On the lakeside, a sparkle in twilight years

Retirement communities offering comprehensive services are springing up nationwide as more property developers delve in to a lucrative market fueled by China's aging population.

One of the most high-profile real estate projects completed this year was in the Tieshan Lake Forest Park in Xuyi county, Jiangsu province, which welcomed its first 2,000 or so residents in March.

The development, an hour's drive from Nanjing, the provincial capital, covers 48 square kilometers, half of which is made up of five- or six-floor residential buildings containing 13,000 apartments.