Respecting the aged and loving the young is a traditional Chinese Virtue. For thousands of years, people have always considered it a social responsibility and behavioral norm. Mencius in the Warring States Period (475 BC - 221 BC) said that one should respect the elderly relatives of other people as one's own, and take good care of other's children as one's own. In China, those who ignore these moral tenets will not only be criticized by public opinion, but also be punished by law.

In as early as Han Dynasty, the government issued orders frequently advocating and encouraging and rewarding behavior related to treating the senior with filial respect. At the meantime, the government distributed a kind of walking can to those over 70, and those with the can could get special treatment and care. In Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911), when Emperor Kangxi and emperor Qianlong reigned, they held large-scale activities to show respect for the senior; each time, the emperor held a banquet in person for more than thousand senior aged 65 and over in his palace.

Chinese treat their off-spring with love and education, with kindness and strictness, embodying a strong sense of moral responsibility. A number of books on educating children left by ancient people, such as Advice to My Son and Parental Intruction, are precious tracts on moral education.

The tradition of respecting the old and loving the young has been carried forward in modern times. At present, the aged and the young in China have their own holiday: Elder's Day and Children's Day. Government has promulgated specific laws to protect women and children; and the law also stimulates in explicit terms that Chinese citizens have the obligation to support parents and rear children.

It is the pleasant virtue of respecting the aged and loving the young that ensured the harmony of the family and stabilization of society. It also provided firm social base for the development of the Chinese nation.