Court orders children to visit elderly mother

A court in China has ordered four children to pay routine visits or make phone calls to their elderly mother after she sued them for ignoring her.

The mother, surnamed Song, is more than 70 years old and lives alone in a government-provided house and relies on a meager pension. Her health has deteriorated in recent years, and she has felt lonely and sad because her children rarely visit her.

Song sued her children in the Fengxin County People's Court in Jiangxi province, demanding that they visit her at least once a month. The court ruled in her favor, saying that family members have a duty to care for their elderly parents, both physically and emotionally.

The case has been hailed as a victory for filial piety, a traditional Chinese virtue that emphasizes the importance of respecting and caring for one's parents. It is also seen as a reminder of the growing need to address the issue of elder care in China, where the population is rapidly aging.

The People's Supreme Court of China has selected the case as one of 15 model cases that it will use to promote fairness and efficiency in the judicial system. The cases were chosen because they are "conclusive and representative" of the types of cases that the court hears, and because they are "significant in people's concerns."