In early spring 2026, I traveled to Lanxian County in Lyuliang City, north China’s Shanxi Province, to investigate local old-age social security conditions. The research topics ranged from daily expenses, medical care, and long-term care to public service provision, cultural and spiritual life, and family support structures, with the aim of capturing the realities of life in local countrysides. Research participants were mainly elderly villagers, along with about 15 adult children who had returned home for the Spring Festival.

The safety net for old-age support has brought a stronger sense of security. The national basic pension, old-age subsidies, and subsistence allowance policies have together formed an institutionalized floor for rural eldercare, giving older rural residents what can be described as “an unprecedented sense of security.” In the surveyed villages, people over 70 and 80 can receive a certain amount of monthly subsidy. For eligible elderly people in severe hardship, the combination of subsistence allowances provides an additional stable source of income (in this survey, nearly all those over 80 were covered by the subsistence allowance program). This tiered subsidy system effectively meets the basic living needs of rural elderly people and significantly strengthens their sense of security and well-being.

Rural homes have taken on a new look, and electric vehicles have become a common sight in the countryside. The research found that the most visible achievement of the initiative to rebuild the countryside was the marked improvement in living conditions and mobility. In most surveyed households, traditional old dwellings had been replaced or renovated into brick-and-concrete homes, with significantly improved safety and comfort. E-commerce and logistics networks have also extended into rural areas, reducing the physical distance between city and countryside and enriching the lives of elderly villagers. Although many elderly residents may not be particularly adept at using smart devices, daily necessities have become far easier to obtain than before—whether through adult children placing orders remotely for nearby pickup, or neighbors helping operate the devices. The grassroots expansion of e-commerce has broken down regional and resource barriers, allowing rural residents to enjoy a wider range of quality goods and services and fostering increasingly diverse lifestyles.

Digital tools have also had a profound impact on the very old, including those in their nineties and beyond, with their penetration rate far exceeding expectations. The research shows that smartphones have entered the lives of rural elderly people in a remarkably “low-threshold” way. During one interview, a woman nearly 90 years old deftly swiped open her screen to show the short-video apps she frequently used. Her phone had clearly become an indispensable “companion” in daily life. For long-term senior residents, platforms such as Kuaishou and Douyin are not only windows into the outside world, but also emotional anchors against loneliness. Digital tools offer a low-cost, efficient way to ease the emotional strain caused by children living away from home.

While basic living security continues to improve, the rural eldercare service system is also gradually becoming more complete. Changes in the labor market structure have made population aging within villages increasingly pronounced. As more young and middle-aged adults leave for work, the traditional family support structure is gradually shifting from multigenerational cohabitation to a model of separate residence combined with continued support. The family remains a crucial pillar of rural eldercare. The research revealed that most adult children still fulfill their support responsibilities and return promptly to care for parents when health problems arise, reflecting the enduring stabilizing role of family ethics in rural society. At the same time, this situation is creating new and pressing demand for more complete socialized eldercare services.

Rural revitalization is not only about investment in hard infrastructure. Improvements in the soft environment and greater human care are equally vital to the process of rural modernization. Through coordinated institutional improvement and service innovation, local rural areas can build village-level informal eldercare networks centered on mutual aid among neighbors and strengthen the preventive functions of primary medical institutions and routine health education. Furthermore, promoting the organic integration of retaining residents through local industry and upgrading living conditions through improved settlement arrangements can facilitate the long-term and sustainable development of China’s rural eldercare service system.

Ding Lanlin is an assistant research fellow from the Institute of Economics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.