SENIORS BUSY THEMSELVES WITH LIFE IN RETIREMENT
Many activities available when working days are over
Liu Feng, 65, a volunteer museum tour guide, pointed to the outline of a character used in Chinese calligraphy and asked a boy in school uniform, “It looks like a wash basin, doesn’t it?”
She added: “It shows two hands holding a basin of water. The way the character looks explains its meaning. It’s called guan, which means to wash — especially the hands.”
The boy responded by nodding dutifully and jotting down comments in his notebook.
This scene played out on a recent afternoon at the Capital Museum in Beijing when Liu was telling visitors about Zi Zhong Jiang Pan, a water vessel from the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC). The bronze vessel is engraved with figures that include a fish, a frog and a bird.
Liu also explained the etiquette involved in guests washing their hands before they attend a traditional Chinese banquet.
With the summer vacation approaching, Liu is extremely busy at the museum, where the latest exhibition she is involved with is titled Pursuing Eternity: Conservation of Museum Collections.
The display, which opened on May 18, features some 50 cultural relics from 23 museums and research institutes nationwide, including Terracotta Warrior figures, bronzeware, silk items and paintings.
“When I start a tour, there are just a few visitors, but by the end, there are more than 20 or even 30. People love to hear the stories behind these cultural relics, especially children, who are curious and eager to learn. I always try to use simple words and anecdotes to appeal to the children. When they find a tour interesting and rewarding, it fills me with joy,” Liu said.
She has been a volunteer guide for more than three years and works at seven leading museums in Beijing, including the China Millennium Monument, the Capital Museum and the museum at Zhihua Temple, which was built during the Ming Dynasty (13681644). The vivid stories she tells are a valuable addition to the items on display.
Liu, who speaks English well and majored in economics at university, was a successful businesswoman before she retired 10 years ago. One of her favorite hobbies is visiting museums, which she said “not only brings me knowledge but also tranquility and relaxation after work”.
After retiring, she decided to take her hobby further by becoming a museum tour guide.
In 2019, Liu applied for such a position at the Capital Museum, where she passed a written examination and face-to-face interview.
“Being a museum visitor and then a museum tour guide is a totally different experience. I am trained by curators, learn about the exhibitions and each item on display. After digesting all the information, I try to present stories which are fun and easy to understand,” she said.
“Many television dramas feature the stories of imperial families, but have you noticed the clothes of the emperors and their wives? Do you know how those clothes were made, especially how the different colors were placed on them?” Liu asked visitors to the Capital Museum while guiding them around a display of colorful attire featuring imperial costumes from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
“Many plants were used to dye clothing, such as berries, tea plants, along with onion skins. For thousands of years, Chinese people used plants to dye fabric and fibers, which is environmentally friendly,” Liu said, pointing to dried plants exhibited beneath the colorful clothing.
She improvises when visitors ask her questions.
“I cannot simply tell the visitors information I’ve prepared. They often ask questions and it’s important for me to prepare more information for them, not just knowledge based on one particular exhibition, but from history to current affairs, from astronomy to geography. I remind myself constantly that I’m telling stories to inform my audience. I am not a professor giving lectures.”
Liu is part of the team of about 20 tour guides at the Capital Museum, whose average age is 58.
Yang Dandan, spokesman for the museum, said it started to recruit guides at the end of 2017, when the number of visitors rose significantly. Among the 800 or so applicants, two-thirds of them were seniors who had retired. In 2018, the first tour guide team was formed, with 16 senior members working as volunteers.
Retirement is about enjoying the rest of your life. We’re retired in a sense, but we have not expired!”
More free time
Liu Tongdi, 60, a tour guide at the Capital Museum, who joined the team in 2018 and specializes in escorting visitors to ceramic exhibitions, said: “You are never too old to learn. Compared with younger volunteer guides, we seniors have much more free time and are able to devote ourselves to the job, which is ideal for us. After retirement, we are still making a contribution to society and are sharing our personal values by spreading knowledge.”
Both Liu Feng and Liu Tongdi devote most of the week to their family members, preparing food for them and accompanying them when they go out.
“My son is very busy and is not married. When we have dinner together, we talk a lot about our jobs, and he is happy about my life in retirement,” Liu Feng said.
According to the seventh national population census conducted at the end of last year, China’s population rose to 1.412 billion in 2020, up from 1.4 billion a year earlier. People age 60 or older account for about 20 percent of the population, and those age 65 and older for 13.5 percent.
A happy and healthy retirement for many seniors now involves far more than just about taking care of grandchildren, cooking and cleaning at home, or playing mahjong with friends.
Yang Qiaolin, a retired teacher who pursued a psychology degree at Shenzhen University in Guangdong province, said: “Many people now think that retirement is a time for embarking on new adventures. Seniors are enjoying life in retirement by taking part in diverse activities, such as singing in a chorus, dancing together and joining reading clubs. These pursuits help them communicate with others outside their families and to make new friends.”
Yang, who recommends books offering advice for retirees, said: “Retirement means a different lifestyle from your working days. It’s important to keep up with the news so that you’re aware of what’s going on in the world, make new friends, find a new hobby and devote time to it every week.”
Popular venue
Seven months ago, Zhao Jie joined a club for aspiring models even though she is age 60. Every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, she practices deportment near a lake in Daguanyuan, or Grand View Garden — a park in Beijing — together with other club members, mostly retired women age 60 or older.
The park is a popular destination for seniors, who visit it every day to exercise and have fun. Some of them play musical instruments and sing, while others practice calligraphy strokes on the ground.
Zhao and other members of the club have become a fixture in the park. Accompanied by music — mostly soft and soothing Chinese folk songs — the club members, who number more than 20, walk gracefully and confidently, attracting considerable attention from tourists.
“I do my own makeup, and the clothes we wear accentuate our beauty in our 60s,” Zhao said, sporting a long, black gown decorated with red flowers.
Before she retired, the Beijing native was a policewoman, little expecting to model the gowns she saw on television in her “new life”.
“I didn’t even know how to smile while modeling, because in my job as a policewoman I needed to be quite serious,” Zhao said.
She added that the main reason she decided to join the club was because it provided her with the opportunity to meet people in her age group who shared a similar interest.
Three years ago, Zhao’s husband died of a heart attack, which left her devastated. Her son encouraged her to go out and make new friends, and she decided to give it a try.
In seven months, Zhao lost 15 kilograms, which made her look healthier and more attractive.
“Modeling helps improve body shape. It’s not a high-intensity activity, making it suitable for people of my age,” Zhao said.
The club was launched in 2019 by Zhang Shixiu, 60, who recruited a total of eight members of both genders. Before she retired, Zhang, who is a fan of various art forms, worked as a civil servant.
Her goal was to bring together seniors interested in modeling and help them become more involved with their community.
The seniors practice in parks and take part in fashion shows in communities and nursing homes in the capital. Zhang said, “It’s a positive trend because it improves our sense of self-worth after retirement.”
Wang Ziqiang, 69, attends shows staged by the club, as his wife, Wei Xiujuan, 65, is a member of the team.
A former event organizer in a government office, Wang is an enthusiastic ballet fan. He received training in the artistic dance form from the National Ballet of China as a young amateur dancer, performing roles such as Hong Changqing in the classic Chinese production The Red Detachment of Women.
After his wife joined the club for would-be models, Wang volunteered to be director and choreographer. He also helped design costumes and made videos for the club.
“Many elderly people who are about to retire look forward to finally being able to take a break, but after a few weeks or months, they may feel they are living a meaningless existence. Not having much to do may lead to boredom, and no longer having that many people to interact with may result in feelings of loneliness and isolation,” Wang said.
“When my wife told me about the club, I felt happy for her and supported her. Retirement is about enjoying the rest of your life. We’re retired in a sense, but we have not expired!”
The couple used to spend a lot of time traveling the world. Six years ago, their grandson was born and they devoted much of their time to caring for him. In September, he will go to school and the couple will have more opportunities for retirement activities.
Wei said: “This is an amazing time for seniors. I am happy and confident, and I’m not concerned about what people think of me when I put on a beautiful gown and makeup. In fact, I’m having such a good time that I hope I can keep doing this in my 70s.”
Wang Ziqiang, 69, former event organizer in a government office, who now assists at a club for would-be senior models