With the rapid development of China's economy, the living conditions in some big cities are just as good as in developed countries such as Europe and the U.S. Since they are getting older, some overseas Chinese feel happier, living in the populous and bustling China. Therefore, the thought of returning home and purchasing a house to spend their remaining years has attracted an increasing number of Chinese people who are currently living abroad.

With the rapid development of China's economy, the living conditions in some big cities are no worse than that found in developed countries such as Europe and the U.S. Blood is thicker than water! Older people living abroad are still sentimentally attached to their motherland even though they have lived overseas for many years. Once they are financially able to do so, most of them will return home and purchase a house, a plan which reflects their attachment to their motherland. Besides having a home overseas, they think that they should also have a "nest" in their homeland.

As they get older, they feel happier living in populous and bustling China. Therefore, the idea of returning home and purchasing a house to spend their remaining years has attracted increasing interest from Chinese people abroad.

Working hard in Canada for 30 years, now eligible for a pension, he returned home

To 74-year-old Liu Xingdong, the most important decision was not the one he made at the age of 44, when he spoke only Cantonese, that he could go to Canada, but the decision, after he had settled in Canada, to use more than 50,000 yuan in savings to build a three-story building covering an area of over 100 square meters back in his hometown in China.

Working hard for 30 years in Canada, the old man returned to China, now eligible for a pension. The three-story building in his hometown is where he will spend his remaining years in comfort. "When one becomes old, one should return home," Liu said, "The preferential government policies, economic development, and a stable society have made peoples’ lives more convenient."

Tan Jianmin, vice secretary general of Kaiping's Political Consultative Conference and Liu’s neighbor, said that currently the number of people who were living overseas but who came back to Kaiping City to spend their remaining years has exceeded 20,000. Almost everyone has their own house like Liu.

Purchasing land, building a house and finding a wife are three major events that almost all Jiangmen's men must do. Owning their own house is a great achievement for these men who make a living abroad and is also a basic guarantee after they return home.

During the 1920s and 1930s, overseas Chinese from Jiangping and Kaiping began to return home and build houses. More than 1830 houses that integrated eastern with western architectural styles stood tall in the countryside, alongside the green trees and clear pools of water. The custom of building houses to spend the remaining years of life did not change until the second half of 20th century. In the middle and later period of the 1980s, China launched the Land Management Law to legitimize the land transaction. The enthusiasm of overseas Chinese from Jiangmen to return home to build a house was rekindled. Liu was among those excited by this new policy.

Hard-working Liu gradually settled down in Vancouver, and worked at a Chinese restaurant. Nine years later, he went to Ottawa to open his own restaurant to sell roasted goose and other cured specialties from Guangdong. In 1992, he returned home to purchase land.

Since then, what the Chinese restaurant boss in Ottawa thought about most every day was his house under construction in Jiangmen. In 1996, the construction of his house was completed. In 2001, the Muyong Road, where his building is located, became a commercial pedestrian street, attracting numerous residents and visitors with its various stores.

"I just thought that the place was convenient for traffic and I kept this in mind when I decided to buy it." Liu’s investment did not disappoint: he rented the first floor for a store and charges 3000 yuan rent every month. With the house rent and their fixed retirement pension, the old couple need not worry about their living expenses after they returned home in 2005.

A man with few hobbies, the 74-year-old Liu often just drinks tea and enjoys conversation when he is free. He is most enthusiastic about programs that work for the public good, such as running a primary school and repairing roads. He often generously donates money. These days, he has been thinking about a country road in Chikan Town, which was discussed along with the construction plans. Several elderly Chinese who returned home from overseas gathered together 400,000 yuan. "After Spring Festival, the construction can begin when the route is scheduled."

Liu said that he will be happy when he sees the great changes happening in his hometown and be happier if he is able to contribute to them.

Trusted by over 10 relatives and friends to pick out houses

Zhou Yanguo, who was born and grew up in Hangzhou, migrated to the U.S. in his twenties and has lived there for 30 years. Recently, Zhou often thinks about life after retirement. He annually comes back to visit his relatives in Hangzhou. Having witnessed the rapid changes in urban construction and the improvement in living conditions in the cities, he decided to buy a house and spend the rest of his life in his hometown.

After comparing several major cities, such as Hangzhou, Shanghai and Shenzhen, Zhou finally decided to buy a house in Hangzhou. He said that he is a hedonist and people used to say, "Playing in Hangzhou, eating in Guangzhou and dying in Liuzhou, a place famous for making coffins." This is the main reason he chose to spend his remaining years in Hangzhou. Meanwhile, he has also helped over 10 relatives and friends in the U.S., who plan to buy houses in their hometown in China, pick out houses, and this group all hopes to live as a group when they get old. "If we live together, we can not only take care of each other but have enough number of people to play Majong," Zhou added.

He said that the main reason for buying a house in Hangzhou is to live there in the future. Like him, many of his fellow-countrymen do not like to take out a loan, but prefer to pay for the houses in cash.

Zhou said that aside from the influence of tradition, realistic considerations were also a factor in many overseas Chinese returning to China to settle down. Some retired overseas Chinese have low incomes and only live their lives depending on their savings or the pension provided by the social security system, therefore they do not lead a well-off life. However if they go back to China, they can save some money. The average age at retirement in the U.S. was 65 years old, but now it has been raised year by year. Some people have to continue to work when they are old enough to retire due to the living pressures. However, the living expenses on the Chinese mainland are relatively low, so they can retire in advance, leaving more time and energy to enjoy their remaining years.

Furthermore, with the rapid economic growth of China over recent years, the living conditions in some major cities are close to that found in developed countries such as Europe and the U.S. Having lived for a long time overseas, some Chinese begin to think that when they get old their lives will be more pleasant in a robust and bustling China, so they are more willing to purchase houses in China and spend the rest of their lives there.

Source: CCTV.com