The development of China's gerontology and a critical review of researches in the field.

China's 1982 census shows that China is not yet among the countries with an old population, commonly considered to be a population with 7% aged 65 and over. However, the rapid increase in both the proportion of the elderly and the size of the old population gives an inkling of the aging of the population. In 1950, the absolute number of old people aged 60 and above was about 40 million, while it was 76 million in 1982, and it is expected to be 130 million by the year 2000. The rate of increase in the elderly population is higher than that for the population as a whole. Also, the speed of the increase in the elderly population is faster than that of the world as a whole. In response to the momentum of population aging, the China National Committee on Aging was set up in 1983 to publicize the importance of work with the elderly. The aging of the population is different from the problems of aging. The aging of the population means that there is an increase in the proportion of older people. There are 2 types of aging populations: 1) the type that comes from an increase in older people, or aging from the top, and 2) the type that comes from a decrease in the number of younger people, or aging from the bottom. The aging of the population is an inevitable outcome of the decline in the birth rate. Both birth and death rates have a double impact on the aging of the population. Different views of the influences brought about by the aging of the population include 1) a dismal picture of the world without any vitality or vigor, 2) a very expensive place to take care of older people, or 3) older people as a precious natural resource. Nevertheless, a rapid aging process of the population may cause socioeconomic problems, such as labor force deficiency, a heavy burden, or living arrangement problems. 1 point-of-view holds that a proper acceleration of the aging process is beneficial to development and accelerating the 4 modernizations. As for the impact of aging, it is a mistake to be either too optimistic or too pessimistic. China, being a country with a long history of civilization and the tradition of loving, respecting, and supporting the elderly, will be able to face the challenge of the aging tide because it has a superior social system.