China's generational tensions exposed as old and young clash in trains

Young people call for suspension of pension system, claiming it favours retirees unfairly

- Aw Cheng Wei

A series of confrontations on public transport between elderly and younger Chinese has cast a spotlight on generational tensions amid slowing economic growth.

In particular, issues such as unhappiness with the country's pension system and high-stress levels experienced by those who are younger, as well as divergent values between retirees and youth have come to the fore.

Just recently on Aug 7, netizens called for the suspension of the pension system after a video showing a 69-year-old retiree beating up a 23-year-old unemployed man in a subway train in eastern Shandong province went viral.

It was unclear how the fight started, but the older man reportedly said he was going to help society zheng dun, or teach the younger man, who was earlier rude to him, a lesson. The younger man ended up with a nose fracture.

Similar calls online to end the country's pension system were made following another conflict on June 24. Netizens saw the subway showdowns as signs that the elderly's sense of entitlement was getting out of hand.

In the June 24 incident, a 65-year-old man assaulted a younger woman on a crowded subway train in Beijing when she refused to give up her seat to him.

According to the viral video, he then scolded her loudly for being disrespectful, while using his walking stick to hit her thighs.

These were among at least four incidents on public transport involving arguments between the young and the old since April that went viral on social media.

In 2023, a similar chain of incidents prompted the official Xinhua news agency to warn in an editorial on Nov 2 not to let divisive syndromes such as yan lao and yan tong (despising the old or young) create a hateful society.