They aim to address two pressures at once: rapid demographic ageing and the need to boost domestic demand as economic growth slows.

At the centre of the plan is an expansion of elderly care services beyond traditional nursing homes. Authorities want care providers to scale up home-based services through chain operations that can be replicated across communities.

To support this, e-commerce platforms and large retailers are being urged to better match supply and demand for elderly care services, making them easier to access both online and offline.

The measures also seek to create new ways for seniors to spend. Community facilities such as county-level care platforms and senior activity centres will double as spaces to display, rent and sell age-friendly products.

Elderly care services have also been folded into China’s “15-minute convenient life circle” scheme, which aims to ensure essential services are within walking distance of residential areas.

By mid-2025, nearly 6,300 pilot life-circle zones had been established nationwide, benefiting around 129 million people , according to the Ministry of Commerce.

Authorities are also promoting the development of senior-friendly shopping streets, designed to combine retail with social, cultural and leisure activities.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said it will prioritise the use of health monitors, rehabilitation aids and humanoid robots in homes, communities and care institutions.

To boost online participation, platforms are being required to optimise “senior modes” and launch dedicated silver-economy shopping channels.

More than 10 major e-commerce platforms have already been adapted to improve accessibility for older users.

Additional steps include senior discounts and themed shopping campaigns, aimed at encouraging more frequent consumer spending.

For Chinese officials, these measures signal a long-term shift, as the country prepares for the silver economy to become a permanent pillar of growth rather than a niche sector.

These companions keep clients company, accompany them on walks or medical visits, and make planned appearances in care homes to signal that residents have attentive “family.”

Demand rose sharply, prompting the original group to expand to about 1,000 providers within three months, with copycat services now appearing in Henan and other provinces.

Users are often in their fifties and sixties, including widowed or childless seniors and those whose adult children live abroad, many of whom want emotional support rather than medical care.

Some arrangements have grown into long-term relationships: Wu, a client since 2011, now spends holidays with her hired “shared children” and describes the bond as mutually supportive.

Another senior, Chen, posts online for companions who feel like family and hopes such relationships might one day evolve into guardianship agreements that exchange assets for end-of-life care.

Entrepreneurs in cities such as Qingdao and Chengdu are testing similar models, though many note low profits and unclear liability rules as China’s elderly dependency ratio climbs to 22.57 percent.