Former courier visits 200 elderly parents for their distant children
Tian Rui, 39, from Yichang in Hubei province made more than 200 trips last year to elderly parents in remote mountain villages. Their children work overseas or in distant cities. The former rural courier now runs a convenience store but uses his knowledge of winding mountain roads to deliver medicine, food and birthday cakes on behalf of absent sons and daughters. His most distant client lives in Bolivia, more than 17,000km away. Despite improved living standards, Tian found the elderly want companionship more than material support. What they really want, he told Jiupai News, is to know their children are thinking of them and to have someone to talk to.
In 2020, China reported 118 million elderly individuals living alone after their children migrated for work.
Source: Chinese ‘family bridge’ connects remote elderly and overseas children (scmp.com). Spotted via Good News Network.
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