We Chinese have a tradition of comparing people of different ages to the sun at different hours. Late Chairman Mao Zedong likened the youths to the morning sun between seven and eight o'clock.

The setting sun is the invariable figure of speech for elderly people, usually over the age of 60. For instance, members of a performing art troupe composed of elderly and retirees in Tangshan, North China's Hebei Province, have named their troupe "Qiao Xiyang," meaning "Attractive Setting Sun."

The troupe recently won national fame for an ingenious dance mimicking traditional Chinese shadow play that they performed at the CCTV Spring Festival Gala Show, before an audience of several hundred millions around the world. It took the top prize for best dance show in a popular vote with viewers claiming to have come from some 30 countries.

In a series of interviews with the TV and other media, the troupe members, most of them women already with grandchildren, talked about how their daily practice and various performances around the country have given their life in retirement new meaning.

Unlike many of their peers, they are freed from daily household chores and boredom.

Similar troupes and institutions where the elderly learn tai-chi, calligraphy or ink-wash paintings, or practise yanggo dances or sing in choruses have also mushroomed in the country.

It is inevitable, as China is fast becoming a country of grey hair with its population ageing rapidly over the past few years. Today, all China's major metropolises have entered what the United Nations defines an ageing society, with the people above the age of 60 accounting for 10 per cent of the population.

It is fun and encouraging to see how singing, dancing, painting and even taekwondo have brightened the lives of the elderly and retirees.

But I don't think entertainment and artistic recreation alone will help alleviate the real problems of ageing.

In fact, the whole country already has to grapple with the challenges of an ageing society, as the sheer population of retirees is huge. It is already known that there is a shortfall of more than US$300 billion in the national pension system. Social security and public funds for basic medical care are also strained.

Ironically, the average retirement age in China is 51.2, 10 years lower than the world average. Many, especially women, are forced to take early retirement against their will, despite the fact that many of the early retirees possess useful skills or knowledge. While their talent and previous training and experiences are wasted, they've also lost the chance to top up their own pensions and contribute to the overall pension system.

It is true we are also in a period in which economic growth has not been able to provide jobs for all the youths who come into the job market. Only a little over 70 per cent of the college graduates have a prospect of finding a job they desire, and their expectation for payment has fallen to an all-time low.

But governments at all levels and society must beware of short-sighted plans or policies that try to mend one fence while breaking another.

The economy and society have become so complex that authorities must learn to balance the needs of all people and tap the rich resources of all people, young and the elderly alike.

A harmonious society requires contributions and enthusiasm from people of all ages.

Email: lixing@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 03/02/2006 page4)