Hong Kong’s active ‘seenagers’ are redefining retirement. Can authorities keep up?

Hongkonger Shirley Chang, 82, plays pickleball regularly, takes a weekly class to learn Chinese ink painting and teaches her friends how to play bridge.

The former businesswoman, who lives with a domestic helper in the Mid-Levels, said she was enjoying her retirement years by staying healthy, maintaining an active lifestyle and searching for new experiences.

Chang said she took up pickleball last summer and now played it with her friends three times a week.

In the afternoon, she teaches bridge to her friends at home. A former member of the city’s team that competed in multiple tournaments, Chang said she had so far taught the card game to about 170 people.

She also started to learn Chinese ink painting last year. She said she was the oldest student in her class of a dozen people, most of whom were in their sixties or seventies.

Apart from her interest in sports and art, Chang meets friends regularly for meals or short trips. The divorcee also visits her two daughters, son and five grandchildren, all living overseas.