China Decades after retiring, 90-year-old Yu Youfang returns to the podium with students whose average age is 75 at the Jingya Nursing Home in Tianjin.
Teacher Yu's students are described as very mischievous, performing chemical experiments, causing explosive reactions. After each class, a student is carried on a stretcher to the hospital or is told that he has "gone to heaven".
In fact, this mess was scripted and carefully rehearsed. Ms. Yu and her senior students are making a series of short films for social media called Comedy at the Nursing Home .
With over 200 videos uploaded and millions of fans, the series has humorously introduced the lives of seniors in nursing homes.
Chen Yuan, 53, manager of Jingya Nursing Home, said the idea for making the videos came from wanting the elderly to have fun every day. Through the videos, the center hopes to change society's perception of caring for the elderly in nursing homes.
"Putting your parents in a nursing home used to be considered an act of unfilial piety, but in reality they (the elderly) are enjoying a joyful and happy life," Chen said.
The manager started posting short videos on social media in April 2023 with the cooperation of his nephew, who graduated from the broadcasting department. Mr. Feng Yan is the scriptwriter, cameraman and social media account manager.
The older actors’ adorable expressions and awkward use of Gen Z slang in each video have attracted a large audience. In addition, the humorous perspective on topics of life and death has resonated with young audiences with its positive, light-hearted approach.
Feng Yan filming a short video with elderly members at the Jingya Nursing Home in Tianjin, March 2024. Photo: Ding Rui/SixthTone
Jingya is just one of more than 1,000 accounts sharing stories of life in nursing homes on social media. A 2024 government report found that the proportion of people aged 65 and over rose from 9.4% in 2012 to nearly 15% in 2022. This increase has prompted officials to prioritize the development of a “silver hair economy” to increase the supply of elderly people.
The demographic shift has also led to a significant increase in the number of nursing homes in China, from 30,000 in 2018 to 41,000 in 2023, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. However, only 3% of seniors choose to live in such facilities, partly due to persistent social stigma.
Chen believes that short video platforms like Douyin will bridge the gap between nursing homes and the outside world.
Every day or two, Jingya Nursing Home posts a video on social media, each attracting more than 5,000 likes. Their inspiration comes from hot topics on social media, while also incorporating responsibility for living with young people.
There is a need for many trending videos, but one of the biggest challenges is that elderly actors have to memorize content and read each line correctly.
"The elderly take filming very seriously. For example, Mr. Xu (an 87-year-old nursing home resident) asked us to re-shoot several times because he forgot his lines," Feng said.
Members memorize their lines before filming a video at the Jingya Nursing Home in Tianjin, March 2024. Photo: Ding Rui/SixthTone
Although they enjoy acting, most seniors in nursing homes do not use smartphones. Many agree to appear in short videos to entertain themselves.
Mr. Wang, 73, was one of Jingya's first actors. He often wore his favorite red beret, played the role of a principal and conveyed a positive message to the audience. "I will not film content that is purely humorous or disrespectful to viewers," Mr. Wang said.
Wang's active participation also inspired Wang Li, 63, who was once hesitant to appear before him.
“As older people gradually withdraw from society, their horizons become narrower. But by filming videos together, we can learn and broaden our horizons,” said Mr. Li.
As Jingya's short videos grew, the serious chemistry teacher Yu, three "mischievous students" Wang Li, Geng Gengru and Chen Yuan's father Jiawei became famous. Although they were not active on social media, they learned of their fame through appearances in newspapers and on national television.
Despite the surge in online traffic, nursing home managers have resisted monetizing the platform through advertising or online sales, a common practice among influencers on domestic short-video platforms.
“We don’t make money by exploiting the elderly,” Chen explained, emphasizing his commitment to making videos that focus on their daily lives.
Minh Phuong (According to Sixth Tone )
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