China’s luxury retirement homes draw millions from investors
BEIJING (BLOOMBERG) - Retiree William Tang recently decided to swap his life in downtown Shanghai for a luxury elder-care development in the city's far west, paying US$220,000 to rent a two-bedroom apartment for 15 years. "It is more like a resort," Tang said after viewing the Ardor Gardens showroom, which highlights amenities including an indoor swimming pool, yoga rooms, wine tastings and round-the-clock care. For a growing number of Chinese and international investors, elder-care developments like Ardor Gardens are becoming irresistible bets. Money is pouring into the sector amid renewed attention on just how quickly China is aging. Sydney-based property and infrastructure company Lendlease Corp Ltd., which put US$280 million into Ardor Gardens, is among investors that see the policy environment becoming more favorable as the Chinese government tackles its demographic challenges. "The market will likely be completely different 10 years from now," said Lendlease's China President Ding Hui. "If you wait for 10 years before starting to think of buying land, learning, training up a team and developing a business model, very likely you would have missed the opportunity." According to...
