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On July 31, a video of "a 38-year-old woman gave up her life in Beijing and moved into a nursing home" became a hot topic on the Internet. According to the videographer, Ms. Yang, she had worked in Beijing for 11 years, but later chose to slow down her life due to illness and returned to Northeast China to find a nursing home for recuperation. In the nursing home, she only needs to spend 2,000 yuan a month for food and accommodation. "I have been in the nursing home for three months. I go to bed and get up early every day. I get along well with the elderly and help them write memoirs. I have a regular schedule and feel full of energy every day."

▲Ms. Yang once shared her daily life in the nursing home on social media

Ms. Yang said that she is 38 years old this year. She has loved literary creation since she was a child. She accidentally came into contact with the film and television industry and worked as a screenwriter. She had been working and living in Beijing and other places before. Because her parents had passed away, she planned to go to a city she had never been to to relax and recuperate after she became ill last year. "At that time, I just wanted to find a place with food and shelter, just to have a good rest." After she moved into the nursing home, she gradually fell in love with the "slow" pace of life, and began to write down her daily life in words or shoot videos and post them online during her recuperation. "But I didn't expect that everyone would like to see these."

Ms. Yang told the reporter that although she will not live in the nursing home forever, she has not yet determined the time to leave. "I am helping an elderly person write a memoir, which cannot be completed in a short time and takes time. I also plan to shoot videos to record the lives of 100 elderly people here." Ms. Yang said that her purpose of doing this is not only to record the real life of the elderly in the nursing home, but also to share the elderly's story-filled life experiences. "I don't care about the dissemination effect of the video, I just think this process is very meaningful and makes me feel satisfied."

The nursing home where Ms. Yang lives is a nursing home called Yisenlin in Fengman District, Jilin City. It was built in 2013, covers a total area of ​​100,000 square meters, and has 5 elevator buildings. The person in charge of the nursing home told reporters that what Ms. Yang said online was true, and they have no special age or physical restrictions for admitting people. "There are about 520 people in the nursing home at present, the oldest is 102 years old, and the youngest is a 'post-00s'."

Due to the lower local prices and some government subsidies, the cost of staying in a nursing home is also relatively cheap. "We have three accommodation areas: the health area, the semi-self-care area and the nursing area. Some cost 2,000 yuan, and some cost 1,300 yuan," said the person in charge of the nursing home.

The following is a conversation between a Red Star News reporter and Ms. Yang:

Living in a nursing homeTo maintain the body

Red Star News:Why do you want to live in a nursing home?

Ms. Yang:In my previous job, I often stayed up late and had trouble sleeping. Last year, I was hospitalized for a month due to illness. Afterwards, I wanted to live a good life, stop my steps, and find a place I had never been to to recuperate. At that time, I just wanted to find a slightly larger place with good air. When I was looking online, I accidentally saw this nursing home and thought it was good, so I wanted to stay there for a month to see for myself.

There are two reasons why I chose a nursing home instead of a B&B or hotel. First, I was very curious about nursing homes and wanted to see what they were like and whether they were as boring as people said. Second, because I was sick, I wanted a place where I could adjust my schedule and ensure basic medical care and healthy diet. It just so happened that the elderly in the nursing home went to bed early, and there were basic medical conditions for the elderly, as well as light and healthy meals. All of these met my needs.

▲Photos of Ms. Yang's life in the nursing home

Red Star News:What is your daily life like now?

Ms. Yang:Now I have a very regular schedule. I go to bed around 9pm, but I get up very early in the morning. Every day I read books, write novels, and write memoirs (for the elderly). Now I also post on Douyin and take videos. Occasionally, if the weather is good, I will also do some outdoor activities, such as going out for morning exercises.

I don’t feel lonely or bored in the nursing home. The elderly here are very curious about me and like me very much. I used to have my own Douyin account, where I often wrote novels. The children of the elderly followed me, and soon many elderly people knew about it, and they would chat with me. Once, an aunt in her 70s told me that she had experienced a lot in her life and her fate was quite rough, but she couldn’t write about it. I told her that I could help her write. As a result, I interacted more with the elderly. We often sent each other food and got along very well.

Red Star News:How is your current living situation different from before?

Ms. Yang:The rhythm is different now. I used to be very busy at work, stayed up late for a long time, and often had nightmares when I went to bed at night. Now, for some reason, I don’t have nightmares anymore and sleep soundly. Another difference is that the elderly get up very early, most of them may wake up after 4 o’clock, which I need to adapt to.

As for what netizens said, young people will feel uncomfortable when they suddenly leave the bustling and convenient city, it doesn't have much impact on me. Maybe because of my illness, I am a very "slow" person. Whether I walk or do things, I am very slow, which makes me very compatible with the elderly. Moreover, I don't want to go shopping or anything like that, because my body will still feel tired. I prefer to calm down and read books or write.

Plan to film 100 elderly people before leaving

Red Star News:What have you gained in these three months?

Ms. Yang:When I first arrived, I kept waking up at night and found that most of the elderly people in the building opposite me slept with the lights on. I also saw caregivers checking on the elderly every two hours and changing their diapers, which made me feel that being a caregiver is a particularly great profession.

In addition, these three months of getting along have also changed some of my thoughts and perceptions. Before coming here, I had some objections to nursing homes - I thought they were full of old people and "dead". But after actually living there, I found that it was not so "scary". Everyone was optimistic and full of energy, and everyone had something to do.

It is a very pleasant thing to communicate with the elderly. Everyone has different experiences. Their stories will more or less become the material and inspiration for my future writing, which will be helpful to my future creation.

▲The topic #38-year-old woman gave up drifting in Beijing and moved into a nursing home# became a hot search on Weibo

Red Star News:Do you plan to stay here forever?

Ms. Yang:No, I live a more casual life now, and I don't think that far ahead. Anyway, I will stay as long as I can. If I don't want to stay, I can leave at any time. It depends on my physical recovery. Also, I have been helping an aunt write a memoir. This is not something that can be completed in a day or two or a few thousand words. It requires constant communication and exchange, and long-term recording to complete. I hope to finish it before I leave and give it to my aunt as a gift.

Red Star News:What are your plans for your future retirement life?

Ms. Yang:The three-month nursing home life has given me a lot of feelings, especially after communicating with the elderly, I especially want to record their real living conditions, whether in text or video. Therefore, I plan to shoot videos for 100 elderly people here before leaving. At the same time, I also want everyone to see what a real nursing home is like.

There are more than 500 elderly people here, each with different experiences and different abilities to express themselves. I will not deliberately ask the elderly to express themselves or do things in a certain way. I will choose to discover things on my own, record them without disturbing them and without their consent, and then share their experiences.

At present, I have filmed videos for three elderly people, but the materials have not been edited yet. I will post them on my account after they are finished. I don’t care about the dissemination effect of the video, I just think this process is very meaningful and makes me feel satisfied.

Red Star News reporter Luo Mengjie

Editor: Guo Zhuang, responsible editor: Guan Li