Living well better than living long//Long life isn't such a big riddle

By Liu Zhihua (China Daily)

10:55, October 24, 2012

Fung Chi-chung and Wong Fai-fai at their home. (Rebecca Lo / China Daily)

Living longer is no longer the point - it is living a healthy, happy long life that is most important. And for China's elderly, it is knowing how to strike the right balance, according to a medical expert.

"High life expectancy doesn't necessarily mean a long, healthy and happy life," says Li Xiaogang, deputy director of the Neurology Department of Peking University No 3 Hospital.

"The abundance of medical resources is a prime contributor to longevity, but a healthy lifestyle and emotional well-being are also very important."

China is now better off economically. But, as the population ages, the proliferation of chronic diseases among elderly patients has become a big social burden. The more hectic lifestyle of today also takes its toll among the elderly, Li adds.

In contemporary China, where the young are always busy at work away from home, old people often live alone. They fall prey to empty-nest syndrome, which often manifests as depression, grief and loneliness.

Playing mahjong or practicing Chinese calligraphy can keep brains active and limbs limber, but even these are not without risks, if the old overdo it. These may cause problems in bones and blood vessels - and sometimes even lead to stroke, Li says.

"For the old, it is important to keep an open mind and live life to its fullest," says Pang Yu, a psychologist and deputy director at the Beijing Huilongguan Hospital, a leading mental institution in the capital.

Pang says studies show people who live longer share many common personality traits - they are generally at peace with themselves, friendly to others and open-minded.

Many who Pang knows do charity, even though they are already in their 80s and 90s.

One of Pang's teachers is older than 80 and loves playing mahjong and always wins. But he also takes part in many other activities, such as mountain-climbing and traveling.

"In a word, he loves life," Pang says. "An elderly person should do something he likes to keep himself occupied. So, he will not feel empty. But he should also not overdo it."

In other words, again, moderation is key.

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（Editor：高奕楠、叶欣）

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(China Daily)

10:49, October 24, 2012

There's little mystery about living longer. It's 20-30 percent genes directing your fate, and a combination of making sure you do all the things you're supposed to do, like not get killed off, sleep and eat well, and exercise.

That is the consensus of most articles on the subject and appears to be the main conclusion of a recent report by Japan's health ministry, which admitted that Hong Kong women live longest.

I never thought of Hong Kong as a particularly healthy place to live, since it is practically a giant mall and with very little sunlight in downtown areas.

But there it is, Japan's life expectancy has declined to 79.44 for men and 85.90 for women, mainly because of disease or natural causes of death - and not the nuclear and tsunami disasters - while Hong Kong's men are expected to reach 80.5 and women now live to an expected 86.7 years old.

The New York Times' take on this was the change for the better was likely due to medical services and greater health consciousness, but added this would have been despite the "smog and at times oily Cantonese cuisine".

Old ladies ascending Hong Kong's hilly streets and swimming in the morning, or doing tai chi were cited as reasons for the record-breaking longevity of Hong Kong's women, along with buying fresh produce at markets.

While I would add that Hong Kong's air quality and cuisine can't be too bad in terms of life expectancy, any way you cook it, Asians typically live longer than Westerners, Latin Americans, Africans and the rest.

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