China has nearly 60,000 centenarians

Huang Jingwen (L), a centenarian, makes traditional snack Yuanxiao with staff members of local community in Hefei, capital of east China's Anhui Province, Feb. 11, 2014, to celebrate the upcoming lantern festival which falls on Feb. 14 this year. Yuanxiao, or glutinous rice flour dumpling with sweetened stuffing, is a traditional food for the Lantern Festival.

A total of 58,789 centenarians are living in China, and the oldest is 128 years old, the Gerontological Society of China revealed on Tuesday.

Three quarters of the long-lived are women, and most of them are living in the countryside, the society said.

Provinces with the most centenarians are south China's Hainan and Guangxi and central China's Anhui, where the environment is good and the economy is "moderately developed."

The society found that most of the centenarians enjoy outdoor activities, are willing to communicate with others, and maintain a healthy diet.

Chinese people aged 60 and over totaled more than 202 million by the end of 2013, or nearly 15 percent of the total population.