Chinese Women Pick Up Unlikely Hard-Rockin’ Hobby After Retirement

In the United States, senior citizens are taking enrichment classes about garage organizing or water zumba. When class isn’t in session, they’re sitting on their front porch yelling for kids to get off the grass! Active seniors can be found on the pickleball court. In China, women are drumming and rocking out like they’re the second coming of Keith Moon or John Bonham.

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The population of China is aging, with over one-fifth of the citizens clocking in at 60 or older. That equates to almost 300 million people. Companies are realizing the economic impact and are actively marketing products and services to this demographic. Catering to this new “silver economy” in China has created these targeted drum classes for seniors.

For women retirees in China, the drumming classes offer them to reclaim their youth. Many say that the drumming keeps them young. They are learning a new talent and developing an appreciation for banging on things with a purpose.

The weekly classes offer a workout at a cost much lower than a gym membership. Merril Silverstein, a sociologist at Syracuse University, told NPR that the benefits are calculable. They are recording improvements in physical, mental, and cognitive well-being that increase economic well-being. China policymakers are including sections on aging development that work to highlight health care.

After a lifetime of working in China to support families, women in drumming classes are learning how to have fun. In the Hunan Province, classes for the elderly include dance, African drum, musical instruments, vocals, flower arranging, and more. Enrichment activities help seniors improve overall quality of life.

Senior enrichment programs in the United States might need to add some full drum sets with cymbals. Right now we have cardio drumming, but that doesn’t hold a candle to the sound of these classes in China.

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