The Last Watch

The aging crisis hits rural China as young people migrate, leaving elders behind. A Zhejiang village faces this, with most youth gone. The government seeks to revitalize through tourism, but the impact on elderly residents is uncertain.

Rural China is experiencing an unprecedented wave of ageing, with a massive exodus of young and middle-aged workers, leaving many villages facing a hollowing-out problem. The elderly people left behind face many challenges in life, and the social structure and cultural heritage of traditional villages have also been severely affected. 

Gao Ban Ling Jiao, a hamlet in Zhuji, City in eastern China’s Zhejiang province, is a microcosm of this wave. The villagers are all descendants of the Yu, so they are all related to each other for miles. Most of the young generations have left the village, leaving the elders to guard the land of their ancestors. They rely on couples to help each other or stand-alone, struggling to make ends meet in an ageing village. 

In the face of a growing ageing crisis, the Majian Town government is attempting to revitalize the village by developing tourism, including building resorts and opening agritourism businesses to attract outside visitors and create jobs. However, whether these initiatives can truly improve the lives of the elderly, especially those unable to participate in the tourism industry due to physical limitations or lack of skills, remains uncertain. 

So, can these initiatives address the plight of the ageing population? And how will the village’s transformation affect the lives of these elders? Through this in-depth fieldwork, this story will explore the answers to these questions and present an accurate and profound picture of ageing in rural China.