5 . “Hey, little boy, will you support me when I’m getting old?” Wang Wenshan, 35, asked his newborn baby as he hugged him at home.

The Chinese tradition of raising sons to support parents in their old age has been weakened by the rapidly growing economy and improved standard of living. As is the case with more and more developed countries, China faces an aging society. People are living longer and having fewer children. Therefore, many Chinese families are falling into a 4-2-1 family pattern: a couple raises one child and supports four elderly parents. But few realize that a problem is likely to happen ahead.

The aging of the population is a trend that now affects a growing number of countries. The Information Office of the State Council, China’s cabinet, issued（发行） a white paper on measures China has been taking to help its elderly population. The paper said China’s population entered the aging period at the end of the 20th century and the proportion of people aged 60 and above accounted for over 10 percent of the entire population. By the end of 2005, China had nearly 144 million people over 60, accounting for 11 percent of the population, according to the white paper.

An expanding aged population inevitably means that many issues must be settled, as the problem concerns every aspect of society. It puts more pressure on each family, causing disturbing economic consequences and serious social problems. It also challenges the labor force supply and the pension system.

“I used to think that it’s not an issue for me to provide for the aged,” said Wang, whose parents and parents-in-law all enjoy pensions and medical insurance. But last year Wang’s father suffered from a serious illness and afterward Wang began to feel the pressure on his shoulders.

After his father recovered, Wang opened a bank account for each parent and put away some money in the account every month to prepare for future uncertainties. In addition, he has to save money every month to provide for his son’s future education. “I’m now breaking my back to support my family: saving pensions for the parents, my son’s education funds, and living costs.”

Wang also bought some commercial old-age insurance for himself. “We have to take precautions(预防)before it is too late, and many of my colleagues share the same view,” he said.