At the China Development Forum 2026 held from March 22 to March 23, Chen Dong Sheng, founder, chairman, and CEO of Taikang Insurance Group, delivered a speech outlining his vision for the longevity era.

Chen suggested that the term "aging" reflects a negative perception of demographic changes, while humanity is actually entering a period of extended longevity. He noted that average life expectancy is increasing linearly by approximately 0.32 years annually, equivalent to a three-year rise per decade.

He highlighted five defining features of the longevity era: declining birth rates, reduced mortality rates, steady population growth, rising life expectancy, and a shift in population structure from a pyramid to a columnar or even umbrella-shaped distribution.

Chen emphasized that the longevity era will inevitably give rise to a longevity economy. Taikang has already established 40 senior care communities across China, serving 21,000 residents. He explained that the core appeal of these communities lies in reintegrating seniors into society, enabling them to continue creating value. This, in turn, fosters a longevity economy that measures success not solely by GDP or monetary metrics, but by the restoration of human value.

He asserted that the longevity era must be accompanied by sustained health and adequate financial resources, representing the optimal funding model for this new reality.

Furthermore, Chen pointed out that the longevity era will generate substantial demand for medical care, senior living, rehabilitation, and support services. To address this, Taikang aims to build a seamless, lifelong service system integrating healthcare, elderly care, rehabilitation, and wellness to ensure accessibility and affordability. While integrated healthcare networks have existed in the past, Taikang is now exploring a longevity-focused integrated care model that combines institutional, community-based, and home-based elderly care into a new service framework.

Chen concluded by stating that one major aspect of today’s unprecedented transformation is the dawn of the longevity era. The central challenge, he said, lies in constructing a comprehensive response system spanning social governance, economics, finance, and service delivery.