作者：文小样

百善孝为先，中国自古就是一个注重孝道的国家。随着经济的不断发展，人们生活水平的不断提高，中国社会也进入了一个“老龄化”阶段。高速增长的老年人人口数，使得养老问题已经日渐突出，成为了一个亟待完善的社会问题。

"Hundred good filial first", Chinese traditionally uphold the virtues of filial piety. With the development of economy, the living standard of people has been improving, while the Chinese society has stepped into the aging process. The rapid growth of the elder population makes it a serious problem which badly needs to be solved.

让子女养老送终，似乎是中国约定俗成的传统，但随着时代的改变，中国人的养老方式也在逐渐发生着变化。如何为老人提供一个轻松，舒适的养老环境，不只是一种文化诉求，也是一个争论不断的社会话题。

Elderly care for parents has been a conventional rule for Chinese people. However, with the development of society, the ways of elderly care are changing. How to provide a relaxing and comfortable environment for the old is not only a cultural demand but also a debatable social topic.

来自美国波士顿的Chris Alberti，已经在中国生活了多年。中国对他的家庭观、世界观，以及自我认识方面都产生了意想不到的影响，他早已把中国当成了自己的家。2006年，Chris的父亲因患血液疾病，被迫将左腿截肢。生命的最后阶段也是在医院中度过，但医院的呵护并不能满足一个老人孤独的内心，正因如此，引发了Chris对于这个领域的思考。

Chris Alberti comes from Boston of American who has been living in China for years. China has influenced his value on family and the outer world, and he has regarded China as his own home. In 2006, Chris’ father’s left leg was amputated because of a certain blood disease, and he spent his final period in hospital which was cruel and lonely. That’s when Chris started thinking about this question.

老人真正需要的，是一种什么样的环境与生活呢？在中国可不可以，有一种方式，可以满足不同人群的多种需求，无论是子女赡养老人，还是伴侣相互照料，不同的服务用来面对不同的人群。

What kind of environment and lifestyle do the old people really need? In China, whether there could be a way to satisfy the various demands of different people no matter for the children or partners. What if there are services that are able to meet these people in society?

在中国这个以孝为先的国家，忙碌的年轻人有时并没有太多选择，甚至对于这个话题，有些不好意思去提及。Chris想做的，就是让人们去正视这个问题，让人们去思考并能够打造一种老人真正接受和喜欢的生活方式。

In China, a nation who highly admires filial piety, the young people don’t have many choices or even rarely mention it. What Chris wants to do is to let people face this problem, to think this problem, and to create a really beneficial life for the old.

目前，Chris在中国已经建立了一个“养老社区”。在这里，我们或许可以看到绕着院子骑三轮的老太，看到跟着电视打太极的大爷，还有跟着教授学国画，下象棋的老人。在这样的社区里，你几乎不大能看到轮椅，也看不到护士。更多的，是悠闲自在，神采飞扬的老年人。

hris has built up an aging community in China. Here we can see the old ladies riding tricycle around the yard and the old men practicing the shadowboxing in front of the television. There are also old people learning the traditional Chinese painting from professors and playing chess with others. In this community, few wheelchairs and nurses can be seen, instead, vigorous and relaxing old men are here and there.

就像Chris说的一样，有太多的老人，他们需要的并不是金钱和高级看护，他们唯一需要的就是一个安全，温暖，有伴儿的地方，吃的东西既合胃口又便宜方便，这才是老年人真正可以颐养天年的地方。

Just like Chris said, there are too many old people who don’t need money and advanced nurses, all they need is a safe and warm place with partners, where they can eat cheap and healthy food, these will be the places for the old to live fully and happily.