The one-child policy is a major cause, but development often produces sharp falls in fertility. China’s real problem is that it is caught between the security of traditional family relationships and a modern welfare system.
Welfare spending rose almost 20 percent last year, to 276 billion yuan (US$40 billion). Yet less than one-third of China’s workforce gets any kind of pension cover, the report said. At the same time, fewer parents live with their children.
The government is so worried that it has funded research to develop a robot that will feed, monitor and play board games with elderly people.
Yet the older generation still enjoys the respect lacking in much of the West: Zhao’s advice is sought by those decades younger. The social pressure to marry endures — hence his many clients.
And as Chinese society changes, the desire for shared experiences increases. Religion is on the rise; Christianity alone can boast at least 70 million adherents. Confucianism is making a comeback. People are creating their own, informal structures, from associations of elderly people to environmental groups.
Yan said that all reflect “the need of the disembedded individuals to re-embed out of their own choice”.
So far, Zhao and his wife have matched 1,000 clients. Zhang Yi will soon stop attending Zhao’s meetings: he has plans to marry.
“This year I turned 40, so it’s time to sort it out,” he says. “Although living on my own feels free, having the warmth of a family is something I’m looking forward to.”
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