ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights the context of being old in China and examines five dimensions of Chinese society as they relate to the elderly—ethics and religion, politics and law, education, economy and employment, and health. It describes post-Mao China through these five sectors, the societal forces and factors shaping daily life among the elderly in Shenyang should become more readily understandable. Mention "health" and "China" in the same sentence to most Westerners and the word that immediately springs to mind is "acupuncture." The chapter discusses relationship between one's mental state and one's "sense of well-being," the cultural context of mental health and mental illness in China. An explanation for the small proportion of people thought to have mental health difficulties in China is that the Chinese have a different definition of mental illness and for the low incidence of mental illness in China is a cultural/anthropological one.
