The "silver wave" is quietly approaching, raising the question of how to help the elderly enjoy learning and find joy in their later years. In recent years, Shaoxing City in Zhejiang Province has actively built a "15-minute elderly education learning circle" covering urban and rural areas, using a warm and high-quality elderly education network to light the path of lifelong learning for the "silver generation."

Elderly interest classes are now available right at residents' doorsteps. "Keep your horse stance steady, don't clench your fists too tightly, and make your movements slow and powerful." Not long ago, a reporter visited the Huaxu Community Elderly School in Huaqu Street, Keqiao District, Shaoxing, where over a dozen elderly students were learning Tai Chi under the guidance of Zhang Wenjuan, a national-level social sports instructor. Since 2021, Huaxu Community, responding to the demand for elderly education, has established a community-based elderly school using the Community Party and Mass Service Center. The school offers two semesters of courses each year, covering content such as dance, Tai Chi, and yoga. "Since the elderly school was set up near our homes, seniors in the community no longer have to travel to the district's elderly university. This has increased elderly people's participation in educational opportunities by 40%," said Song Jianhua, Secretary of the Huaxu Community Party Committee.

There are 1,217 such grassroots elderly education points in Shaoxing. In recent years, to build the "15-minute elderly education learning circle," Shaoxing has integrated venues such as town and street adult schools, Community Party and Mass Service Centers, village cultural halls, and elderly care institutions to create elderly schools at the village and community level and elderly education centers at the town and street level. It also encourages talents from various fields, including retired teachers, folk artists, and local experts, to join, while introducing professional social training institutions. Shaoxing has established a shared teacher database of over 6,000 people for elderly education.

Zhao Yuehong, Deputy Director of the Shaoxing Municipal Party Committee's Veteran Cadres Bureau, introduced that leveraging the venue resources of 1,337 elderly education institutions at all levels across the city, the coverage rate of standardized village and community elderly schools has reached 52.2%. Currently, 26.3% of the city's elderly population regularly participates in educational activities, with a total enrollment of 155,000 person-times.

Helping the elderly stay in sync with the times: In the spring 2026 semester at Shangyu District's Elderly University in Shaoxing, a course on AI and video production was fully booked the moment its 40 slots were made available. Chen Qiuhua, the oldest student in the class at age 80, said, "Learning has no age limit. As long as you have passion, your later years can still be adventurous." This spring, at the Zhuji City Elderly University, a group of silver-haired students is trying to brighten their later years by using AI for video editing. Using DeepSeek, Jimeng, and Jianying as core tools, they have formed a complete creative chain of "AI ideas, material generation, and editing and synthesis." Ma Zhihao, a 76-year-old student who immediately signed up for the AI short video production course at Zhuji City Elderly University, told a reporter that within less than a month of the semester starting, he has learned to use AI tools to beautify photos and edit videos, and can even restore old photos to their original clarity, adding a lot of fun to his later life.

To learn the trendy "drone applications" course, 73-year-old Tao Zuhua, a student at Keqiao District's Elderly University, specifically bought a drone. "Photography makes me feel the beauty of life, and drone aerial photography lets me see the world from another perspective," Tao said with a smile. "Learning to fly a drone makes me feel closely connected to the times. The sense of novelty and accomplishment it brings is more effective than any tonic."

Transitioning from "being cared for" to "being needed": In Hutang Street, Keqiao District, the lights of the elderly school illuminate more than just the classroom. The school invites local, slightly famous skilled individuals to teach, covering topics from stitching techniques and materials to design innovation, cultivating a group of silver-haired artisans who can both sew and sell. "Elderly education is no longer just about 'learning and playing for fun,'" said Chen Linhua, head of the Hutang Street Elderly School. "It's about unlocking the 'silver potential' for value creation." Leveraging the elderly university and online live-streaming platforms, Keqiao District has recently launched "ten categories and a hundred courses" of skills for common prosperity, including new plum farming techniques, marketing live-streaming for ginkgo growers, non-heritage sauce product making, and the Shaoxing "Ten Bowls" local cuisine. Over 600 training sessions have been held, benefiting more than 20,000 elderly people.

Beyond e-commerce live-streaming, elderly universities in Shaoxing are actively exploring the integration of culture and tourism. Shengzhou City's Elderly University has innovatively launched a "study tour" model, organizing photography class students to capture ancient architecture, traditional skills, and local customs. They produce photo collections and short videos to share and promote online, effectively enhancing the visibility of local cultural tourism. "The best later years are those where you actively become the morning light," said Xing Nanyan, Director of the Shaoxing Municipal Party Committee's Veteran Cadres Bureau. He stated that future elderly education should empower the "silver generation" to transition from "being cared for" to "being needed," helping them turn their later years into a new starting point.