Elderly people from urban areas visiting rural areas for elderly care? A new community model has emerged in the suburbs of Shanghai, known as Xiantian | Community | Local
How many people have such dreams hidden in their hearts - after retirement, owning a rural courtyard, inviting three or five friends to gather regularly, cultivating some idle fields, planting a few fruit trees, working at sunrise and resting at sunset, "sleeping on the fragrance of rice, and rising to the sound of birds", living a comfortable and joyful life every day... In Zhujing Town, Jinshan District, many elderly people have found the "Peach Blossom Spring" in their hearts.
This is the Xianglaile New Life Culture Community located in Xinjing Village, Zhujing Town. 22 idle small buildings owned by villagers have been renovated here, creating 76 guest rooms. Citizens can try short-term experiential living or sign long-term contracts, while the landlord and his wife still live on the ground floor of the farmhouse.
In the past few years of operation, a large number of urban "silver haired" residents have gathered here. They can not only enjoy community "butler" style services, but also regularly participate in various cultural and health activities such as coffee salons, calligraphy and painting exhibitions, or "watch" the arrival of some entrepreneurial youth and projects... This vibrant new rural community has explored a new possibility for urban-rural integration and elderly care.
Rural health and wellness
In early summer, the reporter went to visit and before reaching the village, he was attracted by the lush greenery on the roadside. Not far away, in the bright white fields, there were also three or two rice transplanters with straw hats on their heads and skilled movements, all of whom looked like authentic farmers. But later, during a casual conversation with them, it was learned that one of them was a visitor from the city and also a resident of the Xianglaile community, experiencing the joy of farming.
Under the guidance of this resident, we found a street where the new community is located. It seems that there is nothing special about a row of farmhouses, but upon closer inspection, it can be seen that they have undergone renovation and their appearance is basically uniform; In front of the door, there are small vegetable gardens, small gardens, and small orchards, full of vitality and natural order... Walking into any guest room, the interior decoration is simple and elegant, but the supporting facilities are complete, making the overall appearance spacious and bright. Pushing open the window, you will see an endless green paddy field, with a panoramic view of the countryside scenery.
Arriving at an activity room, pleasant songs and hearty laughter could be heard from time to time. Among them were a group of guests and Wang Hongmei, the founder of the Xiang Lai Le community, singing and dancing. "We usually have afternoon tea like this, and when we're in high spirits, we play the accordion and sing a song together." Aunt Ge, the resident, said, "The environment and atmosphere here are good. After staying for a while, we don't want to live in buildings in the city anymore."
Xianglaile New Life Culture Community
The "gravity" of Xianglai Le originates from Wang Hongmei's research and understanding of the elderly population and rural areas in Shanghai. The aging rate of Shanghai's permanent population has exceeded 25%, with many elderly people living empty nests or single, and some still living in "old and dilapidated" areas without elevators... Lonely and inconvenient living, the needs of this group are precisely the space of the current elderly care market. Why is health care projects embedded in rural areas? Wang Hongmei said that with the promotion of the rural revitalization strategy, the rural ecology and infrastructure have been significantly optimized and improved, which has laid a solid foundation for the development of the "rural health and wellness" industry. In addition, there are a large number of idle rural houses and other resources in rural areas. Therefore, using "health and wellness" as a connecting point is conducive to solving the dual dilemma of hollow villages and urban elderly care difficulties.
Will renting such a house for a long time turn away most elderly people? It is understood that Xianglaile has cooperated with CCB to explore a "housing for the elderly" model: retired seniors can choose to entrust housing to CCB Pension Management Company for asset management, and obtain stable rental income to pay for various elderly services... Grandma Chen, who has been living in Xianglaile for three and a half years, is an experiencer of this model. She has handled a housing rental contract for five years at CCB, and has a monthly income of 7400 yuan. After taking out the monthly rent paid to Xianglaile, there is a balance of more than 2000 yuan, plus her own pension, she can live in Xianglaile Community in peace.
Old age makes a difference
At present, Xianglaile has completed two phases of construction, with a total of 22 houses and 76 guest rooms, which can meet people's short-term travel needs and also provide services for signing long-term stays.
Compared to traditional elderly care institutions, the elderly of "Enjoy Life" have a more diverse and colorful spiritual and cultural life. In addition to enjoying community "butler" style services and various cultural, sports, and health services provided by public welfare organizations, they can also organize coffee salons, calligraphy and painting exhibitions and other activities in their own rural yards according to their respective interests, and try to share their strengths and interests with friends inside and outside the community through live streaming and other forms.
In order to fully tap into the potential of the elderly, this community is also boldly exploring the creation of a "mature entrepreneurship park", integrating urban and rural resources, and allowing elderly individuals with unique skills to once again realize their life value through "one room, one project". Among them, a pair of permanent residents in the community, Wang Yi and his wife, who are also well-known in the Shanghai mid size design circle, were the first batch of residents to settle in the entrepreneurship park. Upon hearing that the two elders had left the mountain, many qipao enthusiasts eagerly explored Xinjing Village and came to the qipao studio here to customize new clothes. This health and wellness community without walls has not only become a place for the elderly to rest, but also a place for them to fulfill their dreams.
Elder Wang Yi is in the cheongsam studio in the village
Last year, with the official opening of the Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Home in Xinjing Village, Xianglaile's agricultural, cultural and tourism "circle of friends" further expanded. At present, this place has attracted more than 10 partners to join, bringing a variety of projects including homestay design, digital countryside, morel cultivation, and rural tourism photography. "We are also collaborating with Xianglaile to carry out some digital projects, such as community panoramic cloud sightseeing." Currently, Zhang Yaohao, who has moved the company to Xinjing Village, said, "With the development of rural cultural tourism industry, the application of BIM digital systems has also expanded."
Xiang Laile has opened up a live streaming space for the elderly
Live in the countryside
Capital and resources are the levers that leverage the revitalization of rural industries. In recent years, villagers have gained considerable profits driven by the health and wellness community. Villager Peng Yue'e, besides being the "butler" of Xianglaile, was also one of the first tenants in the village to participate in the signing of the contract. In a few years, Peng Yue'e not only transformed from a rural woman who dared not look up when talking to others to a confident and cheerful "steward", but also became a "hardware" farmer with a monthly income of nearly 10000 yuan. Now, with a retirement pension, rent, butler's salary, land transfer funds, and cash for self-produced and self sold agricultural products, her annual income has increased several times compared to before.
What's even more gratifying is that in the past two years, more and more new faces from the post-95s and post-2000s have emerged among the new employees of Xiang Lai Le. They are all the second and third generations of farmers in Xinjing Village and surrounding villages.
The spillover effect goes beyond that. According to Wang Kai, the general manager of the Xianglaile project, last year alone, Xianglaile has driven a group of cooperatives in Jinshan to sell agricultural and sideline products worth over 3 million yuan through sales and picking.
Backed by the "blooming flowers on the sea" ecological park, with a thousand acres of rice fields in front, Donglin Temple in the east, and Lego Town in the west also accelerating construction - now Xianglai Le is steadily upgrading to a new lifestyle and cultural community, and the health and wellness industry chain covering all seasons and age groups is also being extended. It is reported that since last year, the number of young people entering the community has significantly increased, and more and more parent-child families are choosing Zhujing as their travel destination. At present, in addition to continuing to innovate the 24 solar terms series of activities, Xianglaile actively customizes tourism routes that connect the entire Jinshan region for tourists in need.
Elders participate in various cultural and sports activities in the community
"This new community model has driven the development of agriculture, culture, and tourism, promoted the integration of 'three industries', cultivated our village's characteristic industries, and truly boosted the villagers' wallets." Zhu Yuanfeng, Secretary of the Party General Branch and Director of the Village Committee of Xinjing Village, said that in combination with the positioning of' Daoxiang Xinjing 'and the current situation of rural industrial development, the village will continue to provide good services to different subjects, play a good role as a' needle and thread ', and make the beautiful countryside a livable, entrepreneurial, and prosperous place for more people.
