up their later years can also consider coming to Tianjin for study, work or travel!