[Photo/Xinhua]

China has over 13,000 private care homes, but more are needed because "many senior citizens and their children prefer small, neighborly institutions, which are quite rare now," said Zhen Bingliang, an official with the MCA's Social Welfare Center, on Monday.

Zhen said a network of local facilities would be more convenient for families and more cost-effective than large institutions, many of which have lots of empty beds because their owners overestimated demand.

The government highlighted the need to build a more diverse senior healthcare sector in its 13th Five-year Plan, covering 2016-2020. It also promised more subsidies for senior citizens.