Those who simply want to relax can sip tea in a small rooftop courtyard called the Soul Garden. Guests can even stay a few nights in the short-term-care area, where professionals tend to their needs when, say, their children are out of town. The facility features 30 beds that cost 20 yuan a day.

Some services for Zhangjiagang's elderly are operated by volunteers, rather than for profit or by the government.

Retired doctors Zhang Huiqin, 67, and Su Hongmei, 69, volunteer at Yonglian village's senior center in shifts every other day.

Zhang arrives at 7:30 am and takes about 30 people's blood pressure. Elderly villagers also come for health and diet consultations.

"Life's easy in the village," she said.

"And I'm still healthy. So I want to do something for the older villagers."

Visitors also play chess, table tennis and snooker. They can also borrow from the small library's on-shelf collection or access the city's online collection.

"Most young people live and work downtown," the center's director Fang Xiaping explained.

"Old people feel alone and bored at home. So we organize not only daily activities but also holiday and birthday events."

The center also coordinates volunteers to clean elderly citizens' houses weekly.

Indeed, Zhangjiagang's elderly testify that the city has invested to improve citizens' quality of life — including its finale.