A 38-year-old woman in China has been living in a nursing home for the elderly after becoming ill due to overwork and looking for a way to slow things down in her life.
Ms. Yang had been working as a screenwriter in the film and television industry for 11 years when the hectic schedule and extreme work volume started taking a toll on her health. Earlier this year, she became sick and needed to be hospitalized. Doctors told her that she needed to take it easy on herself or she would experience even more serious health problems, so the 38-year-old woman decided to find a way to slow things down. Both her parents had passed away and she had no other close family, so she started looking for a place where she could both relax and recuperate. While browsing the internet for answers, she read about a retirement home and about how calm and slow life was there, so she decided to try it for herself.
“There are two reasons why I chose a nursing home instead of a hotel,” Ms. Yang told 6Park News. “First, I was very curious about the nursing home and wanted to see what it was like and whether it was as boring as everyone said; second, because I was sick, I hoped to have a place to rest, access basic medical care, and eat healthily.”
“I often stayed up late at work in my previous job, and I often couldn’t sleep well,” the 38-year-old woman added. “Last year, I was hospitalized for a month because of overwork. Afterward, I wanted to live a good life, slow down, and find a place to recuperate. My work and rest are very regular now. I go to bed around 9 o’clock in the evening, but I get up very early in the morning. I read books, write novels, and write memoirs for the elderly every day. I don’t feel lonely or bored in the nursing home.
After spending the last three months in a retirement home surrounded by people as old as 102, Ms Yang says that she has gained a new perspective on life. She has adapted to the slow pace of her temporary home and enjoys spending her days reading, writing, and talking to the other residents. She also learned not to think too much about the future and just take things one day at a time.
Asked if she plans on staying in the retirement home for the rest of her life, the 38-year-old woman said that she plans to leave at some point, but she doesn’t know exactly when that will be. For now, she is still enjoying the peace and quiet of the Yisenlin retirement Home in Jilin City. Plus, she is helping one of the elderly residents there write her memoirs, which may take quite a while, so she has no plans to leave anytime soon.
Ms. Yang’s experience of living in a retirement home went viral after she started posting clips of her life there on Douyin (China’s version of TikTok), which got a lot more attention than she had ever imagined. She never thought anyone would find her story interesting, but she has been flooded with questions from people even younger than her since she began posting videos.
While many have declared themselves inspired by Yang’s experience, there have been some who called her story a cautionary tale about China’s overwork culture and how it can push people into burning themselves out at a relatively young age.