On October 9, the 12th Beijing International Ageing Industry Expo grandly opened at Phase II of the China National Convention Center. Themed "Synergistic Collaboration, A New Chapter for the Silver Economy," this year's expo adopts an innovative, integrated four-in-one model featuring exhibitions, forums, competitions, and festivals. With nearly 30,000 square meters of exhibition space and over 400 exhibitors, the event has established a high-level platform for exchange and cooperation in the silver economy across northern China, as well as a vital window for public livelihood services. The expo will run until October 11.
The opening ceremony was held jointly with the 2026 Beijing Elderly Care Industry Development Sijiqing Forum. It was presided over by Ding Zhangchun, Deputy Secretary-General of the Beijing Municipal Government and Deputy Director of the Beijing Municipal Commission on Ageing. Addresses were delivered by Sun Shuo, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Vice Mayor of the Beijing Municipal Government and Director of the Beijing Municipal Commission on Ageing; Sui Zhenjiang, Member of the Party Leadership Group of the Beijing Municipal Government and President of the Beijing Ageing Industry Association; representatives of leaders from other provinces and municipalities; Shahbaz Khan, Director and Representative of the UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia; and Shu Huihao, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Vice Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Following the speeches, the host officially declared the 12th Beijing International Ageing Industry Expo open.
The 400-plus exhibitors at this year's expo cover the entire elderly care industry chain, spanning smart elderly care, age-friendly products, elderly care services, healthcare and medical nursing, wellness tourism and retirement living, elderly care finance, industry-education integration, and the integration of medicine and food. Delegations from Ningxia, Shanxi, Tianjin, Shenyang, Tangshan, Yichun, and other regions have organized group participation. The Shanxi delegation brought 16 enterprises to showcase achievements in smart care, TCM wellness, authentic agricultural specialties, and rural wellness tourism. Taihang Digital Intelligence presented its localized silver economy integration system based on a "dual digital foundation," while Guangyuyuan displayed its centuries-old TCM classics. The Ningxia delegation featured specialty wellness products and medical-care solutions, including Zhongning goji berries, Tan sheep, organic grains and oils, intangible cultural heritage Babao tea, and traditional moxibustion. The Shenyang delegation set up seven exhibition zones to highlight the Northeast's robust manufacturing and compassionate services in the silver economy. International professional delegations from South Korea and Canada brought leading overseas brands, showcasing frontier international wellness products and solutions, significantly elevating the expo's international profile.
Aligning closely with the national trade-in policy for consumer goods, the expo has set up a dedicated National Subsidy Zone to implement trade-in initiatives for age-friendly products, ensuring policy dividends reach both enterprises and citizens. The Silver Age Wellness Fair offers multiple consumer benefits, including exclusive exhibition discounts, spend-and-save promotions, and lucky draws. Concurrently, the 2026 Beijing Elderly Care Industry Development Sijiqing Forum and the 3rd Conference on Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Healthcare were launched, forming a forum matrix of "one main forum and multiple sub-forums." Outstanding works from the Beijing Smart Elderly Care Robot Application Competition and the 3rd Age-Friendly Design Competition were exhibited on-site. A series of cultural events unfolded in succession, including the awarding ceremony for the 12th Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Silver Age Talents Selection, the release of innovative elderly care service cases and the Annual Report on Elderly Care Research, and the launch of the call for entries for the 4th "Moyuan Cup" Beijing Senior Calligraphy Exhibition, integrating industry matchmaking, competition showcases, and a cultural carnival celebrating respect for the elderly. The Salon Zone hosted a vibrant array of activities, featuring industry launches, project promotions, and thematic sharing. On the first day, the launch of the Shanmeng Shengshi Cultural Tourism Large Model and AIGC Operations Center unveiled digital innovation achievements in cultural tourism and wellness. The promotion of Tangshan International Tourism Island scenic areas shared coastal wellness and retirement resources, while the 2nd Promotion Conference for Cultural Tourism and Wellness Cities and Wellness Travel Destinations gathered representatives from various regions to discuss the development of retirement tourism. Under the theme of "Tech-Empowered Wellness," the innovative Miaoceshi AI Massage Robot was launched in partnership with JD.com to safeguard the health of seniors, presenting new solutions for smart hardware-enabled home care.
In terms of visitor services, the organizing committee has comprehensively upgraded age-friendly facilities. Green channels have been opened, equipped with wheelchairs and magnifying glasses. Medical stations, multiple rest and hydration points, and exclusive express delivery stations in the exhibition halls have been set up, with volunteers on hand to provide guidance and assistance. Online reservation channels via WeChat official accounts and mini-programs have been launched, while offline manual registration and paper-based entry points are retained to bridge the "digital divide" for elderly visitors. Leveraging the newly launched official website and Beichen's independently developed smart conference system, along with free live-streaming e-commerce services for exhibitors, the expo has built an integrated online and offline exhibition and sales model. This opens up new channels for supply and demand matchmaking, helping enterprises expand market sales and invigorating new vitality in silver consumption.
As a vital practical platform for the capital to actively respond to population aging, this year's expo is grounded in the diversified and high-quality consumption demands of the elderly, striving to achieve a two-pronged approach to improving people's livelihoods and expanding domestic demand. The expo serves as a bridge for the exchange of elderly care industry resources at home and abroad, creating business cooperation opportunities for exhibitors and bringing tangible elderly care consumption benefits to seniors. Citizens can make real-name reservations via the WeChat official accounts of the "Beijing Ageing Industry Association" and the "Beijing International Ageing Industry Expo," or register on-site to attend this grand silver economy event and explore new opportunities for the development of the elderly care industry.