BEIJING, March 1 (UPI) -- The Chinese government reported Monday the number of citizens leaving past 100 years has hit a new record or more than 17,000, the state Xinhua agency said.
In Beijing alone, female centenarians account for approximately 80 percent of the total of 257 centenarians, including three people who are over 110 years old.
Nationally, 84.6 percent of the total are urbanites, according to statistics of the Beijing Municipal Committee on Aging.
A survey by the Beijing Municipal Research Center on Aging said the secret for longevity could be due to, among other things, a natural way of living, good-quality sleep and rational eating, open-mindedness and a good temper, as well as a good family environment.
Statistics from the Ministry of Civil Affairs show China has already become an aging society with a high-age population rate, and the country now has 134 million people, or 10 percent of the national total, at and over the age of 60.
