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'Senior's Day' prompts creation of list

BEIJING, China (AFP), October 7, 2008:

Eight of China's 10 oldest people belong to ethnic minorities, with the nation's oldest man identified as a 121-year-old Uighur in China's western Xinjiang region, state press reported Tuesday.

Sadiq Sawut is in poor health in the city of Kashgar, Xinhua news agency said, citing the Gerontological Society of China.

China's oldest woman was identified as Maikup Zhan, who was born on June 15, 1890. She lives in the Xinjiang capital of Urumqi and remains lucid and is able to take care of herself, the report said.

Six of the 10 oldest people in China live in Xinjiang while the other four live in Gansu, Hainan, Henan and Hunan provinces respectively, it said.

For Tuesday's "Senior's Day," the society drew up a list of the nation's 10 oldest people based on residential registration records, the report said.

But "it is very difficult to verify the ages of the oldest people with primeval documents," Xinhua quoted the society as saying in a statement.

Only half of the 10 oldest people are able to look after themselves, the report said.

The society attributed their longevity to a peaceful and regular life, a friendly nature, family harmony and a good environment.

© AFP 2008