Danielle M. George All Headline News, Staff Writer Beijing, China (AHN)- Like clockwork, every Monday morning, Jin and a group of her friends meet in a park in Beijing to practice their favorite activity - break-dancing. Her friends call her "Auntie Cool". "Auntie Cool" is just one of the growing number of senior citizens in China. The UN predicts that by 2030, China will have 236m over-65s - and that by 2050, senior citizens will make up a quarter of the entire population. Jin is the kind of role model Chinese authorities were trying to find when they put on the first national beauty contest for the elderly, the Silver-Aged Beauty Contest. The Silver-Aged Beauty Contest has energized and mobilized thousands of senior citizens throughout the country. Six thousand older Chinese have battled through regional contests to win the honor of traveling to the capital for the final. Jin has an advantage over the competition having already earned the title of Image Ambassador for the Chinese Elderly and the Most Trendy award. To Jin this competition is just one example of how the elderly population can do their part as citizens of China. "Keeping an active, healthy and spiritually satisfied older population means better prospects for the country and economy." Despite suffering from diabetes, Jin is at the forefront of a new cultural revolution in China that has been sweeping through her generation in recent years. A retired factory worker, she has forged a new career in her golden years as a dance teacher and elderly fashion model.
