As China ages, senior citizens see a retirement of striving to get by

Many elderly Chinese view working beyond retirement age as a necessity as pension system struggles to meet their needs.

Taichung, Taiwan – When Hao Pengfei retired last year, it felt nothing like he had expected it would when he was a younger man.

“I used to think that retirement is more about relaxation and hobbies and less about stress and concerns,” Hao told Al Jazeera from his home in China’s eastern city of Nanjing.

Hao worked as an administrator in a state-owned manufacturing company until he turned 60 last year.

Although Hao would have liked to continue working, he was mandated by company policy to retire at 60.

But Hao did not stay retired for long.