海南三亚成避寒胜地 每年70万老人在此过冬

Blessed by palm-fringed beaches and balmy weather, Hainan is drawing masses of retirees fleeing the biting cold of their hometowns.

得益于棕榈树环绕的海滩和温暖舒适的天气，海南吸引着大批躲避家乡严寒的退休人士。

Between 600,000 and 700,000 elderly descend on Sanya every winter, almost doubling its population, said Huang Cheng, a sociologist at Sanya University. Nearly half of these "migratory birds" come from Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning.

据三亚学院社会学家黄诚介绍，每年冬天有六七十万老年人涌入三亚，导致当地人口几乎翻倍。这些"候鸟"近半数来自黑龙江、吉林和辽宁。

The trend began in 2000 as residents of those provinces began buying Sanya apartments, opening businesses and luring friends and family to join them, creating a "snowball effect," Huang said.

黄诚表示，这一趋势始于2000年，当时上述三省居民开始购买三亚房产、做生意、劝说亲朋好友一同加入，形成了"雪球效应"。

Recreational centers with features aimed at the elderly, such as mahjong tables, table tennis, billiards, chess, calligraphy and painting, have mushroomed.

拥有麻将桌、乒乓球、台球、国际象棋、书法、绘画等老年人特色服务的休闲中心如雨后春笋般涌现。

The influx has put pressure on local residents, who have to contend with surging food prices when the population doubles in winter.

老年人口的涌入给当地居民造成了压力，他们不得不应对冬季人口翻倍时激增的食品价格。

Real estate costs also have soared as some wealthier pensioners buy apartments. Hospitals are also struggling to cope with an explosion in demand from the aging "migratory birds."

随着一些较富裕的退休人士购房，三亚房产价格也已飙升。医院也在努力应对老年"候鸟"的爆发式需求。