A TOTAL of 90 Shenzhen residents are aged more than 100 years old, according to Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Civil Affairs.

The 90 residents included 77 women and 13 men, most of whom were in Longgang District, Southern Metropolis Daily reported Thursday.

The oldest was a woman called Wen Lian who was born in 1900. Wen is a born-and-raised Hong Kong woman who married a Shenzhen villager before World War II. The 111-year-old is now living in Hongxing Community in Bao’an District.

As of the end of 2010, there were 420,000 residents aged over 60 in Shenzhen, including 154,000 residents with Shenzhen hukou, accounting for 4.1 percent and 6.1 percent of the city’s total population.

Those aged in their eighties receive 200 yuan (US$31) in subsidies a month, while those aged in their nineties get a 300 yuan monthly subsidy. Subsidies for those aged over 100 are 500 yuan a month.

“The secret of Wen’s longevity is generosity. She is not particular about food,” said Wu Lifang, a member of staff at the community management office.

(Wang Yuanyuan)