After putting on a "senior citizen's suit," Guo Lin, a graduate student with the Beijing-based Institute of Gerontology affiliated to Renmin University, immediately felt as if she had become a grandma who could not take proper care of herself.

"I don't feel comfortable at all. I really want to move around as quickly as usual, however, I have great difficulty in doing so," complained Guo, who was taking a special class entitled "experiencing old age."

During the special class, Guo and her classmates were asked to try out the outfit imported from Japan in order to feel how hard it is for the elderly to move around.

Additions to the outfit included a pair of glasses that gave her blurred vision and a pair of earplugs that greatly weakened her listening.

Other burdensome gadgets for the back, arms and legs deprived her of the flexibility normally associated with youth. "I want to climb the stairs, but it feels so hard to keep balance while raising my legs," said the young student, who was taken aback when teachers later told her that this was how she would feel when she is old.

According to Jiang Xiangqun, an associate professor with the Institute of Gerontology with the Renmin University, these "old age" classes highlight the University's courage in blazing new trails in education.

"It is both necessary and helpful to once again arouse society's concern for the aged," he claimed.

The living conditions of some elderly Chinese people are not good enough, even though age-old Chinese culture puts great emphasis on respecting senior citizens.

"The recent economic boom has had a side effect: More and more young people have focused their attention on working hard and earning big bucks. Consequently, they show less concern towards the elderly members of their families, including their parents and grandparents," Jiang emphasized.

Meanwhile, China has begun her so-called "era of ageing" and the problems caused by the ageing population will become increasingly serious.

Up to now, the total population of old people above the age of 60 has reached 132 million and China, along with many other countries, is becoming a so-called "greying society." It is expected that the numbers of this group will account for about one third of the total Chinese population by the middle of the century.

"It is true that many youngsters have the heavy burden of taking care of their parents," said Feng Caiying, a 36-year-old employee with a foreign-funded company.

Feng's parents are now in their early 70s and their health is poor. About four times a year, they have to stay in hospital for several weeks due to chronic illness.

Feng is an only child and sometimes has to interview customers outside of Beijing. In order to take care of them, she must hurry to the hospital from the airport after getting off a plane.

"My husband cannot help me because he faces the same problem. His parents are older than mine and suffer the heart disease. I admit that my care of my parents is not good enough," she lamented.

"In my opinion, problems such as Feng's can only be alleviated by society's concern and co-operation, such as volunteer work or considerate service for the aged within their homes. This is the main reason for our 'ageing' classes," Jiang emphasized.

As to the status of China's gerontology research and education, Jiang said that it lags behind some developed Western countries.

Different from the Western gerontology research and education, which boasts a history of more than half a century, Chinese research work started in 1984. The university's gerontology institute is the only such research and educational outfit in the country and enrolled master and doctoral candidates just two years ago.

"The total number of professional gerontology scholars like me is only around 50 nationwide. In this sense, our work is fledgling. We are also facing the problem of a shortage of funds for academic research," Jiang said.

However, Jiang is optimistic about Chinese gerontology's future development.

"With the further development of neighbourhoods and the increasingly aged populations, more talent majoring in gerontology is badly needed. I believe positive change is imminent," Jiang said.

(China Daily November 7, 2005)