China's population is getting old, and more seniors are now in need of care. An increasing number of China's elders now choose to live in nursing homes rather than spend their "golden years" with their children. Chinese tradition dictates children are responsible for looking after their aging parents, so what's led to this change? 

Eighty-year-old Zhou Yongning is making Maohou or hair monkey. It's a traditional Chinese art form where magnolia buds and old cicada shells are used to make monkeys. It's part of his daily routine now at a place he considers more than just a home. 

Zhou and his wife have lived in this nursing institution for over six years. The facility is also home to over 400 elders. They are part of the growing number of Chinese seniors in nursing homes. Many prefer this set-up than just staying at home. 

Zhou and his wife say the reason is plain and simple: They get better care here.

Zhou’s wife Li Wen said "For instance, if I get sick at midnight, or like 2-3 a.m., I just need to make a call, and in five minutes, doctors, nurses, managers on duty will all come. And within 10 minutes, the ambulance will arrive and send me to a hospital. But if I stay at home, I need to bother neighbors, and the rescue will come much later."

The Zhou couple doesn't have children. But many of the other seniors in the facility stay there against what's considered traditional in Chinese families. 

In China it's a deeply-rooted belief that children should care for their aging parents at home. There was a stigma in sending parents to nursing homes, which is seen as abandoning one's responsibility. But China's senior population is soaring, and many of these seniors' offspring have to work full time to make both ends meet. This makes sticking to tradition near impossible. 

Given the circumstances, nursing homes are becoming more acceptable. 

Lu Bin, director of Beijing Everbright Huichen Nursing Home said, “When we first opened in 2007, it was very hard to attract senior citizens because neither their children nor themselves accepted this new approach of living an elder life. But they gradually changed their minds, and in 2010, the occupancy rate exceeded over 70 percent. And now our nursing home is fully occupied, even with over 300 people on the waiting list, trying to get in.”

For many of the senior citizens whose material lives have greatly improved over the decades, they are now pursuing higher spiritual needs. Senior citizen Wu Fusheng believes that nursing homes seem to provide them with more options to develop other interests and fight loneliness.

“Some people say that loneliness is even more horrible than poverty, and is one of the major health risks. We made so many friends in here, they used to be generals, academicians, ambassadors, and even a famous cartoonist. We share a lot of common interests and topics. With so many friends, loneliness doesn't bother us at all. ”

China is greying at an unprecedented rate. According to the United Nations, China is expected to have over half a billion people over the age of 60 by the year 2050 exceeding the entire population of the United States.

China now has more than five million nursing beds for elder people. There is an average of 26 beds per 1,000 old people. The Ministry of Civil Affairs promised to accelerate the development of the old-age care services nationwide and increase the number of nursing beds.

As the senior population grows, the country has promised to introduce new measures to cope with increased pressure from the quantity and quality of long-term health care facilities to ensure the elderly enjoy their remaining days.