"China's 10 Oldest Elders", the first ever such list in the country, was released on Monday to mark the Double Ninth Festival that falls on Tuesday, a day on China's Lunar calendar to honor the senior citizens.

The lucky list was made public by the Gerontological Society of China (GSC) in Rugao, a city famous for longevity in east China's Jiangsu Province.

The honor of the oldest among the ten longlived went to 121-year-old Sadike, a Uygur man from northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The average age of the ten is 117.1, according to the people.com.cn.

GSC launched the program this July. 272 people over the age of 100 from around the country were nominated.

(CRIENGLISH.com October 7, 2008)