From solo karaoke booths to apps that mimic human interaction, the Chinese are devising solutions to help them fight loneliness. When 54-year-old factory worker Chen Dongtao moved back to his wife’s hometown in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang province a decade ago, he struggled to make friends. His colleagues were all younger than he was. Last year, his wife retired and started spending months at a time with their son in Beijing. Chen now dines alone, plays games on the smartphone his son bought for him and spends more than he should on his dog, whom he bought to combat his loneliness. He may be lonely, but Chen is far from alone in his struggle. For years, China has competed — and in many cases successfully surpassed — Japan in fields ranging from the size of its economy to sports. Now, it’s racing against its traditional rival in an arena unlikely to evoke as much pride as some of its other gains. China is emerging as the new capital of Asia’s loneliness economy, a position long held by Japan. | 