China gets its seniors up to speed with fast-developing digital economy

Elderly people attending a training session to get retirees up to speed with digital devices, at the Xiaojiahe University of Old Age in Chengdu, the capital of China's Sichuan province. Photo: AFP

Li Changming just purchased a new smartphone and the 70-year-old retiree is still a bit puzzled by a high-tech device that China policymakers hope will help unlock spending by millions of older Chinese.

Undeterred, he's enrolled in a training session – sort of a "mobile phones 101" – that is part of China's plans to help its legions of pensioners keep up in a fast-developing digital economy.