不常回家看老人算违法！新《老年人权益保障法》今起实施

Mothers and fathers aren't the only ones urging adult children to visit their parents. China's lawbooks are now issuing the same imperative.

在中国，不光年迈父母期盼成年孩子能经常回家探望，就连法律也制定了相似的条例。

New wording in the law requiring people to visit or keep in touch with their elderly parents or risk being sued came into force Monday.

新修订的《老年人权益保障法》于7月1日生效，其中规定，成年子女应当经常看望或者问候老年人，否则就会面临被起诉的危险。

It is primarily aimed at raising awareness of the issue, said one of the drafters, Xiao Jinming, a law professor at Shandong University. "It is mainly to stress the right of elderly people to ask for emotional support ... we want to emphasize there is such a need," he said.

山东大学法律系教授、该法案起草者之一肖金明说，这样做的目的是让人们意识到养老问题。他说：“主要是强调老年人有权利要求精神慰藉……我们想强调老人有这样的诉求。”

Cleaning lady Wang Yi, 57, who lives alone in Shanghai, said the new law is "better than nothing." Her two sons work several hundred kilometers (miles) away in southern Guangdong province and she sees them only at an annual family reunion.

今年57岁的王怡（音译）是位清洁工，独自居住在上海，她说这个法律“总比什么也没有强”。王怡有两个儿子，现在都在几百公里外的广东省工作，只有每年过年团圆时才能见到一面。

"It is too little, for sure, I think twice a year would be good," she said. "We Chinese people raise children to take care of us when we are old."

她说：“哪怕一年见两次面也好，现在见面机会太少了。我们中国人抚养孩子，就是希望等我们老了能有个照应。”

China's legislature amended the law in December following frequent reports of elderly parents neglected by their children. It says offspring of parents older than 60 should see that their daily, financial and spiritual needs are met.

中国立法机构在十二月修订该法律之前，曾有一系列报道称年老父母被儿女忽视。报告称60岁以上的父母应该确保儿女能满足他们的日常生活、和物质精神需求。

Although respect for the elderly is deeply engrained in Chinese society, three decades of market reforms have accelerated the breakup of China's traditional extended family, and there are few affordable alternatives, such as retirement homes.

尽管尊敬长辈深深植根于中国文化中，三十年的市场经济改革使得中国传统的家族意识日渐淡薄，而其他诸如养老院一类的赡养方式价格不菲。

Rapid aging poses serious threats to the country's social and economic stability, as the burden of supporting the growing number of elderly passes to a proportionately shrinking working population and the social safety net remains weak.

老龄化速度过快，对中国社会经济的稳定发展都带来巨大威胁。社会保障制度仍不全面，工作人口所占比例不断减小，但却要负担起更多老龄人口的衣食住行。

Zhang Ye, a 36-year-old university lecturer from eastern Jiangsu Province, said the amended law was "unreasonable" and put too much pressure on people who migrate away from home in search of work or independence.

36岁的张烨（音译）是江苏省东部某大学讲师，她说这次修订案“不切实际”，对于那些远离家乡寻找工作谋求独立的人来说压力更大。

"For young people who are abroad or work really far away from their parents, it is just too hard and too expensive to visit their parents," she said. "I often go to visit my parents and call them ... (but) if a young person doesn't want to, I doubt such a law will work."

她说：“有些年轻人身在国外，或远离家乡，对他们来说经常看望父母很难做到，而且花销太大。我经常回家探望父母，和他们打电话……但是要是孩子不愿这样做，我认为法律对他们也不会起作用。”