Xi'an, September 20th (Reporter Su Ruinan) Autumn dyeing Qinling Mountains, Wei River rushing. A grand event focusing on the innovative development of the silver haired economy and the elderly care industry has begun on the western land. The 4th Xi'an International Elderly Care Industry Expo (referred to as "Xi'an Elderly Expo") will be held at the Xi'an International Convention and Exhibition Center from September 17th to 19th, with a duration of three days.

Expansion of exhibition area by 40000 square meters to cover all forms of elderly care

The theme of this expo is "Qin style Silver Age Nourishing Chang'an", jointly hosted by the Xi'an Municipal People's Government and the Shaanxi Provincial Department of Civil Affairs. It focuses on the four functions of "achievement display+business development+characteristic innovation+public welfare benefiting the people", based in Shaanxi, radiating to the northwest, and facing the whole country. Through large-scale exhibitions, authoritative achievement releases, scientific and technological innovation project appearances, and public welfare convenient services, it showcases the development achievements of the elderly care industry and the upgrading achievements of the elderly care industry, and opens up the supply and demand docking channels of the entire elderly care industry chain. The exhibition area of this year's Expo has reached 40000 square meters, an increase of 8000 square meters compared to the previous edition. More than 500 domestic and foreign enterprises and institutions have participated in the exhibition, with 18 exhibition areas set up.

The exhibition relies on the dual exhibition halls, atrium, and corridor areas of Xi'an International Convention and Exhibition Center, and sets up a "1+9+4+4" exhibition area matrix to achieve full format and full chain display of the elderly care industry.

Among them, there is a three-year elderly care achievement exhibition area, which focuses on showcasing the practical achievements and future plans of the construction of elderly care service systems, the development of the elderly care industry, and the cultivation of the silver hair industry in various cities in the past three years. Nine professional exhibition areas cover key business formats such as elderly care services, smart elderly care, international exchanges, out of province groups, aging friendly transformation, elderly finance, rehabilitation nursing, health management, and elderly products. The four featured exhibition areas include the Silver Hair Economy Creative Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition Results Exhibition, Silver Hair Economy Industry Catalog Enterprise Exhibition, Welfare Lottery Industry Exhibition, and the "Mid Autumn Silver Age Gathering". Four public welfare exhibition areas are equipped with silver haired economic talent recruitment, calligraphy and painting art, non heritage cultural and creative, and business association exhibitions, taking into account industrial development, talent cultivation, and the spiritual and cultural needs of the elderly.

Authoritative release of blue book and industry catalog anchoring direction

At the opening ceremony, the Department of Civil Affairs of Shaanxi Province released the "Blue Book of Shaanxi Elderly Care Industry (2026)" and "Shaanxi Silver Hair Economy Industry Catalog (2026)", which sorted out the current development status, resource endowment, advantages and weaknesses of the elderly care industry in the province, clarified the future focus, development direction and implementation measures of industry cultivation, and provided reference for the transformation and upgrading of local elderly care enterprises and the landing of external resources.

The Civil Affairs Bureau of Xi'an City has released the "Comprehensive Statistical Information on the Elderly Population, Elderly Affairs, and Elderly Care Services in Xi'an City in 2025", which uses data to show the current situation of population aging and the effectiveness of elderly care service system construction. It provides data support for various departments to implement precise policies and industry enterprises to layout accurately, and promotes the transformation of the elderly care industry from experiential promotion to data-driven and scientific development.

Building a docking platform for 12 special events in conference activities

This expo will hold one opening ceremony, one keynote conference, twelve special conferences, and featured activities, covering areas such as industry seminars, technology releases, industry education integration, regional docking, financial empowerment, talent cultivation, cultural elderly care, etc., to build a multi-level and specialized industry exchange and cooperation system.

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During the Expo, 12 special conferences and characteristic activities will be held (Photo by Liu Yu, a reporter from China National Radio)

On the afternoon of September 17th, the keynote conference of the 2026 Xi'an International Elderly Care Cooperation and Exchange Activity was held, bringing together industry experts, enterprise representatives, civil affairs practitioners, and scientific research talents to exchange ideas on the coordinated development and innovative upgrading of the elderly care industry.

At the same time, the award ceremony of the Xi'an Elderly Care Service Talent Vocational Skills Competition and the integration of industry and education in the elderly care industry, the supply and demand cooperation exchange of the silver hair industry chain and the release of new products and technologies, the cooperation exchange of Yiyang Chang'an's living and elderly care, the docking exchange of the Suzhou Shaanxi elderly care industry, the exchange of elderly care finance, the roadshow of elderly care technology innovation achievements, the exchange of high-quality development of the silver hair economy in Shaanxi Province, the Silver Hair Economy Entrepreneur Conference (Xi'an Station), and the exchange of high-quality development of the rehabilitation assistive device industry were successively carried out.

Synchronized landing of exhibitions for the benefit of the people and talent services: From September 17th to 18th, the Silver Hair Economy Talent Recruitment Fair will continue to be held, building a bridge for talent supply and demand in the elderly care industry; From September 17th to 19th, the Xi'an Elderly Grand Stage Art Exhibition will continue to be held, enriching the spiritual and cultural life of the elderly population and creating an atmosphere of respect and love for the elderly. The series of activities are interconnected to effectively connect the channels between the government, academia, enterprises, talents, and the market.

Technological breakthroughs in science and technology empower elderly care scenarios

During this expo, the Western Silver Hair Economy's creative innovation and entrepreneurship activities were carried out simultaneously, focusing on technology empowering elderly care and industrial innovation and upgrading. A total of 55 projects were collected for evaluation, and 32 projects passed the initial review, ultimately winning awards in three major categories: creative design, innovative products, and entrepreneurial technology.

One stop AI intelligent elderly care, brain computer interface intelligent care, portable joint surgery robots, interactive emotional companionship robots and other cutting-edge projects have been showcased, demonstrating the broad prospects of deep integration of technology and elderly care.

From creative design to entrepreneurial technology, a batch of projects aim at the bottlenecks and difficulties in elderly care services. Some rely on GIS bases to integrate elderly care resources and solve the "last 100 meters" problem of service information through age appropriate design; Some focus on social pain points such as high hospitalization care costs and difficulty in regulating long-term care insurance, and propose replicable service models and regulatory plans; There are also efforts to promote the development of high-end elderly care medical equipment towards portability and intelligence, allowing cutting-edge technologies to quickly enter clinical and home settings.

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The public is experiencing brain controlled rehabilitation wheelchairs (photo by Hou Kaiqi, a reporter from China National Radio)

The innovative product sector embodies the latest exploration of intelligent health care. Technologies such as brain computer interfaces, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality are accelerating the empowerment of the elderly care field, achieving breakthroughs in intelligent care for disabled elderly, active rehabilitation for stroke, screening and intervention for elderly cognitive impairment, and other scenarios. Among them, the stroke active rehabilitation training system based on non-invasive brain computer interface has been clinically implemented in more than 30 tertiary hospitals across the country, serving over 3000 elderly stroke patients with a clinical effectiveness rate of over 85%.

At the exhibition site, the "Four Senses Combined Brain Fatigue Rehabilitation System" attracted many viewers to experience it. Wu Zeshun, a research assistant at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University, introduced that the system creates an immersive and relaxing environment through the integration of visual, auditory, tactile, and olfactory senses, and combines AI algorithms to customize personalized intervention plans for users, exploring new paths to improve sleep disorders in the elderly.

The concentrated display and docking of a series of scientific and technological innovation projects not only injects new technologies and models into the elderly care industry, but also opens up a connection channel between scientific research achievements and market applications. With the continuous implementation of cutting-edge technologies such as brain computer interfaces and artificial intelligence, the scenarios of technology empowering elderly care will continue to expand, providing strong support for the coordinated development of the western silver economy.

Public welfare benefits the people, making industrial achievements tangible and accessible

This year's Xi'an Old Expo adheres to the original intention of benefiting the people and deeply integrates industrial development with people's well-being. Based on the four major public welfare exhibition areas and a series of characteristic activities, we focus on the spiritual and cultural needs and life service needs of the elderly population. Through non heritage cultural and creative exhibitions, calligraphy and painting art performances, and the "Mid Autumn Festival Silver Age Gathering" and other characteristic scenes, we enrich the spiritual and cultural life of the elderly.

Relying on the recruitment of talents in the silver economy and other sectors, we not only provide a platform for employment and entrepreneurship for elderly care practitioners, but also offer a window for the elderly to understand elderly care policies, suitable products, and health care services, allowing them to experience the achievements of modern elderly care services up close. From industrial exhibitions to convenient services, from technological innovation to cultural immersion, exhibitions promote further connection between industrial resources and people's livelihood needs.

The current silver economy is in a critical stage of transitioning from "traditional bottom line elderly care" to "quality and intelligent health care". Innovative elements such as AI technology, brain computer interfaces, and intelligent hardware are continuously reconstructing the boundaries of elderly care services. This Western Silver Hair Economy Creative Innovation and Entrepreneurship Activity provides a window for showcasing and connecting innovative projects in the elderly care field, and also opens up a connection channel between scientific research achievements and the elderly care market.

It is reported that in 2027, the Western Silver Hair Economy Creative Innovation and Entrepreneurship Activities will continue to be held, continuously gathering elderly care science and technology innovation resources, incubating high-quality projects, and promoting elderly friendly achievements. Next, Shaanxi will continue to host the Xi'an International Elderly Care Industry Expo, establish a platform for industry exchange, scientific and technological innovation incubation, supply and demand docking, and talent cultivation on a regular basis, promote the high-quality development of the elderly care industry, and empower the elderly population with high-quality and happy old age through industrial innovation.

Source: The 4th Xi'an International Elderly Care Industry Expo: Looking at the New Landscape of Silver Hair Economy from an Exhibition "by China National Radio and Television Network