Song Delong was elated to see how much participants enjoyed themselves in a competition for seniors on Thursday in Pinggu District on the outskirts of Beijing.

On their way back from the venue, which is about 90 kilometers from the capital's downtown area, the excitement can still be felt in the coach.

"I tried games I hadn't played before at this event, and I was envious to see others play so well. I will go home and practice so that I can get at least a second place in the next event," said an elderly man, who won a round of applause from his friends.

"We had a great time today. I think that living into my 70s is worth it. I feel so blessed to live in this age and this country," said an elderly woman.

Hu Dianqin, 66, won the second prize of the "Magic Four Seasons" game during the competition. In the board game, players need to match China's 24 solar terms with their corresponding seasons.

The knowledge of China's 24 solar terms, which has been added to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, is an ancient practice to mark seasonal changes and schedule agricultural activities. Through astronomical observations and monitoring the sun's annual motion, the ancient Chinese divided the year into 24 parts, each spanning 15 days. Each segment is called a solar term and six solar terms make up one season.

"I was really pleased with my performance," Hu told CGTN, adding that the game was easy to learn taking her about three hours of practice before the competition.

During the past decade after retirement, Hu has been busy working as a community volunteer, organizing fitness activities and promoting healthy lifestyles. In addition to exercising her brain and fingers, she said, there are psychological benefits for old people engaging in games.

"Taking this competition for example, old folks can meet new friends and have a good time together," said Hu.

As one of the organizers, Song hoped that, despite their age, participants can bond and communicate with the outside world more and gain a sense of belonging.

The competition made its debut in the fifth China (Beijing) Leisure Conference, which opened on Thursday as well. Besides the main venue in Beijing, another spot was arranged in Tangshan, north China's Hebei Province. A total of 79 seniors from eight community teams took part in the competition in Beijing. The average age of participants was 68, with the oldest being 77 years old.

The competition not only shows creative ways for the elderly to enjoy their leisure time, but also gives clues about the domestic market for elderly games, Song said during an interview with CGTN.

In 2020, Song opened a store in eastern Beijing selling games for the elderly, which was rare at that time. During the past three years, his store has grown into a testing ground for multiple innovative projects which focus on senior-friendly adaptations. Meanwhile, seniors in its neighborhood are delighted to find a toy store where they can try a variety of games specially designed for them.

The number of people aged 60 and above in China has reached 280 million by the end of 2022, accounting for 19.8 percent of the total population, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. And it's estimated that the number will increase to 420 million by 2035. Due to a birth peak in 1963, this year will see the largest net increase in the elderly population.

Today's leisure time for Chinese people has increased significantly compared with that before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Green Book of China's Leisure (2022-2023). In 2022, the total leisure time of urban residents (1,522 hours) and rural residents (1,511 hours) saw an increase of 23 percent and 31 percent respectively compared with that of 2019.

The market share of the leisure industry has gradually increased over the past years, and China's increasing elderly population has the potential for the development of the elderly games industry, which is still in its infancy, said Song, adding that it can be a sunrise industry in the future.