Isolated and abandoned: the heartbreaking reality of old age in rural China
For Qin Taixiao, old
age is a time of loneliness and back-breaking labor. Every day in winter,
the ailing 68-year-old wakes early, collects 50 kilograms (110 pounds) of firewood
from the nearby forest, and hauls it home on his back. He does it again in the
afternoon. Burning wood instead
of coal is a cheaper way to stave off the freezing temperatures of the northern
Chinese winter.
Qin and his wife, Sun
Sherong, have spent the past year almost entirely alone. They live in an
isolated and largely abandoned village about 240 kilometers (150 miles) from
Beijing. Between his trips to
the forest, Qin manages his emphysema and colon cancer with the meager amounts
of drugs he can afford. "What can I
say?" he says. "Life's all right. There is no other way."
His steely stoicism
fades only when talking about his favorite time of the year -- the Lunar New
Year. The week-long holiday is the only time he sees his three children. Like many others,
Qin's children left the village years ago to find work, joining the relentless
current of China's great urban migration spurred by its economic boom. Hundreds of millions have moved to cities in recent
decades, leaving behind empty villages. Qin's problems are
typical of those facing millions of families. China's population is aging
extremely quickly, and many elderly people are sure if the country or their
children will be able to support them... read more:
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/02/07/asia/china-elderly-people-new-year-intl/index.html