Healthcare tourism unleashes momentum for China's silver economy
Han made the remarks at the "Integrated Development of Healthcare Tourism and the Silver Economy" forum during the 2025 Entrepreneurs Sun Island Annual Conference held on Monday in Harbin, capital city of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. She joined scholars, experts and senior care representatives in discussing this emerging economic sector.
Driven by policy support, market demand and technological innovation, China's elderly care services have expanded rapidly -- fueling robust growth in the silver economy, which is currently valued at approximately 7 trillion yuan (about 980 billion U.S. dollars) and is projected to reach 30 trillion yuan by 2035.
As demand for senior-oriented services increases, healthcare tourism, positioned at the intersection of the silver economy and health industry, has become a key means to enhance elderly well-being and drive high-quality economic growth.
Han emphasized the symbiotic relationship between healthcare tourism and the silver economy, noting that "healthcare tourism directly stimulates consumption across transportation, accommodation, catering, healthcare and cultural industries. It unlocks underutilized assets, boosts employment and generates sustained economic output."
"Conversely, strengthened local economies enhance supporting infrastructure like transport, medical facilities and cultural amenities, positioning healthcare tourism as a significant contributor to regional development," she said.
Han noted that healthcare tourism now accounts for nearly 20 percent of silver economy consumption -- with annual sector growth estimated at 15 to 20 percent.
Song Shouyi, director general of the Kangyang Branch of the China Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics, said that senior healthcare tourism is reshaping China's tourism landscape.
"Senior travel has evolved from 'compensatory trips' to mainstream consumption, while projects are shifting from resource-driven to service-driven collaborative models," Song said.
Future projects, he added, should pivot from "large-scale and all-inclusive" to "smaller, specialized offerings" targeting niche demographics -- leveraging opportunities in chronic disease management, cultural engagement for educated retirees and evolving intergenerational support structures.
Du Peng, dean of the School of Population and Health and director of the Institute of Gerontology at Renmin University of China, noted improving conditions for healthcare tourism, including stronger market foundations, refined policies, shifting consumption patterns and growing acceptance of positive aging mindsets.
He stressed China's transition into a "longevity society," urging local authorities to develop big data platforms for smart elderly care services and promote urban-rural integration to bolster both social welfare and the silver economy's sustainability.
"While the silver economy encompasses three key objectives, namely well-being enhancement, economic growth and social development, improving people's livelihoods remains fundamental," Du said. "Only by tangibly raising seniors' quality of life and dignity, and extending these benefits across society, can China fully unlock the consumption potential of healthcare tourism and related silver economy sectors."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Borneo Post
18 hours ago
- Borneo Post
China's Gen-Zers seek ancient healing at TCM night markets
Photo taken on July 15, 2025 shows the TCM Night Market in Baiyin City, northwest China's Gansu Province. – Xinhua photo LANZHOU (Aug 7): Amid the cool night breeze of Baiyin, a city nestled in northwest China's Gansu Province, the scent of herbs like astragalus and angelica permeates the air as crowds gather beneath glowing light boxes around cupping stations and pulse-reading booths. The scenes unfolded at the 'Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Night Market' at Wansheng Park, where millennia-old healing wisdom is coming alive and becoming a trendy evening ritual among China's Gen-Zers. 'This heat leaves me drained, sleepy, and listless,' said 21-year-old Yu Huiyan, as she extended her wrist for a pulse diagnosis. After experiencing positive results from previous TCM treatments, she now turns to the night market in search of herbal remedies. After a tongue examination and careful pulse reading, the doctor noted her weak pulse and signs of fatigue, then prescribed a blend of TCM herbs to boost energy, dispel dampness and aid digestion. Yu said she and many peers have been drawn to TCM in recent years. Having taken TCM electives in college, her interest deepened after starting work. 'I'd love to use traditional remedies and appropriate techniques to help take care of myself and those around me.' At the TCM night market, traditional therapies such as acupuncture, cupping, foot baths, massage and ear seeds have become increasingly popular among young people. Han Long, a TCM physician at Baiyin First People's Hospital with over a decade of experience, highlighted classic texts like the Huangdi Neijing (Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor), Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases, and Compendium of Materia Medica as key to understanding the body's mysteries. 'I hope more young people embrace TCM to enhance their own health and that of their families,' Han said. Since opening in early July, Wansheng Park has transformed into a wellness hub, where medical staff from over 30 local institutions offer free consultations, answer health questions, share TCM wellness tips and provide personalised advice, said Zhu Dongmei, head of the Baiyin district health bureau and organiser of the TCM night market. Song Wanling (right), a doctor of a maternal and child health care hospital in Baiyin, offers free consultation services at the TCM Night Market in Baiyin City, northwest China's Gansu Province on July 15, 2025. – Xinhua photo Over 2,000 people come here daily, mostly young people lining up for everything from pulse diagnosis to fragrant sachets and herbal tea. Across China, Gansu's vibrant TCM night market is just one example of a growing trend, with similar markets attracting large crowds nationwide this summer. In Shenyang, capital of northeast Liaoning Province, the TCM night market offers more than free consultations. It features zones for TCM-inspired cultural products, hands-on technique demonstrations and youth activities, blending tradition with modern flair through crafts, games and interactive learning. In the eastern Chinese city of Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, technology plays a key role at the TCM night market as TCM robots provide heat-sensitive moxibustion, digital pulse diagnosis and 3D foot scans. This growing trend of TCM night markets is also helping a new generation of practitioners like Han step into the spotlight, widening TCM's reach beyond traditional circles and ensuring its legacy endures. 'TCM is a treasure of our Chinese nation, with expanding global influence,' said Da Chunhe, director of the Baiyin municipal health commission. 'As more young people experience and study it, they'll understand TCM and benefit from it.' – Xinhua China night market TCM traditional chinese medicine Xinhua
Borneo Post
18 hours ago
- Borneo Post
Crayfish make a splash in central Chinese city
Workers sort out crayfish at the China Crayfish Trading Center in Qianjiang, central China's Hubei Province on July 8, 2025. – Xinhua photo WUHAN (Aug 7): At 3am each morning, the only sound Ding Yuankai can hear is the gentle splash of oars slicing through a pond in Qianjiang, a city in central China's Hubei Province. With a flashlight strapped to his wrist and clad in waterproof overalls, Ding sets off in his small boat to begin his daily routine. One by one, he hauls up cages wriggling with red, armored crustaceans destined for dinner tables across the country. By the time he finishes checking all 60 mu (4 hectares) of ponds, the sky begins to pale. On the shore, seafood buyers are already waiting. 'When it gets hot, crayfish burrow into the mud to avoid the sun, so the catch drops,' Ding said. 'But it doesn't matter. Whatever I catch sells out. Qianjiang crayfish have a name. There's never a shortage of demand.' This year marks his ninth season in the business. Last year, his profits topped 5,000 yuan (about US$701) per mu. And with feed costs down and yields rising, he expects this year will be even better. In Qianjiang, this optimism runs deep. Every summer, the little crustaceans become a big business and a way of life. Much of Ding's morning haul will end up at the China Crayfish Trading Center on the city's outskirts. By 5am, the facility is abuzz. Workers sort, weigh and pack live crayfish for same-day shipment to restaurants and markets nationwide. Seafood vendor Wei Xiaotao monitors real-time prices on his phone through a digital platform that tracks supply and demand across over 30 production bases and major consumer cities. 'Farmers and traders can adjust their harvesting times and volumes based on price trends,' Wei said. 'It helps us better manage risks.' An aerial drone photo taken on Feb 28, 2024 shows farmers harvesting crayfish at a crayfish-rice integrated farming demonstration base in Qianjiang, central China's Hubei Province. – Xinhua photo By the time he spoke to Xinhua three hours after trading began, he had already sold out of crayfish – more than 500 kilograms. Some of Qianjiang's crayfish skip the fresh market and head straight for processing. At local factories, they're peeled, fried, seasoned and packaged, destined for shelves in Europe and the United States. Others are refined into high-value ingredients such as chitosan and chitin, which are used in pharmaceuticals, food and cosmetics, extending the value chain further. Qianjiang is now home to 48 crayfish processing enterprises, with a combined annual handling capacity of 800,000 tonnes. Qianjiang City is located on the Jianghan Plain, a major producer of rice, cotton, fish and shrimp. With fertile land and a large network of rivers and lakes, the plain is an ideal habitat for crayfish. The species is native to North America and was introduced to east China's Jiangsu Province by a Japanese merchant, appearing in the plain in the 1980s. Locals found the shellfish tasty and soon turned them into big business. Today, Qianjiang boasts a crayfish farming area of 947,000 mu. In 2024, the city sold more than 200,000 tonnes of live crayfish, generating a transaction value of over 10 billion yuan. In the first half of 2025, it recorded a trade of 177,000 tonnes, and the full-year volume is expected to reach a record high. To sustain growth, Qianjiang is pushing for technological innovation and year-round supply. In 2023, the Hubei provincial government launched a 10-point action plan to promote the high-quality development of the crayfish sector. Measures include those related to improving breeding systems, forming expert panels and developing new varieties. One major breakthrough came in December 2024, when Qianjiang hosted its first winter harvest ceremony, marking a milestone in off-season, large-scale crayfish marketing. 'The stable supply of crayfish during the winter and spring has improved farmers' ability to withstand market risks and increased their overall income,' said Guan Caizhang, who manages a local crayfish-rice integrated farming demonstration base. Zhang Yun, director of Qianjiang's crayfish industry promotion center, said that crayfish remain a pillar industry. 'We will continue to scale up training, accelerate selective breeding, and expand year-round farming models to drive further development,' Zhang said. – Xinhua
The Star
a day ago
- The Star
Turkmen president proposes global hydrogen energy program at UN conference
ASHGABAT, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov has proposed launching a global program for the transition to hydrogen energy covering the period 2030-2040. Speaking at the Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDC3) on Tuesday, Berdimuhamedov suggested beginning discussions in 2026 on developing the program under the UN framework. He emphasized Turkmenistan's consistent support for expanding practical cooperation in renewable energy and expressed the country's readiness to contribute to hydrogen energy development. Clear joint plans and coordinated mechanisms are needed to achieve this, he noted. Berdimuhamedov also stressed that Turkmenistan operates in the international energy space in full accordance with UN-adopted documents and advocates for strict adherence to international environmental standards and climate agreements. The LLDC3 is being held from Aug. 5 to 8 in Turkmenistan's National Tourist Zone of Awaza. The event has drawn heads of state and government, senior officials from over 100 countries, and representatives of around 50 international organizations and more than 20 major companies.
