Chongyang Festival unites families in honoring elderly in China

As autumn paints the landscape in hues of gold and crimson, a cherished tradition is unfolding across China - the Chongyang Festival, also known as the Double Ninth Festival.

The Chongyang Festival, celebrated on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month of the traditional Chinese calendar, carries profound meaning for Chinese people. In Chinese culture, the number nine, pronounced "jiu," is a homophone for another word meaning "longevity and good health," making this festival a heartfelt tribute to the elderly. This year, the festival fell on October 11, Friday.

Traditionally, families will come together on this occasion to honor their elders, expressing love and respect. They participate in activities such as gathering to admire the beauty of chrysanthemums, donning pieces of dogwood (Cornus officinalis), tasting traditional Chongyang cakes and taking refreshing sips of chrysanthemum wine.

In 1989, the Chinese government designated the Double Ninth Festival as Senior's Day, blending traditional customs with modern practices to express respect, love, and support for the elderly. In recognition of its cultural significance, the Chongyang Festival was recognized in 2006 as part of China's first batch of national intangible cultural heritage.

In recent days, communities across the nation have also been engaging in a series of activities designed to celebrate and care for their senior citizens, ranging from climbing mountains to organizing cultural performances and providing care services for the elderly. Official statistics show that China has entered a moderately aging society.

There were 297 million people aged 60 and above in the country at the end of 2023, accounting for 21.1 percent of the total population. The number of people aged 65 and above reached 217 million, accounting for 15.4 percent of the total population, according to a Xinhua News Agency report in September.During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), the central government has been providing financial support for a program to enhance home- and community-based basic elderly care services.

To enhance services for the elderly, China is working toward creating a comprehensive support system that aims to significantly improve the quality of life for hundreds of millions of senior citizens, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Minister of Civil Affairs Lu Zhiyuan told a media conference in September that China will build an elderly-friendly society by improving its social security system, elderly care services and health support. He also noted that an elderly care services system with distinctive Chinese features is expected to become well-developed and smoothly functional by 2035, according to Xinhua.