"30 Hours a Month of Keeping Seniors Company Gets You Free Rent"... Chinese Millennials and Gen Z Turn to Nursing Homes as Rents Soar [China.zip]

Kindergartens Converted into Nursing Homes
More Young People Entering the Eldercare Field
High Satisfaction with "Connection and Emotional Healing" Benefits

Editor's NoteThis series delves into fascinating stories from China's vast and complex economy, society, and culture, unpacking them to bring you the most essential insights.

Recently in China, more members of Millennials & Gen Z have been living and interacting with older adults, bridging generational divides.

As low birth rates and an aging population emerge as serious social issues in China, kindergartens are being converted into nursing homes, and kindergarten teachers are moving into the elder-care workforce. At the same time, more young people are moving into nursing homes to live alongside older adults, while the number of young people joining group tours for seniors instead of meeting up with their peers is also rising rapidly.

In China, more and more young people are living and interacting with seniors across generations. Young people sharing life in nursing homes with seniors. China's Xiaohongshu.

Kindergartens in China Converted Into Nursing Homes as Integrated Facilities Multiply

China's Daxiang News reported on October 26, spotlighting the conversion of a kindergarten in Fuzhou into an elder-care facility and noting that the trend is spreading across the country. According to the National Bureau of Statistics' recently published Statistical Yearbook 2026, the national total dependency ratio stood at 45.1% last year. The child dependency ratio was 22%, while the old-age dependency ratio was 23.1%. It was the first time since the 1953 national census that the old-age dependency ratio had exceeded the child dependency ratio. Last year, China's population aged 65 and older reached 223.65 million, accounting for 15.9% of the total population. By contrast, the population aged 0 to 14 was 212.76 million, or 15.1% of the total, 10.89 million fewer than the older population.

The outlet reported that, as the population structure changes rapidly, many kindergartens are disappearing, while integrated facilities that combine childcare and elder care and look after older adults and children together are increasing.

The workforce is also being restructured, not just the facilities. In recent years, more young people have entered the elder-care industry. A manager surnamed Yang at a nursing home said that the facility had trained more than 300 care professionals over the past decade or so, 30% of whom were born in the 1990s or 2000s. "The influx of young people is one sign of the vitality of the industry," Yang said, adding, "Skills related to elder care are important, but it is even more important to help people understand the profession and develop a sense of mission." Yang also noted that elder care requires extensive knowledge and expertise, and that continued study is essential for personal growth.

In China, more young people are living and interacting with seniors, bridging generational divides. Young people are sharing life in nursing homes with older adults. Xiaohongshu in China.

Volunteering at Nursing Homes in Return for Rent Discounts or Free Housing

More people are also choosing to live in nursing homes to save on housing costs. Young residents can receive a rent discount or free accommodation if they volunteer by chatting with older adults, taking walks with them, or teaching them how to use smartphones.

One nursing home, for example, offers rent discounts of 200 yuan (about 40,000 won) for 10 hours of volunteering per month, 500 yuan (about 100,000 won) for 20 hours, and full rent exemption for 30 hours. Another facility offers monthly rent discounts of 500 yuan (about 100,000 won), 750 yuan (about 150,000 won), and 1,000 yuan (about 200,000 won) for 30, 40, and 50 hours of volunteering, respectively. "There is more laughter at the nursing home as the number of young residents grows," said a nursing home director. "We prioritize hiring young people with professional backgrounds in social welfare, public health, psychology, and law."

Senior Group Tours With Older Adults Also Gain Popularity

In China, more and more young people are living and interacting with older adults across generations. A young person travels with older adults. Xiaohongshu, China.

More young people are also signing up for senior group tours. China's Lanjing News recently highlighted the trend, reporting that "the low prices and well-planned itineraries, as well as the comfort and reassurance young people find in spending time with older adults, are winning them over."

Yang also spoke proudly of traveling with older adults after paying 158 yuan (about 31,000 won). "I lost 2.3 kg in three days," Yang said, adding, "My peers are all quiet and just look at their phones when we meet, but this gave me a sense of the world's vitality." Senior tours offer good value and are reasonably priced, with well-planned itineraries, guide services, meals, and lodging all included. Many participants say they are satisfied because the tours provide meals tailored to older adults rather than visits to trendy restaurants popular on social media, and because helping older adults carry their luggage and get around naturally increases their activity levels.

Some also say the tours offer meaningful opportunities for communication and emotional healing. A woman living in Zhejiang Province said she paid 200 yuan (about 40,000 won) to join a senior group tour, where she had constant conversations with older adults, gained wisdom about life, and received deep comfort. Older adults they meet, including retired teachers and former engineers, sometimes offer to introduce their neighbors' children, or their own or their colleagues' children, as potential romantic partners. This has prompted some to say, "It's better than any dating app."

The outlet noted that this kind of "intergenerational shared living" is bringing new vitality to elder-care services, but that many challenges must be addressed to make it sustainable over the long term. Sha Xuemin, a researcher at Zhejiang University's Institute of Public Policy, pointed out that young residents who are not professional caregivers may face burdens related to safety, privacy, and risk management. Wei Wanqing, a professor at South China Agricultural University, said, "Facilities in outlying areas have lower rents, but are less popular with young people. Urban facilities are more accessible, but high operating costs are an obstacle." Wei called for improvements to the conditions needed to support these facilities.

Local experts say that severe job shortages and soaring prices and housing costs are among the reasons young people are turning to nursing home stays and senior tours. China's economic uncertainty has persisted since the COVID-19 pandemic, amid weak domestic demand and a downturn in the real estate market, while youth unemployment and declining marriage and birth rates have become more serious problems. The high rents and cost of living in major cities add to the burden, making life increasingly difficult for young people who cannot find jobs. For young people pushed into temporary work such as delivery or livestream commerce, rent discounts at nursing homes and the value offered by senior tours have become reasonable alternatives.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.