Thousands of elderly queue to register wills

Over 38,000 elderly citizens in Beijing are joining queues to register their wills, the head of China Will Register Center said on Tuesday.

The center, part of a welfare program launched last March, offers free services to capital seniors aged over 60 in terms of will consultation, registration and safekeeping.

Chen Kai, center director, said it has received a warm welcome from seniors since its launch, with more than 38,000 elderly men having made appointments to date.

Currently, it only keeps the registered wills of 6,700 elderly men due to the lack of reception capacity, he said, "Some have passed away while still waiting in the queue."

To tackle the problem, a second registration office has been put into use, with another two in planning, Chen added.

He estimated that will registration for those with appointments would be complete by 2015 and hoped to cut the waiting time for new comers within three months.

Beijing is home to three million elderly men, accounting for 14.2 percent of its whole population.

Chen told media earlier this month that Chinese should draw up wills in their 30s, arousing heated online discussion.