A digital way to age gracefully

Camera shyness

Thanks to Spring in Chunxuanmao, Geng has garnered a huge fan following, particularly among younger generations. She was initially apprehensive about participating in the video shoots. She now takes pleasure in perusing the positive feedback from young viewers and acknowledges the role their content has played in alleviating the stress faced by young Chinese people.

"At first, I was nervous speaking in front of the camera," Geng said.

She credits director Chen Zhuo for offering invaluable guidance by elucidating the purpose behind each episode to the senior performers and even providing practical demonstrations to aid their performance.

Geng and her fellow actors even delve into discussions on such taboo topics as death. "In communities with a large elderly population, 'death' is often a sensitive topic. However, in our video clips, we address it openly, even finding humor in it," she explained.

Geng shared how her personal experiences, including heart surgeries, have deeply ingrained in her a sense of gratitude for health and happiness. "Just sitting in a room with a furrowed brow won't solve any problems," she said. "It's normal to face health issues as we age; take the necessary medications and move on."

Recognizing the intense pressures of modern society, she advocates for a balanced approach to life and encourages young individuals to confront challenges with resilience and optimism.

She said every generation faces its own unique challenges. "During our time, jobs were assigned by the State," she said, subtly alluding to job-related anxieties such as unemployment, layoffs and grueling work schedules that one often finds in tech companies these days. But life was never easy for her generation, either, as they were often grappling with multiple children. "I hope that by watching these videos, younger audiences can approach obstacles with greater determination and positivity."

Known as "Grandpa Carl" in many video clips, Chen Jiawei, 81, almost died in his 50s. Diagnosed with the rare Guillain-Barré syndrome at 55, a condition that typically gave patients only a few months to live, he defied the odds and survived, albeit with a severe walking disability.

After retirement, Grandpa Carl became a self-taught singer, drawing inspiration from opera greats such as Pavarotti and Chinese singer Dai Yuqiang. His exceptional singing talent, combined with his remarkable battle against a life-threatening illness, led to him getting a special invite to perform in a grand choir event in Beijing attended by national leaders.

Now, Chen Jiawei's passion has expanded to include content creation. Initially drawn to the video shoots for the social aspect, he soon discovered his knack for it. "I wasn't nervous facing the camera. It felt like a natural expression of genuine emotions, reflecting society's realities. With that approach, the end result couldn't have been anything but good," he said.

Creating short videos has become a daily ritual for him and his friends, who gather for half an hour, almost daily, to make videos.

Despite having become a local celebrity whom people approach on the streets with a request to pose for photographs with them, Chen Jiawei humbly declines many offers of free services from restaurants and barbershops.

Like many of his peers, Chen Jiawei was initially not keen to move into a retirement home. However, with the changing dynamics of single-child families and demands of changing times, many elders, including Chen Jiawei, eventually agreed to live in a retirement home to reduce the load on his children.

Their videos, showcasing joyful interactions among elderly peers, are slowly unraveling stereotypes about aging apart from family. When speaking to younger audiences, Chen Jiawei emphasizes that life is a journey rather than a relentless pursuit of meaning.

"Kids these days have huge dreams," he said. "Back in our day, our goals were pretty humble. Just hitting a small milestone or making a tiny dream come true would make us feel like we'd won a lottery." But, he added, "I don't want to come across as an educator, I just want to share my life's experience with the young people."