AT the age of 80, Lu Quanbao, and his wife Bao, 75, are enjoying a leisurely retirement in their three-bedroom apartment in north Beijing.

Their daily schedule is simple: walk and gentle exercise in the morning, play cards with friends at a local retiree center in the afternoon and another walk after supper.

It's an unprecedented lifestyle for a whole new generation of Chinese - the empty-nesters.

"I was born into in a big family," said Lu. "My parents died from poor health brought about by the war when I was still in primary school.

"Elderly people were not expected to live as long as they do today. We are better taken care of due to advanced medical treatment," he said.

Unlike previous generations of elderly Chinese, they are no longer forced to live with their children by their health and financial circumstances.

"I don't want to live with my children because we have different lifestyles. They are busy with work, children and their social lives," Lu said. "Few of my friends are living with their children."

The tradition of the extended family with the aging parents is being challenged by better pensions, health care and more individualism.

Previously, elderly Chinese may have felt socially excluded without a big family around them, but economic development allows this generation to stay independent, while more social diversity means their choice of lifestyle is respected.

The couple's eldest daughter visits them every two weeks.

"I myself am getting on. I am 50 and not as energetic as I used to be. Looking after my parents every day while I'm working and supporting my son would be very tiring," said their daughter Lu Ying, a nurse.

"I will enjoy myself after I retire, and maybe I'll travel," she said. "I might live in a nursing home when I get too old to look after myself."

The empty-nesters are a growing group in China, said Li Yinhe, a sociologist at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

A survey conducted by the CASS this month of 4,013 households in five big cities across China showed they accounted for 16.3 percent.

"In an aging society, old people should have a positive attitude towards living apart from their children," said Li.

(Xinhua News Agency December 17, 2010)