BEIJING, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- Qin Huaixin, 60, nearly caused a disaster at his son's home by putting a pot suitable only for hot-plate cooking on a gas stove.
This is just one example of the multiple challenges Qin has encountered since moving from a village in eastern China's Anhui Province at the beginning of the year to live with his son in the coastal city of Xiamen to help take care of his grandson.
"I dare not go anywhere because I can't read," said Qin, who used to love wandering around his village but now is "confined" to his son's home and the residential community.
Qin is one of the around 18 million elderly people, also known as the "silver-hair drifters," who have relocated to live with their adult offspring to help take care of their grandchildren.
Most of the relocated elderly are faced with difficulties, such as how to adapt to the lives of their children and the city.
Zhang Xiumei, 67, moved to Xiamen with her husband, Jin Guozhu, to take care of their two grandchildren. Jin used to be a heavy smoker, but he had to quit smoking after moving to Xiamen in order to get along better with his son's family.
Besides discomfort in their daily lives, some "silver-hair drifters" are also afraid of becoming burdens on their children. For example, they may not be covered by medical insurance in big cities as it is usually only available in a person's hometown.
Despite the obstacles of living in big cities, many "silver-hair drifters" say they feel obligated to help take care of their grandchildren to reduce the pressure on their children.
"Young parents need double incomes. Otherwise, the family will have financial difficulties," said Jin.
For many young parents working in China's big cities, hiring nannies can be too expensive as the nannies' salaries easily reach around 5,000 yuan (about 706.9 U.S. dollars) per month.
"There are also trust issues," Jin said. With these factors in mind, the conclusion is that grandparents are the best choice to help with childcare.
Aside from financial considerations, elderly Chinese also tend to live with their adult offspring for the joys of family reunion and for help when they grow too old to take care of themselves.
"This is in the genes of Chinese culture," said Jin.
While many "silver-hair drifters" are caught by the dilemma of staying in big cities to help their children or going back to their hometowns, they still find ways to enrich their lives.
Wang Shufen, a retired primary school teacher, came to live in the city of Jinhua, eastern Zhejiang Province, from her hometown in Jilin Province in the country's northeast, in 2016.
A year later, she took part in a local cultural festival. Now she regularly gathers with other "silver-hair drifters" living in the same or nearby communities for recreational activities such as singing, dancing, and paper-cutting.
"I really look forward to these events," Wang said.
Que Yongmei, a social worker in Jinhua, said while the "silver-hair drifters" take care of their grandchildren and do the household chores, they also have social needs.
"In recent years, we have organized a series of events for the elderly around the Seniors' Day, such as family sports games and cultural festivals," said Que. "These events have also helped young people learn more about their parents and care about them more."
China celebrates Seniors' Day, or the Double Ninth Festival, to pay respect to the elderly. The festival falls on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, which is Oct. 7 this year.
Chen Shenggan, an associate professor of Fujian Jiangxia University, said as more rural elderly people migrate to cities, more attention needs to be paid to this group.
In addition to providing necessary financial support and daily life care, young couples should give more emotional support to their parents and try to embrace the lifestyles of the elderly, Chen said.
"Access to social welfare should also be improved to help these elderly migrants solve daily problems," Chen said.
