Elderly Care in Ancient China: the Honor of Being Old

Anything in today’s toolbox for care for the elderly can be found in ancient China.  The question is how old was regarded as old enough to be entitled to State-guaranteed elderly care measures.  The consensus among researchers is that a typical family consisted of about five members since the Warring States period between the 5th and 3rd centuries. It was not as big as people think.  Imperial rulers were implementing a tax policy contradictory with the values they themselves advocated. The taxation system was disintegrating families. The longest history of any non-government charity organization in China was the 800 years operation of the estate built to provide for patriarchal clan members of a famous literati and politician in the Northern Song dynasty.