Original Source
China's NPC Deputy Ma Jinlian Advocates for Rural Elderly Care Improvement
Recognizing the Rural Elderly Care Gap
Many remote villages in the rugged Lyuliang Mountains of North China's Shanxi Province are shrinking, now primarily populated by older residents. Providing adequate care for these elderly individuals has become an urgent issue to address at China's annual political meetings in Beijing, known as the Two Sessions. Ma Jinlian, an NPC Deputy, realized the significant gap in eldercare between urban and rural areas during her earlier experience as a caregiver in Beijing. She observed elderly people in city nursing homes singing, dancing, and enjoying themselves, which motivated her to make a difference in her hometown, Xiaocheng Village.
Ma Jinlian's Community Development Initiatives
Ma Jinlian returned to her hometown, Xiaocheng Village, and founded Yi Xing, a company that trains and employs local women as caregivers. She later transformed her own traditional cave dwelling, a yaodong, into a care home for the elderly. Her dedication led to her election as village chief and an NPC Deputy. The care home currently supports 27 residents with fully funded care. Additionally, she runs nearby greenhouses to provide fresh produce for the residents' meals, fostering job creation and building infrastructure within the local community.
Policy Proposals and Future Vision
Ma Jinlian's work provides her with a close view of the pressures faced by older people in rural areas, including the cost of care, lack of family support, and difficulty accessing medical treatment in the mountains. She wants these realities reflected in national policy. Every year, she organizes inspections, research visits, and training sessions to understand the true feelings and concerns of ordinary citizens. Her proposal this year is to further tilt national policy toward rural elderly care and rural healthcare. Specifically, she advocates for improving facilities and equipment in rural health clinics, such as ultrasound machines and emergency rescue equipment, to ensure immediate medical aid is available. Ma Jinlian's dream is to transform rural elderly care into a branded and chain-operated model, so that rural areas across China can be like her village, where elderly care is no longer a problem.
*Source: YouTube: CGTN (2026-03-15)*
