On January 5, 2026, Desmond Lee, Chairman of the People’s Action Party (PAP) and Minister for Education of Singapore, led a PAP delegation on a field visit to the Fanghuali Health and Elderly Care Community in Fengtai District. The delegation conducted an in-depth review of achievements in developing an elderly care service system guided by CPC Party building, and gained a deep understanding of China’s approach to modernizing elderly care and addressing population aging.
According to briefings, Fanghuali is a flagship project in Fengtai District’s efforts to strengthen services for seniors and children and to promote high-quality development of elderly care. By integrating smart services, culture-based wellness programs, and integrated medical and elderly care, the community has created a “full life-cycle, one-stop” elderly care service system.
During the visit, delegation members toured the area for integrated medical and elderly care, outdoor courtyards, residential apartments, sunlit dining hall, creative classrooms, and leisure and activity spaces. Through this immersive experience, they learned in detail about the community’s planning and layout, service philosophy, and operating model. In the creative classroom, several seniors were writing Spring Festival couplets. Delegation members stepped forward to chat warmly with them and joined in, writing the character Fu (good fortune) together. Desmond Lee wrote the character Ji (auspiciousness) and presented it to the seniors, creating a warm and convivial atmosphere.
The delegation also experienced a range of age-friendly facilities and services, including specially designed seating, handrails, and non-slip flooring for seniors with limited mobility; a “nostalgia zone” for residents with Alzheimer’s disease; spacious and comfortable communal activity areas; a smart family doctor studio; cultural and recreational spaces; and thoughtful in-room designs that emphasize both accessibility and a sense of belonging. These features offered a vivid demonstration of how the model of integrated medical and elderly care is implemented in practice.
Throughout the visit, delegation members showed keen interest and asked detailed questions about operations, such as how medical emergencies are handled, whether three daily meals are provided, how rooms are arranged, and what activities are regularly organized. After the tour, many expressed strong appreciation, saying that “these thoughtful and meticulous designs are filled with care for older adults”. They noted that this elderly care model, which addresses material needs while enriching cultural life, provides valuable reference for the development of elderly care services in Singapore.
It is reported that in recent years, Fengtai District has consistently upheld a people-centered development philosophy. In response to the demographic aging trend, the district has worked to build an elderly care service system that coordinates home-based, community-based, and institutional care, while integrating medical services with elderly care and rehabilitation. The successful implementation of a number of high-quality care projects, including Fanghuali, stands as a vivid example of the district’s steadily improving public well-being and social security standards.
