Chinese President Xi Jinping checked the menu and prices of meals and inquired about services for the elderly during a visit to a dining hall in Beijing's hutong. At a nearby apartment building for the elderly, he inquired about health checkups, rehabilitation programs and daily care for residents.
Xi, who is also General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the visit as part of a two-day inspection tour for the Spring Festival, China's most important traditional holiday, symbolizing renewal, warmth and strengthening family ties.
In addition to Monday's stop at the National IT Innovation Park, where he reviewed technological innovations, Tuesday's program focused on social security and improving living conditions, with particular emphasis on elderly care, protecting workers in new forms of employment and modernizing city government.
Care for the elderly
The Visiting Senior Citizens Zone is part of Beijing's 2024 Living Improvement Initiatives. It covers 510 metres and brings together 12 service providers, including a cultural centre and an apartment block for the elderly, with wheelchair-accessible and age-friendly adaptations.
Official figures show that the population over 60 years old in China has reached 320 million, accounting for about 23 % of the total population. In recent years, measures to address the aging population have increased, including expanding pension coverage and strengthening community-based elderly care networks.
The number of participants in the basic pension insurance system exceeded 1.07 billion. China has more than 400,000 elderly care facilities and nearly 8 million beds. A network combining home, community and institutional care and integrating care with health and rehabilitation support is being developed. Urban „15-minute elderly care circuits“ are also being established.
Under the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), China will further expand basic services for the elderly, strengthen urban and rural care networks, and accelerate the upgrading of public spaces to barrier-free and age-friendly ones. The plan also promotes a „silver economy“ to address the needs of the ageing population.
„The care and support of the elderly is a shared responsibility of the whole society,“ Xi said, calling for creating conditions for a happy and contented life for senior citizens.
New forms of employment
Outside the cafeteria, Xi met with the three deliverymen, asking about their workload, reception and holiday plans, and praising their contributions to the running of the city. He said cities cannot function without these workers and local governments should provide better support for workers in new forms of employment, including living, working and learning services.
In China, some 84 million people, mostly under 35, are working in new forms of employment. As of 30 November 2025, the annual volume of express shipments exceeded 180 billion parcels, demonstrating the scale of demand emerging alongside a rapidly growing platform economy.
Urban renewal and governance
Xi also visited the Longfusi commercial area in Dongcheng County, strolled through the Spring Festival market and visited stalls selling New Year's products. Longfusi is traditionally a famous site for temple festivals. The area has been renovated in recent years and turned into a commercial district that combines traditional culture with modern shopping.
This project is part of China's broader urban renewal efforts. In recent years, old residential neighbourhoods have been renovated, parks and green corridors built, historic districts and industrial buildings revitalised, and connections with surrounding communities strengthened.
Official figures show that more than 220,000 old residential neighbourhoods have been renovated in the last five years, bringing improvements for nearly 39 million households. In 2025 alone, 27,100 projects have been launched to renovate old urban neighbourhoods and 14,000 lifts have been installed. More than 4,700 pocket parks and over 5,800 km of urban green corridors have been built, and 156,000 km of underground utilities have been renovated.
Xi's visit underscores China's continued emphasis on domestic policies aimed at improving the living conditions of its citizens. Care for the elderly, workers and environmental improvements reflect people-oriented governance, where each measure targets the actual needs of residents and ensures that cities are real homes for the people.
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