Beijing Normal University
Problems centering on senior citizen's marriage and welfare are increasing as China turns into an aged society.
The number of people older than 60 accounts for 10 per cent of the population —almost 1.3 billion inhabitants—and the aged com-munity is expanding at an annual rate of 5.4 per cent.
Many aged widows and widowers seek solace from their children and grandchildren, or go to welfare homes. Yet, a large number of senior citizens have to rely heavily on China's less sophisticated social benefit facilities.
Li Juxiang, a civic affairs lawyer in Beijing, said cohabitation among the elderly should be viewed with tolerance, as long as they do not violate civil laws.
According to laws in China, cohabitation is only prohibited for those who illegally live together when they still have a living husband or wife.
"Solitude is my biggest enemy as an old man," said Wu Liji, a retired public service employee in North China' s Inner Mongolia. "All I want is a companion that can support and care about me."
Wu began to cohabit with his friend, Granny Zhang, in the summer of 2000 after they met at a local dance party. They used to think about marriage but soon gave up as they worried about the contentious issues of housing property and inheritance.
Wu said he now feels good about his relationship, and has be-come more open in talking about Zhang to the local community. "I do not think there is any sharp difference between marriage and co-habitation, as long as we love each other," said Wu.
However, not all cohabiting couples have a happy ending.
Some soon realize living together is a mistake. Grandfather Yao in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu Province, for example, divorced his first wife last year at 63, and fell for a middle-aged woman, surnamed Zhang.
In one month of dating, they decided to cohabit in Zhang' s own house. However, they soon realized they were not as compatible as at first thought. Finally, they split, up, and Zhang evicted Yao out of his residency and demanded 3,000 Yuan (US $ 363) as compensation.
Fan Yu, a professor from Remin University of China, said there needs to be an updated regulation to deal with such issues.
copyright: Looking classy and stylish is not worth the expensive prices if you have drained your bank account on a single watch leaving you without the cash to go on the town and display your prize. Replica Watches provide men with the look they want without sacrificing anything.