Shanghai’s districts and county have been trying all means possible to enable its farmers to spend their old age in happiness. In Songjiang District, the monthly pension for elderly farmers has been raised from last year’s RMB75 yuan to this year’s over RMB100 yuan. It is learned that by 2010, the monthly pension for elderly farmers in the district will have reached over RMB200 yuan on average. In Nanhui District, there is a well-equipped eventide home in almost every village where elderly farmers can drink tea, have a chat, do some reading, or listen to operas. “Elderly farmers” in Shanghai’s suburbs find that their life is increasingly attractive.

What does RMB100 yuan mean to an elder farmer?

Zhu Yunlong, an elderly in Zhongxing Village, Shanyang Town of Jinshan District, tells us that he spends no money on grains or vegetables as he has 2.3 mu of land to grow grains on. His only hobby is smoking, which he spends an average of RMB54 yuan per month, his major monthly consumption. Now with a pension of RMB100 yuan, he doesn’t need to ask his children for money. The remaining dozens of yuan after buying cigarettes is enough for his daily necessities. Meanwhile, Zhu’s wife also gets a pension of RMB100 yuan per month, which they use to buy meat and fish. Besides, their sons and daughters also give them “pension” occasionally following the local customs.

Free at-door medical check

Shanghai is conducting a medical check for its elderly farmers in the suburbs. To solve farmers’ difficulty in medical treatment, the districts and county have been making pilot programs. It is learned that in August 2005, Jinshan District launched the program of “twice-a-year medical check for rural residents over 36 of age”, the first of its kind in Shanghai. By October last year, the district had invested a total of over RMB7.2 million yuan in this program, providing free medical check for 109 thousand rural residents.

Watching digital films every day

It is learned that currently digital cinemas have been built for 78 administrative villages in Jinshan District and each village can get 10 to 20 new films every month. According to the film projectionist, the elderly show most interest in war films and dramas typical of the south and they even ask him to show some of these films again and again.