Sometimes, if I wanted to talk to someone I'd talk to the TV."
asserted
I → want → TV
Yang, 91, lives on the outskirts of China's bustling capital Beijing.
asserted
Yang → live → capital
Following the death of her husband, she was so lonely that she says she even considered the possibility of voluntary euthanasia.
asserted
she → follow → euthanasia
I asked my son about it but he told me it was banned.
asserted
it → ask → me
I told him that if it ever becomes legal I want to do it - I didn't want to live any longer."
Suffering glaucoma, with failing eyesight, she was unable to even do basic things like adjust the controls on her air conditioner.
Cases
asserted
she → tell → Cases
have become increasingly common in Chinese cities which Associate Professor Teresa Kuan, from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, says is "exacerbated by the structure of society and the modes by which people interact".
asserted
people → become → which
Most of it happens when rural migrants pursue economic opportunities, leaving behind close-knit support networks for urban centres where loneliness and uncertainty can be difficult to overcome, or when graduates uproot themselves chasing employment on the other side of the country.
asserted
graduates → happen → country
But now a growing "loneliness industry" has emerged to try to fill these gaps in people's lives.
asserted
industry → grow → lives
Yang says her life has been transformed by one of these services - Wang Yingwei and his electric scooter delivery team - who started coming over twice a day with hot meals but whose help extends far beyond that.
asserted
help → say → that
"We see ourselves as community children," Yingwei told the BBC.
asserted
Yingwei → see → BBC
"It means putting yourself in the shoes of older people and carefully considering their needs.
asserted
It → mean → needs
"For example, they may be drinking tap water which can be cloudy and contain a lot of lime.
uncertain
which → drink → lime
I can fix this problem with a filtered water tank.
asserted
I → fix → tank
Such a small thing can make them much happier.
asserted
them → make → ?
Maybe they can't shower because their equipment is broken.
asserted
equipment → shower → ?
I'll buy a part, replace it and their shower is fine.
asserted
shower → buy → it
"
"The elderly treat us like their children, and we treat them like our own parents," he added.
asserted
he → treat → parents
Yingwei's services cost less than half the price of employing a caregiver.
asserted
services → cost → caregiver
The former mobile phone salesman says he started his company to help seniors remain at home without having to move into retirement facilities.
asserted
seniors → say → facilities
He was inspired to do this after his own father-in-law, who had developed Alzheimer's, had to go into a nursing home.
asserted
who → inspire → home
Yingwei said he felt that the conditions there were so sub-standard he wanted to make sure others could stay out of institutions like this for as long as possible.
uncertain
others → say → this
His small business currently employs four people but he says there is a possibility he will expand as demand grows.
asserted
demand → employ → people
There is still a shortage of solid data on the size of this sector – which operators say has exploded in recent years – but securities company Sinolink valued it at around $7.4 billion in 2025.
asserted
Sinolink → be → 2025
And this is only expected to grow given the trajectory of modern lifestyles.
asserted
this → expect → lifestyles
Zheng Ruizhi, another client of Yingwei's who lives in Beijing's northern outskirts, welcomed him at the door with a big smile.
asserted
who → live → smile
"After retiring, I don't have much opportunity to hang out with others," the 75-year-old, whose son lives two hours away from her, told the BBC.
asserted
son → retire → BBC
She was recovering from a recent injury which she said was making everyday tasks more difficult.
asserted
tasks → recover → injury
But the arrival of Yingwei – who she calls her "dear boy" – lightened her mood.
asserted
she → call → mood
"I call you 'dear boy' because I am so fond of you.
asserted
I → call → you
I genuinely like you from the bottom of my heart.
asserted
I → like → heart
I also admire and trust you.
asserted
I → admire → you
When you help me out, I don't have a single worry or fear," she told him.
asserted
she → help → him
Yet the services offered by those in this sector are not limited to home visits.
Twenty-three-year-old Liu Yanyan, for instance, works as a "medical escort".
asserted
Yanyan → offer → escort
She acts as a friendly face taking clients to see the doctor, or picking up their test results or medication from city hospitals, which can be intimidatingly large and bureaucratic.
asserted
which → act → hospitals
"Some of my customers are people in their 20s who came to Beijing to build a career.
asserted
who → come → career
They might not have friends here or feel awkward asking colleagues to accompany them because of the concept of social reciprocity in Chinese culture," she said.
uncertain
she → have → culture
"If I accompanied you to a doctor's appointment for free, you might feel obligated to buy me a meal or a movie ticket afterwards."
uncertain
you → accompany → meal
She said that, because of this, there are many people in modern Chinese society who tend to keep to themselves.
asserted
who → say → themselves
"So, they hire someone like me to accompany them to the hospital.
asserted
they → hire → hospital
If they had to go alone, they could feel scared or anxious."
uncertain
they → have → ?
…and 25 more, not listed.
The Aporia
