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I was always struck when I lived in China how young, happy and active the elderly all seemed, even though they were much the same age as elderly folk where I gr
by Apfel 4y ago
I was always struck when I lived in China how young, happy and active the elderly all seemed, even though they were much the same age as elderly folk where I grew up (the UK).
I had a feeling it must be at least partly due to their increased role in child rearing among most families.
This is partly just traditional Chinese culture but probably also comes in part due to the awful working hours most Chinese people tend to face. It's very common to just dump your kids on your parents out there.
It does cause some issues, as the grandparents tend to have more ... traditional parenting approaches (corporal punishment fairly common) but for the elderly themselves it's definitely something they really look forward to in their later years.
- dominotw 4y ago> China how young, happy and active the elderly all seemed probably because they haven't been exposed to a lifetime of processed foods like here in the west.
- CodeSgt 4y agoDefinitely depends where in China for this to be true. Shanghai or Beijing? Won't be much, if any, better than in the US. Countryside? Likely will be much better, but food is often scarce in general in these areas.
- feet 4y agoMy assumption is that it could be multifactorial, societal and family integration along with diet and who knows what else. Life is stupidly complex
- Apfel 4y agoThis was in a major city (Guangzhou). I think China has its own issues with food safety and additives. Very little regulatory action has led to some very nasty stories about adulteration and gastric problems. I think when I was in China I was basically in a perpetual state of food poisoning for several years.