Village canteen serves elderly in affordable way

Elders take care of each other in Shitan village. [Video for chinadaily.com.cn]

How to look after senior citizens has long been an issue of great importance to society. 

Shitan village in Longwan, Wenzhou has come up with a unique yet effective plan: let the elderly look after the elderly.

In 2017, retired school headmaster Cai Guangnian founded a special canteen serving the elderly in Shitan village with the support of the government and warm-hearted individuals. It serves a two-yuan ($0.28) lunch five days a week for senior residents. Meticulously managed by Cai and more than 100 volunteers, the elderly in Shitan village affectionately call it Beatific Canteen.

The volunteers in the canteen all have their own responsibilities. Male volunteers get up early in the morning to buy ingredients, while the females are in charge of the cooking and rice paddle.

"Our team members are all over 60 years old, and we're happy that we can still make contributions to the community," they said.

The Beatific Canteen has been operating for five years since 2018. The perseverance and selflessness of the volunteers provide a sense of warmth in the cold of winter, and the canteen is expected to bring more services to the local elderly in the future.