Work, mahjong and tea: Hong Kong’s secrets to longevity
Covered in smog and cramped apartment towers, Hong Kong is not
usually associated with a healthy lifestyle. But new figures show that
Hong Kongers are the longest-living people in the world.
Hong Kong men have held the title for more than a decade and recent
data show women in the southern Chinese city overtaking their Japanese
counterparts for the first time, according to the governments in Tokyo
and Hong Kong.
Hong Kong women's life expectancy rose from an average 86 years in
2010 to 86.7 years in 2011, while Japanese women's longevity was hit by
last year's earthquake and tsunami, falling to 85.9 years, census
figures reveal.
Tai chi is a key component to the longevity enjoyed by residents
of Hong Kong. AFP |
So what is Hong Kong's secret to a long life? Experts say there is no
single elixir, but contributing factors include easy access to modern
health care, keeping busy, traditional Cantonese cuisine and even the
centuries-old Chinese tile game of mahjong.
“I love travelling, I like to see new things and I meet my friends
for 'yum cha' every day,” Mak Yin, an 80-year-old grandmother of six
says as she practises the slow-motion martial art of tai chi in a park
on a Sunday morning.
‘Yum cha’ is the Cantonese term to describe the tradition of drinking
tea with bite-sized delicacies known as dim sum. The tea is free and
served non-stop, delivering a healthy dose of antioxidants with the
meal. “My friends are in their 60s - they think I'm around their age
too, although I'm much older than them,” Mak laughs. Mak's favourite
food is steamed vegetables, rice and fruit. Cantonese food is famous for
steamed fish and vegetables - dishes that use little or none of the
cooking oils blamed for heart disease, obesity and high cholesterol.
But before Mak enjoys her afternoon tea, she joins a group of elderly
people for her morning exercise of tai chi, an ancient Chinese practice
said to have benefits including improving balance and boosting
cardiovascular strength.
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in February
found that tai chi reduces falls and “appears to reduce balance
impairments” in people with mild-to-moderate Parkinson's disease.
Another factor behind Hong Kongers' longevity, experts say, is work.
While others long for the day they can retire and kick up their heels,
many people in Hong Kong work well into their 70s and even 80s. Hong
Kong does not have a statutory retirement age and it is common to see
elderly people working in shops, markets and restaurants alongside
younger staff.
“Many old people in our city remain working, that contributes to
better psychological and mental health,” Hong Kong Association of
Gerontology president Edward Leung says.
“For older people, a lot of them are stressed because they have
nothing to do and they develop 'emptiness syndrome'. This causes mental
stress.” Fishmonger Lee Woo-hing, 67, says he could not bear to sit at
home and do nothing. His inspiration is local tycoon Li Ka-shing, Asia's
richest man, who still runs his vast business empire in his 80s.
“If Li Ka-shing continues working at the age of 84, why should I
retire?” asks the father-of-four during a break from his 14-hour shift
at a bustling market in central Hong Kong.
“If I just sit at home and stare at the walls, I'm worried that my
brain will degenerate faster. I'm happy to chat with different people
here in the market.” -- 'Mahjong delays dementia' - Hong Kong's cramped
living conditions are famously unhealthy, fuelling outbreaks of disease
and viruses including bird flu and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)
which have killed dozens of people.
The city's reputation won it the dubious distinction of a starring
role in director Steven Soderbergh's 2011 disaster thriller Contagion,
about a deadly virus that spreads from Hong Kong to the United States.
But in the day-to-day habits of ordinary people, experts say Hong Kong
is a great place to grow old.
A popular local way of keeping busy and meeting friends is mahjong -
a mentally stimulating tile game which can help delay dementia,
according to aging expert Alfred Chan, of Hong Kong's Lingnan
University.
“It stimulates the parts that control memory and cognitive abilities.
It helps old people with their retention of memory,” he says. The
complex rules and calculation of scores make mahjong, also known as the
Chinese version of dominoes, mentally demanding. But the social aspects
of the four-player game are just as important.
“In mahjong you need to play with three other people. It is a very
good social activity, you have to interact with each other constantly,”
says Chan, who has studied the game's effects on the well being of
elderly people.“It is also a self-fulfilling game because if you win -
whether you play with money or not - it gives you a sense of
empowerment.” Mahjong parlours are popular in Hong Kong, and mahjong
tables are a must at Chinese wedding banquets.
“I'm in semi-retirement. I work in the morning and hang out with my
friends by playing mahjong in the afternoon,” says 67-year-old tailor
Yeung Fook, on the sidelines of a game in his modest garment shop. “I'm
happier when I work. It's boring to just sit at home.
Courtesy: AFP |