A bimonthly magazine for senior citizens made its debut recently in the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions and Taiwan.

The magazine Hualing, which means old age in Chinese, is jointly sponsored by the mainland-based periodical Friends of Old Comrades, one of China's leading magazines for the elderly, and Hong Kong's Wenhui Daily.

The newly launched bimonthly will also be available in 30 other countries and regions.

The publishers say that the magazine uses traditional rather than simplified Chinese characters and is the first such endeavor worldwide. It will cater to the elderly Chinese living in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan of China as well as in other countries.

(Xinhua News Agency March 18, 2002)