Benoit Garcin, a blond-haired, blue-eyed Frenchman, arrived in Gucun Town of Baoshan District, Shanghai, with his team two years ago. After a series of field studies, they built an elderly care facility that resembles a five-star hotel in appearance next to Gucun Park.“China has an elderly population of nearly 300 million, a demographic feature unmatched by any other country. Providing services for such a vast aging population is a major challenge. Two years ago, we said we would build a truly exceptional elderly care facility in Baoshan, Shanghai. Now, more than 130 elderly residents have chosen to make this place their home. ORPEA is no longer just a care home. The standards we’ve established and the experience we’ve accumulated are helping more people and bringing new ideas to China’s elderly care sector,” Garcin said in fluent Chinese on May 15, 2025.

By “new ideas,” Garcin was referring not only to advanced non-pharmaceutical therapies used in elderly care in France—such as pet therapy, aromatherapy, music therapy, and aquatic rehabilitation—but also to innovative models of cooperation between enterprises and medical institutions or academic institutions.

Back in 2013, the Chinese government released several key policy documents, including the Guidelines on Accelerating the Development of the Elderly Care Service Industry and the Guidelines on Promoting the Development of the Health Service Industry, marking the beginning of rapid development for China’s elderly care sector. That same year, the market was officially opened to foreign investment. As a global leader in rehabilitation and elderly care services, ORPEA entered the Chinese market. In 2014, the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France, China paid a state visit to France, during which the ORPEA project became the only elderly care project featured in the bilateral business matchmaking events.

On May 15, the Gucun ORPEA International Care Center—Shanghai’s first wholly French-owned elderly care institution—celebrated its second anniversary. The event was attended by officials from the Baoshan District Civil Affairs Bureau, Gucun Town Government, Baoshan Medical Insurance Center, and Shanghai Elderly Service Industry Association, among others. But unlike a typical “birthday celebration”, the event was joined by representatives from major hospitals, universities, and government departments in Baoshan. Throughout the venue, there were live demonstrations of aromatherapy, music therapy, and aquatic rehabilitation courses. Eldercare professionals and students from across the country also took part in immersive training on France’s leading non-pharmaceutical therapies for cognitive care.

“The aromatherapy, music therapy, and pet therapy used in France’s cognitive care are not part of our traditional curriculum,” said the director of the Teaching and Research Section of Clinical Nursing, School of Nursing, Shanghai Lida University. “It enables them to gain exposure to cutting-edge care technologies and broaden their horizons, thereby better preparing them for their future careers.”

Notably, over the past two years, the Center has established deep collaborations in medical and nursing services with Huashan Hospital Baoshan Branch, Juquan Community Health Center, and Zhongshan Wusong Hospital. More recently, the Center has entered into partnership agreements with nursing departments from institutions such as Shanghai University of International Business and Economics, Shanghai Lida University, Yunnan Urban Construction Vocational College, and Shanghai Xingjian College. Through these “University–Enterprise Cooperation” programs, the Center is contributing to the training of professional elderly care personnel and the improvement of service quality across the industry.

At the celebration, the Director of the Baoshan District Civil Affairs Bureau stated, “As a key result of Sino-French cooperation in elderly care, ORPEA has not only brought an internationally recognized brand to Baoshan but also contributed its expertise and rich practical experience in rehabilitation nursing. It has set a benchmark for elderly care in Baoshan, Shanghai, and even the broader Yangtze River Delta. Baoshan is now a ‘national learning base’ for the elderly care sector, attracting visits from governments, universities, and enterprises across the country. ORPEA serves as a model foreign enterprise, and its partnership with Peking Union Medical College Hospital on geriatric nursing training has helped localize the foreign wisdomfor China’s talent development system, significantly contributing to the industry’s growth.”

Following the establishment of ORPEA, Baoshan has continued to explore ways to advance the elderly care sector. In December last year, a signing ceremony themed “Enhancing Elderly Care Services and Promoting High-Quality Development” was held, marking the launch of a strategic cooperation framework on elderly care personnel training and industry development. Under the framework, Baoshan will leverage thestrengths of the China Welfare Institute and the industrial resources of China Pacific Insurance Group to jointly build a regional alliance for elderly services. The aim is to strengthen the talent pool of elderly care professionals and promote higher quality development of elderly services in the district.

Since the China Welfare Institute designated Baoshan as the site of the first “Elderly Care Competency Enhancement Pilot Zone,” the district has become a key training hub for elderly care professionals in Shanghai. A central challenge now is how to train highly skilled nursing staff and specialists. This challenge is being met jointly by elderly care institutions, hospitals, universities, and the local government.

The Deputy Director of the Baoshan District Civil Affairs Bureau explained, “The China Welfare Institute selected Baoshan for the pilot zone of the care competency enhancement initiative because it was the first institution in the elderly care sector granted the qualification to certify caregivers. The very first testing site was established in Baoshan and has already been inaugurated. The Institute will provide comprehensive support to improve the competency of the caregiver workforce from multiple perspectives. In recent years, we have been creating a variety of platforms for institutions, facilitating the gradual integration of medical resources into the elderly care system.”

The Baoshan District Party Committee and Baoshan District People’s Government continue to prioritize elderly care as a key livelihood project and are committed to supporting outstanding international enterprises that are deeply rooted in the district. Looking ahead, Baoshan will offer stronger support to exemplary elderly care institutions, helping them leverage their strengths in medical rehabilitation and nursing to promote advanced care practices in the district throughcollaborations.