Shanghai remains the "city of longevity"
Centenarian couple Huang Silin and Zhuang Renzhu
Shanghai's civil affairs office said on Tuesday that there were 3,689 centenarians in Shanghai at the end of September, a record number.
The oldest resident is 112 years old.
Wu Zhicheng, a woman who lives in Jiangning Road Subdistrict in Jing'an District, was the city's "oldest" resident, while Yang Longsheng, at 111, is the city's oldest man. He lives in Laogang Town in the Pudong New Area.
In all, 20 centenarians were recognized as "Longevity Stars" by the Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau.
Tuesday marks China's Double Ninth Festival, a day to cherish the elderly.
For the first time, the city recorded seven centenarian couples, with the oldest living in Nanjing Rd. W. Subdistrict in Jing'an.
The oldest couple has a combined age of 205. The husband, Zhu Zugang, is 102 years old, and his wife, Zheng Yizhu, is 103.
Zhu and Zheng have been together for about 80 years.
Their children said that they rarely quarrel as their characteristics are complementary to each other, with Zhu being a short-tempered person while Zheng having a mild temper.
They are curious about new things and have even learned how to use WeChat and keep in touch with their children via group chat.
Another centenarian couple, Huang Silin (102) and Zhuang Renzhu (101), lives in Wusi Village in Fengxian District's Situan Town.
"We wish to accompany each other longer," they said.
As Zhuang cannot walk, Huang often shares interesting things about the village and their neighbors. He takes care of Zhuang all the time.
Huang never leaves home for more than half an hour due to his wife's health conditions.
The wedding photo of Zhu Zugang and Zheng Yizhu
Among these centenarians, 74.14 percent were women. Those aged between 100 and 105 accounted for 97.8 percent.
The Pudong New Area, Xuhui, Jing'an, Huangpu and Hongkou districts had the largest number of centenarians, accounting for 53.78 percent of the city's total. The number of centenarians in Pudong was 758 at the end of last month.
The city also has 2,589 people aged 99, making them the centenarians-to-be by the end of September.
In 1953, the city had only one centenarian. The figure surpassed 1,000 in 2011. In 2017, it reached 2,000, and hit 2,500 the next year. In 2020, it reached a record high of over 3,000.
The annual growth rate of centenarians in the city was 12.3 percent on average between 2000 and 2021.
Shanghai is a "city of longevity," a title it can claim when it has seven centenarians for every 100,000 people. Shanghai met the criteria for the first time since 2010. It had 23.5 centenarians per 100,000 people as of 2021, according to the bureau.
