Bama county of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region is the only region in the world whose number of residents over the age of 100 rose in 2004, according to a survey conducted by the International Natural Medicine Society.
   
According to the survey, the number of centenarians in Bama Yao Autonomous County rose from 74 in 2001 to 76 in 2004.
   
Bama Yao, one of the five areas in the world with the longest living population, has 31.6 centenarians in every 100,000 people. This makes the longevity rate in Bama 4.5 times the world average of 7 centenarians in every 100,000 residents, according to the society's statistics.
   
The other four areas with the longest living populations are in Russia, Pakistan, Ecuador and northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
   
Due to the acceleration of industrialization, modernization and rapid social changes, the life expectancies in other regions have begun to decline, said Keichi Morishita, president of the International Natural Medicine Society.

The picture, taken on February 27, shows that 108-year-old Huang Maniang and her great-grandson (behind) and great-great-grandson (right) enjoy a happy life in the Bama Yao Autonomous County.

(Xinhua News Agency March 1, 2005)