Facing the challenge of a growing aging demographic, the country is focusing on developing services to meet the needs of the elderly. CGTN's Ning Hong pays a visit to the coastal city of Qinhuangdao in the northern Chinese province of Hebei to find out how the senior adults in one community are faring. 

The retirees in this community of Xishan say they're living a full life, thanks to this well-equipped community center that serves their health and wellness needs.

LI XIAOQIN Community Resident, Qinhuangdao "There are many activities such as choral singing, dance lessons, painting and calligraphy."

MENG XIANGHUI Community Resident, Qinhuangdao "When you are living and working in peace and contentment, you feel different psychologically and spiritually."

The community of Xishan has a population of 23,000 and nearly a quarter is over 65 years old. The service center provides support for cultural and sport activities and more importantly, assists them with their health care."

NING HONG Xishan Community, Qinhuangdao City "The local government provides subsidies for those who are in need of rehabilitation or mobility devices. This powered wheelchair sold for over 25 hundred yuan in the market. People can rent it for just over one thousand yuan for six month, after that they could keep it as lower as half the price."

ZHAO JINGSI  Community Party Secretary, Xishan Community, Beidaihe, Qinhuangdao "We have introduced a third-party company and set up a pilot program for the rental of rehabilitation equipment. The municipal government subsidizes 60%, the district government subsidizes 20%, and residents only need to pay 20% of the funds."

Psychological counseling is also available to residents in Xishan.

CHEN YANFANG Psychological Counselor "For the elderly, we make assessments and provide psychological support for some of them who are widowed, are empty-nesters, or disabled."

Elderly residents who are homebound get their needs met as well.

LIU CHUNMEI Director, Xishan Sub-District Local Government, Qinhuangdao "For the disabled and semi-disabled, we organize community volunteers and cooperate with third-party service agencies, to provide door-to-door assistance with bathing, dining, and travel services."

Xishan is located in Beidaihe, which is a popular retirement resort in China. Many sanatoriums in Beidaihe date back to the middle of the last century. This is a nursing home for coal miners. What's going on here is a lung lavage operation. For over 50 years, more than 300,000 coal miners were treated and recovered here.

CHEN GANG Deputy Director, Beidaihe Convalescent Hospital, Ministry of Emergency Management "We follow the concept of serving people's health in a full cycle, from disease prevention, diagnosis, control, treatment and rehabilitation. We have neurological, bone and joint, cardiopulmonary and respiratory rehabilitation."

Health care institutions have focused on improving Traditional Chinese Medicine to prevent the onset of disease.

CHEN GANG Deputy Director, Beidaihe Convalescent Hospital, Ministry of Emergency Management "Prevention requires the use of traditional Chinese medicine to treat diseases before they occur, so that patients do not develop the disease. Reduce the incidence. We intervene as soon as we can in the rehabilitation to reduce disability and improve life quality."

The health and wellness needs the elderly receive here is a preview of China's efforts to develop the life sciences and health industries in Qinhuangdao. Measures to promote trade, biomedicine, and the digital economy are in place to complement the city's reputation for being wellness and tourism hub. Ning Hong, CGTN, Qinhuangdao.