One fifth of the world's elderly population lives in China. Until recently
political restrictions have hindered the conduct of research particularly ethnography. This
piece provides an overview of recent research findings by Western scholars and of
ethnographic research in progress in the areas of demography, state policy, age stratification,
family planning, residence patterns, inter-generational transfers, patrilineality,
health, illness, long term care, social welfare, and mortuary ritual. It analyzes the
potential contributions of ethnography in this area.