Abstract
This paper examined the current situation of leisure life of aging population in urban and rural area from an angle of history, policy, culture, and economy, revealing the differences in the leisure life between rural and urban elderly residents. While the Chinese government is proud of the achievement in making its people’s life longer, it has to tackle the challenge of how to make the leisure life of aging population as an important part of their later year’s life not just for the aged urban residents but especially for the aged rural residents. The underlying social and economic reasons that may account for such differences are discussed extensively. It is hoped the paper will be somewhat conducive to this area of study.
Highlights
China has seen an unprecedented economic growth for recent ten years with its GDP at an increasing rate of 7-8 % annually
The domicile registration system, based on each household as a basic unit, was first established in 1949 when Chinese Communist Party founded People’s Republic of China. Those who resided in countryside or county-based towns were naturally registered as rural residents, namely peasants, while those who lived in urban area registered as urban residents
The last one, the domicile registration system keeps their children from going to study in urban area for better education unless their children can successfully pass a nationwide university admission test, only can they change their status from agricultural domicile to non-agricultural domicile and enjoy all the same government benefits as enjoyed by urban residents
Summary
China has seen an unprecedented economic growth for recent ten years with its GDP at an increasing rate of 7-8 % annually. China is undergoing a rapid growth both in the proportion of the total population and in sheer numbers of elderly people. Population aging is becoming one of the most significant demographic changes in China with the elderly share projected to reach 27 percent in 2050. Such a demographic shift combined with the other two social economic changes, namely, increased living standard as the result of 1980s economic reform in general and an extended period of post-work life for older adults living in cities because of the institutionalization of retirement in particular, have made aged persons’ lives, especially their leisure life an increasingly important topic of social conversations in China
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