91-year-old woman talks to her TV after husband's death as she had nobody else; hires temporary children who visit her home and keep her company

A 91-year-old woman in Beijing was so lonely after her husband's death that she began talking to her television because she had nobody else for company. With glaucoma affecting her eyesight, even adjusting her air conditioner had become difficult. At one point, she told her son she did not want to live any longer.

Her daily life has since changed. A local delivery team now visits her home twice a day with hot meals, helps repair household equipment and spends time with her. The workers are part of China's growing 'temporary children' industry, where people pay for companionship and everyday assistance.

The unusual service is part of a companionship economy valued at around $7.4 billion in 2025 by securities company Sinolink. BBC spoke to some elderly clients and the people earning a living by providing companionship.

91-year-old woman who talked to her TV now has regular visitors

The woman, identified as Yang, lives on the outskirts of Beijing. After her husband died, loneliness became a major part of her daily life.

"I'd talk to the TV," she told the BBC, describing how she dealt with having nobody to speak to. She also recalled asking her son about voluntary euthanasia because she no longer wanted to live. He told her it was banned.

Her failing eyesight made everyday tasks increasingly difficult. Suffering from glaucoma, she could not even adjust the controls on her air conditioner without assistance.

Things changed when Wang Yingwei and his electric scooter delivery team began bringing her hot meals twice a day. Their visits soon extended beyond food deliveries.

The workers started helping with household problems, including fixing her air conditioner, replacing water filters and repairing broken shower equipment.

"We see ourselves as community children," Yingwei told the BBC. He said his team tried to understand the needs of older people and help them with small but important everyday tasks.

Yang told the BBC that her loneliness had now been resolved. She said she was happy and did not want to lose Yingwei and the others.

Why did the delivery team start visiting elderly people?

Yingwei, a former mobile phone salesman, started the business after his father-in-law developed Alzheimer's disease and had to move into a nursing home.

He told the BBC that the conditions at the facility were so poor that he wanted to help other elderly people remain in their own homes for as long as possible.

His small business currently employs four people. Yingwei said his services cost less than half the price of employing a caregiver, and he is considering expanding as demand grows.

Another client, 75-year-old Zheng Ruizhi, also receives visits from him. Her son lives around two hours away, while she has fewer opportunities to socialise since retiring.

She was recovering from an injury that made everyday tasks difficult when Yingwei began visiting. She calls him her 'dear boy' and told the BBC that she genuinely likes and trusts him.

Young workers are also being hired for hospital visits

Paid companionship in China is not restricted to elderly people living alone.

Twenty-three-year-old Liu Yanyan works as a medical escort, accompanying clients to hospital appointments, collecting test results and picking up medicines.

Some of her customers are young professionals who have moved to Beijing for work and do not have friends or family nearby.

She told the BBC that some people feel uncomfortable asking colleagues to accompany them because they may feel obliged to return the favour. Hiring a medical escort gives them someone to help navigate large hospitals and their procedures.

China's $7.4 billion companionship economy

Migration and changing family structures are among the factors contributing to the demand for paid companionship. Young adults often leave their hometowns for employment, while elderly parents remain behind. Those with children living far away may have limited access to everyday assistance.

Associate Professor Teresa Kuan of the Chinese University of Hong Kong told the BBC that paid companionship can offer a more predictable relationship than ordinary friendship because customers know what service to expect.

The industry also includes services such as hiking companions. Wang Zhoutao, a former soldier who runs a hiking business, accompanies clients climbing Mount Huangshan in Anhui province, offering encouragement, taking photographs and providing company during the trek.

According to the BBC, Sinolink valued China's companionship economy at around $7.4 billion in 2025, although reliable data on the sector's size remains limited.

The Chinese government is also expanding community-based eldercare. It aims to establish mutual-aid eldercare facilities in most urban and rural neighbourhoods by 2030, offering services such as meals, regular check-ins and emergency assistance.

For Yang, the change has already reached her doorstep. The woman who once talked to her television because she had nobody else to speak to now has regular visitors she trusts and looks forward to seeing.