Innovating care for an aging China

When Jing Ran returned to China in 2009 after graduating from a university in the United States, he was determined to devote his life to solving a pressing social challenge rather than pursue a conventional career.

"Fresh out of school and full of ambition, I wanted to make a tangible contribution," said the young entrepreneur from Taiwan.

He spent the next six months traveling across the country, observing life in cities, towns, and rural communities. That search for purpose eventually led him to elder care — and to a bold vision: transforming aging from a period of limitation into one of dignity, autonomy, and joy.

Today, Jing is the founder of Time Light Care Group, a company focused on innovative solutions to improve elderly care.

Among its innovations is a hospital shuttle equipped with a detachable smart seat. With the press of a button, the seat slides out of the vehicle, gently rotates, and lowers to the ground. It then detaches and converts into a compact electric wheelchair, allowing users to enter the hospital independently — without the physical strain or logistical hurdles that once made such trips daunting.

"We want to move the industry beyond basic care toward truly helping people enjoy their later years through accessible, high-quality services," Jing said.

His six-month journey took him from Manzhouli in Inner Mongolia to the southernmost tip of Hainan, and westward to Shangri-La in Yunnan.