ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at Chinese society and culture—its traditions, values, and meaning systems—and how these impact on people's understanding of ageing. The chapter introduces social and cultural influences that optimise a person's ability to age successfully. The chapter will consider the cultural legacy of Confucianism and filial piety in China. It then elaborates on the changed lifestyle resulting from the one-child policy in China and the traditional concept of yangsheng , literally translated as ‘nurturing life’. The chapter looks at how today's third agers have charted a course through China's transitions—in other words, it calls attention to their life course. Finally, I explain how the concept of individualisation provides a useful way to understand changes in Chinese society, in particular its present-day digital society.
