1. In an elegant guesthouse in Zunyi, a prefecture-level city in southwestern China's Guizhou province, eight women in bathrobes and sunglasses posed under flashlight beams. Zhao Jie, a retirement-life planner and former wedding organizer, photographed them while urging, "Show your sexiness, show your beauty." Some women were grandmothers, yet they looked more like celebrities than retirees. [para. 1][para. 2]
2. Zhao switched careers in 2025 to serve women entering retirement, believing those born in the 1970s reject stereotypical images of grandmothers posing with colorful scarves or rushing between tourist attractions. Zhang Xiaoyan, who worked in the legal profession for 30 years, retired in March and slept until she woke naturally, deleted work-related WeChat groups, and enjoyed the quiet—but didn't know what to do next. She declined mahjong invitations and her daughter refused her help. [para. 3][para. 4][para. 5]
3. Zhou Li tried ballet at a seniors university but found the pressure of preparing for a final performance made her feel like she was completing a show rather than enjoying music. She later studied English and psychology but found learning lonely and expensive, and continued experiencing anxiety and depression. Zhao sees these stories as pointing to a problem beyond boredom: some retirees watch short dramas, travel compulsively, or face intensified family conflicts after losing the status and routine work provided. [para. 7][para. 8][para. 9]
4. The market is enormous: about 101 million women born in the 1970s were counted in China's 2020 census, with many reaching retirement age between 2025 and 2032. However, a 2025 Tsinghua University survey gave Chinese residents a Retirement Preparedness Index score of 5.49 out of 10, below the threshold of six indicating sufficient preparation. [para. 10]
5. Zhao was convinced to change careers after seeing a former client, once a radiant government official, transform after retirement into someone in loose clothes holding groceries and her grandson, looking unkempt. She had spent her life meeting workplace and family needs without considering her own desires. Another woman, Zhu Yixing, dreamed of becoming a star but her plan to become an online influencer fell through; after a serious illness that removed most of her stomach, she returned to insurance work, finding purpose in earning money. [para. 11][para. 13][para. 14]
6. In late September, Zhao opened a venue in a converted factory complex where women could gather, learn, and experiment with new interests. He called them "sisters" rather than elderly people, joking, "If you call her old, she'll immediately get angry." He Wei, a local scholar who helped develop the program, noted that public services focus on elderly care—accessibility, subsidies, and support for disabled people—but do less to prepare people for the transition from middle age to old age. [para. 15][para. 16][para. 17]
7. Zhao initially organized outings through an online community, but few participants wanted to post photos; some cropped out the words "retirement community." He changed the group's name to "Intellectual Women" and "Blooming Women," and participation increased. He realized the women didn't simply want to fill time—they wanted to be seen, and he organized hot-spring gatherings, singing-bowl sessions, and cliff climbing with photography and social-media training embedded in activities. [para. 18][para. 19][para. 20][para. 21][para. 22]
8. The trial opening hit financial difficulties. A three-day posture course emphasized self-acceptance over modeling techniques, making women impatient. Zhao hoped to recruit 60 founding members but most who expressed online enthusiasm didn't sign up; only a few loyal supporters paid. A fashion shoot inspired by Audrey Hepburn attracted just two women after an additional charge was announced. A yoga class attracted one person, soap-making and drone classes were cancelled, and in the final two days of the trial period all seven scheduled activities were cancelled. [para. 25][para. 26][para. 27][para. 28][para. 29][para. 30][para. 31][para. 32]
9. The annual membership fee was 2,980 yuan ($446.60), calculated at a little over eight yuan a day, but some women waited for friends to join for a discount, and others who promised support wouldn't pay 99 yuan for a trial class. He Wei felt the venue's promotional material was drifting toward fashionable entertainment and suggested postponing her involvement. Zhao questioned his plans, unsure whether he could help women find direction after losing his own. [para. 33][para. 34][para. 35][para. 36][para. 37]
10. October brought improvement when Zhao resumed video broadcasts and recruited from nearby neighborhoods, discovering that proximity matters more than course content. A single round of neighborhood videos brought nine inquiries, and one woman became a member that day. Coffee and aromatherapy products sold well, and orders from government departments began arriving. [para. 38][para. 39]
11. A craft class breakthrough revealed that many women lack confidence rather than curiosity—a retired woman hesitated to make a hat, saying she was clumsy with scissors, but was encouraged by Zhang Xiaoyan and finished the project, then asked when the next class would be and asked for photos of her work. Zhao said, "When you challenge yourself to do something that you previously thought was impossible, and then accomplish it, the sense of accomplishment is completely different." [para. 40][para. 41][para. 42][para. 43]
12. While interest in the "silver economy" grows, with over 30 inquiries from educational institutions, salons, and retired professors after a video seeking teachers, the business remains an experiment. The women want to learn, socialize, look attractive, and remain useful, but they don't identify these desires as needs requiring paid service. On the eve of the Double Ninth Festival, a calligraphy workshop ended with someone toasting "Happy Double Ninth Festival to all the elders!"—and the table erupted in laughter as the women protested, "We're not old people!" [para. 44][para. 45][para. 46][para. 47]
AI generated, for reference only
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