Actress Leanne Liu says she kept her television on for 24 hours, was afraid to go out and inept at using technology, before participating in the reality show Summer Refuge that concluded on Nov 25.
2021年11月25日，真人秀节目《屋檐之夏》收官。刘雪华说，参与摄制《屋檐之夏》前，她每天24小时开着电视，不愿出门，也玩不懂现代科技。
▲ Actress Leanne Liu. Photo/Sohu
After her husband died in an accident in 2011, Liu was living alone in Shanghai. Her lifestyle, similar to many elderly aging alone in China, triggered concern on social media.
2011年，刘雪华的先生因故去世，此后她便一直独居上海。刘雪华的生活方式，反映出国内许多空巢老人的现状，引发了社交媒体的关注。
China has more than 264 million people aged 60 and above, including 80.8 million in their 70s and 35.8 million older than 80, according to the seventh national population census.
据第七次全国人口普查结果显示，国内60岁及以上人口超2.64亿，其中70多岁的人口为8080万，80岁以上的人口为3580万。
▲ Photo provided to China Daily
"As the country is entering an aging society, the TV show aims to call for the public to pay more attention to the issues and challenges facing the elderly and break stereotypes. Their today will be our tomorrow," a show representative says in a written response to China Daily.
节目代表向中国日报介绍称，中国渐渐步入老龄化社会，《屋檐之夏》呼吁公众抛开刻板印象，关注老人面临的问题和挑战，毕竟人人都有变老的时候。
▲ Photo provided to China Daily
Under the guidance of the China National Committee on Aging, the 10-episode show, which premiered on Bilibili on Sept 23, puts three people over 60 and people in their 20s together for a 21-day "social experiment" to see how the two generations get along. Two other seniors who appear on the show are Zhu Zengde, 89, a former businessman, and Wei Yongzheng, 81, a retired teacher.
《屋檐之下》共10期，由中国老龄协会指导，于9月23日在哔哩哔哩首播。节目邀请三位长辈与数位二十来岁的年轻人，开启为期21天的“社会实验”，观察代际共处情况。除刘雪华外，节目组还邀请了另外两位长辈：一位是89岁已经退出商界的朱增德，另一位是81岁的退休教师魏永珍。
For Liu, the show has helped her to step out of her comfort zone and unlock new experiences, "making her feel young again".
刘雪华表示，参与真人秀后，她走出了自己的舒适区，开启了全新体验，感觉自己又变年轻了。
▲ Photo provided to China Daily
"In the show, we do not want to overemphasize the stereotypes about aging, but to represent the diversified, true and lovely lives of the seniors, which can be a reference, or even guide, to the young people facing aging in the future," the response says, adding the show can warm hearts.
节目代表也介绍称，不想在节目中强调人们对老龄化的刻板印象，而是要展现老人们多姿多彩、真实可爱的晚年生活，为未来也会渐趋年长的各位年轻人，提供一份老年生活的参考甚至是指南，是一档充满温馨与暖意的节目。
▲ Photo/Douban
As China is home to 284 million netizens, aged 50 or older, as of June, accounting for 28 percent of the country's total netizen population, according to the China Internet Network Information Center, it is no wonder that streaming platforms are highlighting senior citizens in entertainment shows.
据中国互联网信息中心统计，截至2021年6月，国内50岁以上的网民人数为2.84亿，占全国网民总数的28%，各平台在综艺中关注老年群体也理所应当。
This month, Forget Me Not Farm will be aired on Tencent's streaming platform focusing on seniors.
腾讯视频也已播出聚焦老年群体的公益节目——《忘不了农场》。
▲ Photo/Douban
Different from the previous seasons, the new 10-episode show has broadened its focus from people with cognitive disorders to elderly people. It puts three celebrities and five people, aged 69 to 80, together to manage a farm in Chengdu, Sichuan province.
该节目为“忘不了”系列的第三季。与此前几季不同，《忘不了农场》十期节目不单单聚焦在对认知障碍老年群体的关注，而是将视线扩大到整个老年群体。节目组邀请三位明星与五位年龄在69岁到80岁的老人一起，在四川成都共同经营一家农场。
Video platforms and local and central TV stations have also strengthened coverage of seniors, who spend more time watching TV than younger generations. Last year, the average Chinese, aged over 65 spent about four hours and 48 minutes watching TV every day, the annual report on development of China's media industry in Tsinghua University's School of Journalism and Communication shows.
各大视频平台，中央及地方电视台也都纷纷加大对老年群体的报道力度。比起年轻一代，老人大多时间都花在看电视上。据清华大学新闻与传播学院发布的《2020年中国传媒产业发展报告》显示，2020年国内65岁以上的人群平均每天看电视约4小时48分钟。
In June last year, China Central Television released Ode of Joy, a singing competition show featuring 32 choruses of senior citizens over age 60 and telling their stories behind the scenes. Huang Wei, the show's producer and chief director, says the show conveys the message that senior citizens can pursue a happy life.
2020年6月，中国中央电视台播出《乐龄唱响·全国老年合唱大赛》，32个成员均已年逾花甲的老年合唱团参赛。节目还讲述了成员的幕后故事。节目制片人、总导演兼主持人黄薇表示，要以节目为窗口，彰显老一辈人幸福生活的风采。
In April, Wow! Mom, a 13-episode variety show was aired on Hunan Satellite TV, shining the spotlight on celebrities' mothers, who are typically aged 50 and above. In the show, 20 mothers, accompanied by their daughters, have prepared for the selection of a supermodel training camp. It aimed to showcase their healthy and positive lifestyles.
2021年4月，湖南卫视播出综艺《妈妈，你真好看》。节目共13期，将镜头对准明星的母亲们。20位年过半百的母亲，在各自女儿的陪同下，参加超模训练营的培训与选拔，展示银发群体健康积极的生活方式。
▲ Photo/Douban
Besides the above genres, some dating TV shows for elderly people have gone viral on social media for the participants' "interesting conversations" and practical demand of relationships. Although there is no official data about the national single population aged over 60, the Qingdao Statistics Bureau estimates that by the end of 2016, about one-third of people older than 60 were single in Qingdao, Shandong province.
除上述题材外，还有些针对老年群体的相亲节目，因为节目中老人们“有意思的对话”以及他们的实际需求，也红遍社交媒体。尽管目前还没有全国范围内60岁以上单身人口数的统计资料，据青岛市统计局预测，截至2016年底，青岛市60岁以上群体中，单身人数约占总群体人数的三分之一。
According to HBresearch, an entertainment industry observer in Beijing, the variety shows explore the challenges elders face, including social isolation and a lack of cross-generation dialogue, which has made the shows popular among viewers, both young and old.
据华谊兄弟研究院——北京娱乐行业阐释者介绍，这些老人题材节目真实展现了老年群体的生活样貌，聚焦如社会孤立、缺乏代际沟通等社会问题，受到年轻群体和老年群体的欢迎。
"Good variety shows can dig into what old people really need and want and shed light on how to deal with the challenges they face," Wen Weihua, professor at Beijing Jiaotong University, says.
北京交通大学教授文卫华表示，好的综艺节目可以深入老一辈人内心，找出他们真正所需所想，并为解决他们面临的各种问题出谋划策。
Wang Haidong, director of the National Health Commission's aging health department, told Xinhua News Agency that population aging is an important trend for the country's social development, which is also a basic situation for the nation over the long term. Taking positive and effective measures to improve the care of seniors matters a great deal for the construction of a modern socialist nation, Wang added.
国家卫生健康委老龄健康司司长王海东接受新华社采访时表示，人口老龄化是我国家社会发展的重要趋势，是我国当前和今后较长一段时期的基本国情。有效应对我国人口老龄化，对于全面建设社会主义现代化国家具有重要意义。
The country's population aged 60 and above is expected to reach 300 million by 2025, peaking at 487 million by 2053, according to estimates by the National Working Commission on Aging.
据全国老龄工作委员会预测，到2025年，我国60岁及以上的人口将达到3亿，并于2053年达到4.87亿峰值。
编辑：商桢 陈月华 周婵
记者：王茜
录音：Stephanie Stone
实习生：舒好 李蕤
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