Xuzhou - The rain was falling steadily when I arrived in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, on the evening of October 1. At Xuzhou East Railway Station, streams of young migrant workers hurried through the concourse, arms laden with bulky bags and boxes. It was the first day of the National Day holiday, and home was calling. Even the drizzle could not slow their pace.

My friend Mandy and his parents met me at the station, quickly taking my suitcase. "You've come at the wrong time," they joked, noting the rain and chill in the air. Still, their plan was clear: dinner first. "Xuzhou people are famous for their love of food," Mandy's father said. "It's the holiday rush, but we've already reserved a table."

On the way to the restaurant, I pressed my face to the window, taking in the city through a veil of rain. It was my first time in Xuzhou, a historic city in northern Jiangsu Province, known as a crossroads linking eastern and central China. Like many Chinese cities, it is wrapped in greenery—willows, zelkovas, and dawn redwoods lining the streets—while fleets of electric scooters and new-energy vehicles hurried past. Though it was just after six o'clock, darkness had already settled, and the air carried the fresh, earthy scent of grass washed by rain.

Mandy told me we had entered Gulou District, the heart of Xuzhou's old urban core and home to government offices, commercial streets, and some of the city's best-known hospitals and schools. Outside the window, the night blurred the skyline as buildings of uneven heights stood shoulder to shoulder. In the glow of roadside lights, words like "elderly care," "nursing," and "wellness" flickered past. I noticed a silver line of characters, Xuzhou Jiahe Senior Care Industrial Park, visible in the dark. The facility, still under construction, seemed to hint at how the city is preparing for an aging future.

Xuzhou is among China's rapidly aging cities. By the end of 2024, Xuzhou had 2.2439 million registered residents aged 60 and above, accounting for 21.87 percent of its total population. Mandy's father told me that many younger locals work in the Yangtze River Delta. Stretching across Shanghai and the provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui, the region is one of China's most dynamic economic hubs. "The Delta represents a magnet of opportunity, offering higher wages, broader career paths, and a faster pace of life than they might find at home," he said.

In response, Xuzhou has expanded eldercare: daytime care centers line the streets, communities host standardized service hubs, and residential compounds provide stations or canteens for seniors—part of the city's push to build a "15-minute elderly care circle" in line with China’s broader aging strategy.

"The community canteens there serve everything from stir-fried dishes to steamed snacks at prices people can afford," Mandy's father told me. Under local subsidy policies, eligible seniors receive a 20 percent discount plus extra government support per meal, a program welcomed by nearby residents.

As a key part of Xuzhou’s home-based eldercare network, community canteens help seniors solve the challenge of daily meals. (Photo/ Xuzhou Civil Affairs Bureau)

In Xuzhou, many senior canteens are integrated with home-based eldercare centers, offering spaces for chess, singing, film, and calligraphy. (Photo/ Xuzhou Civil Affairs Bureau)

According to municipal guidelines, Xuzhou residents aged 60 and above are entitled to a daily one-yuan subsidy, while those over 70 receive two yuan. These small but steady incentives reflect the city's broader effort to make senior dining services both accessible and sustainable as its population grows older.

"Of course, not all seniors choose to eat at the community canteens," Mandy's father added. His mother, now 86, remains in good health and still prefers cooking at home. In Xuzhou, where the cuisine reflects northern Chinese traditions, many elderly residents favor simple meals such as porridge and steamed buns. Their diets tend to be light and plain, with little oil or heavy seasoning.

Every two or three days, Mandy's father stops by his mother's home with rice, oil, salt, and other daily necessities. Sometimes he cooks a large pot of braised pork, enough to last her several meals. "Her hearing isn't very good," he explained, "so I don't feel comfortable letting her go out too much."

His words reflected a deep-rooted tradition in China: "to grow old without leaving one's family, to age without leaving home." For many seniors, true comfort lies in staying close to their children. Yet this often contrasts with the government's push for community-based eldercare. Even as neighborhoods provide canteens, service stations, and day-care centers, many elderly still prefer the familiarity of home and family, showing how cultural values continue to shape China's approach to aging.

In 2025, Xuzhou began fully implementing Jiangsu Province's new regulations on age-friendly home renovations, raising the subsidy cap from 3,000 yuan to 15,000 yuan. The program now covers all households with residents aged 60 and above, with costs shared on a 70–30 split between individuals and the government, significantly reducing the financial burden on families.

An elder university in Xuzhou offers diverse courses for seniors, including watercolor painting, calligraphy, vocal music, health and wellness, and information technology. (Photo/ Xuzhou Civil Affairs Bureau)

Double holiday brings loved ones back together

Through the car window, I watched a succession of eldercare facilities slip past, a quiet reminder of how deeply the aging question runs through this city. Before I realized it, we had reached the center of Xuzhou, where the traffic grew heavier and the streets more alive. "Just across this street is our restaurant," Mandy said with a smile. I found myself wondering less about demographics and more about what dishes might await us on the table tonight—for in Xuzhou, food has always been as much a part of life as family.

Xuzhou is famous for its hearty northern flavors, with signature dishes like diguo ji, or chicken braised in an iron pot with vegetables and pancakes pressed around the rim, and rich mutton soup that locals often describe as the perfect comfort food on a chilly day. The city's cuisine is bold yet homely, rooted in the traditions of both northern and Huaihai regional cooking. 

Xuzhou specialties include diguo ji (iron-pot chicken), braised goose, gongcai (a local cold dish made from preserved stems of lettuce), and stir-fried bass with garlic. (Photo/ Vivian Yan)

Inside the restaurant, the air was thick with the aroma of simmering broths and sizzling meat, many families filled the round tables, their voices rising and falling over shared plates. This year's National Day coincided with the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the double holiday had drawn whole families together, many returning from other cities for the rare chance to sit side by side. 

Children leaned against grandparents as dishes were passed around, laughter mingling with the clatter of chopsticks. For many families, gathering around these dishes is as essential to daily life as conversation itself, making food not only a source of nourishment but also a bridge between generations.

A typical Xuzhou breakfast features fried buns, potstickers, and spicy soup. (Photo/ Vivian Yan)

In aging Xuzhou, driverless delivery cars from Zhongtong (ZTO Express) can be seen on the streets. (Photo/ Vivian Yan)