Abstract
In this chapter, the AAI for China is calculated by using the 2011–2012 data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). Its findings reveal the unrealized potential of Chinese older population comparing to countries in the European Union (EU). It is argued that social policies should aim at enabling older people to maintain quality of life and contribute to the family, the economy and society. What can be safely recommended includes: (1) flexible retirement plans for older population to voluntarily participate in labour market; (2) an efficient community based old-age care system and lifelong learning system to enable the older population to enjoy active, independent, secured and healthy life.
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Notes
- 1.
Chongyang Festival (also known as Double Ninth Festival, on the ninth of the ninth month in the lunar calendar) is a holiday for the elderly. The festival has existed for around 2000 years. Family members gather to show respect to the elderly. Number “9” also symbolizes longevity in China due to the similar pronunciation (“jiu”) in Mandarin to the word “eternality”.
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Xiong, Q., Wiśniowski, A. (2018). Comparative Study of Active Ageing in China and the EU Countries. In: Zaidi, A., Harper, S., Howse, K., Lamura, G., Perek-Białas, J. (eds) Building Evidence for Active Ageing Policies. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-6017-5_17
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