ABSTRACT
The elders in rural South China retire earlier than those in rural North China do. Rural elders in South China do not have to do any farm work except taking care of their grandchildren or the cattle. In rural North China, however, the elders are put under unrelenting pressure from field laboring and housework. The elders were the patriarchs who exerted control over the family’s property and production, and they even arranged the marriages of their sons and daughters. The elders’ power in the family had been protected by culture, law and morality. The elders have lost their place of being the patriarchs, nevertheless. The elderly in the lineage-based villages presided over the sacrifices as well as other affairs. The low status of the elderly in family life makes them doubt their self-worth, and they feel awkward in the family.
