A: Hello and welcome to Listeners Garden here on CRI. I'm your host LPC.

B: And I'm AE. Thanks for joining us again.

A: October 1 is National Day in China, so people nationwide are enjoying a weeklong holiday.

B: Besides China's National Day, October 1 also marks the International Day of Older Persons, designated by the UN General Assembly in 1990 to call attention to the aging population.

A: So this day is special to senior citizens all over the world. But do you know, Ashley, that China also has its own festival for the aged?

B: Do you? In the States, we designate a Grandparents' Day in September. When is your festival?

A: Well, according to the Chinese lunar calendar, the ninth day of the ninth lunar month marks the traditional Chinese Chongyang Festival, also known as the Double Ninth Festival. Since ancient times, it has served as a day for people to pay respect to the elderly. In 1989, China declared the Double Ninth Festival "Old Persons Day." This year, it falls on October 7, next Tuesday.

B: So it's just a coincidence that the two days for the elderly fall so close to each other this year.

A: Yes, and to observe the International Day of Older Persons and usher in the Chinese festival for the elderly, on today's show we'll talk about the aging issue in China. We'll find out how the country's graying population is spending retirement, and what the country has been doing to cope with the severe aging problem.

B: But before that, first we'll answer some questions from our listeners. Please stay tuned.

A: Welcome back to Listeners' Garden. I'm LPC.

B: And I'm AE. As we mentioned earlier, next Tuesday marks the traditional Chinese Double Ninth Festival, which Chinese also observe as Old Persons Day.

B: And with that, with that we end this edition of Listeners' Garden. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome. Our email address is garden@cri.com.cn.

A: You can also listen to our program online by logging on to our Web site at crienglish.com.

B: I'm AE. Thanks for being with us, and we hope to see you again at the same time next week.

A: And I'm LPC. Bye for now.