A housing estate for migrant workers in Hangzhou has been transformed from a crime-ridden mess to a proud and inviting community. Xu Wenwen meets the young woman who helped make a remarkable change to the area - and the lives of its inhabitants.

A tidy boulevard leads to high-rise apartments towering over green bushes, while young faces shuttle between a canteen, reading room, gym and Internet cafe. Welcome to Linli Community, Hangzhou's only community exclusively for migrant workers.

Several years ago, the area wasn't so inviting. The boulevard was a muddy path packed with unlicensed cabs, there was more litter than greenery strewn across the estate, while fights and thefts were a nightly occurrence.

The situation remained unchanged until 2005, when a young migrant woman Zhang Minhua from Haining, Zhejiang Province, took the post of the director of Linli Community office. Today, Linli Community is a shining example of improvement in Hangzhou and Zhang was recently awarded a "Zhejiang Honor" for her efforts in transforming the migrant neighborhood.

Nestling in the export processing zone of the uptown Xiasha District, Linli Community was built by the local government as dormitories to house the workers of manufacturers in the zone, such as Toshiba and Yazaki.

Currently there are 15 buildings accommodating around 8,000 workers from 33 businesses, of whom 80 percent are under 25 years old.

At the beginning of 2005, when the then 25-year-old Zhang was entrusted as the first director of the community office, the area housing many floating young migrants, to quote Zhang's words, was "dirty, insecure and disordered."

"Rubbish was stacked around the enclosing wall; unlicensed cabs and tricycles jammed the entrance of the place; and punks got in to extort money from workers," recalled Chen Yanfei, the housemaster of the community's Toshiba dorm.

It was a harsh experiment for Zhang who had no experience at all of dealing with community affairs - she merely passed the governmental recruitment test and was immediately sent to Linli. Previously, she had worked in Hangzhou since she was 19 years old as a storekeeper, clerk and human resource manager.

The community didn't give a warm welcome to newly appointed director Zhang. One month after she assumed the position, a large Japanese-backed manufacturer quit Linli because their employees complained that a lot of their belongings were stolen during working hours.

"That was a defeat, forcing me to be determined to take action," Zhang recalled.

Surprisingly, the young woman's series of actions worked in only three months from February to May of 2005. "When you want to cut a tangled knot, use a sharp knife and cut swiftly, or you'll lose," she explained.

Her first "cut" was directed at the outside of the community - there was a muddy entranceway that was always occupied by unlicensed cabs and pedlars.

To beautify this area, she initially contacted the developer of the community to lay cement on the path and broaden the road.

City administration enforcement squads were also requested by the office to be on guard at the entrance 24 hours a day for a whole month to clear the unlicensed taxis.

Anticipating the workers might complain about inconvenient transportation once they lost the unlicensed cabs, Zhang applied for mini buses from the Xiasha Bus Company, which eventually opened a special route with mini bus shuttling in the zone.

Meanwhile, Zhang urged the property company to employ security personnel to monitor all visitors and insist on them showing an employee's card or ID card before entry.

Her second "cut," which almost accompanied the first, was directed at preventing crime inside the housing estate.

To stop companies from unwittingly hiring workers with criminal records, she suggested the local police liaised with enterprises to check every new employee. After identifying that most burglaries and fights occurred between 7pm and 10pm, she encouraged residents to set up a volunteer team to patrol every evening at that time.

As for the litter problem, Zhang simply asked the companies to schedule their employees to pick up refuse around their dormitory regularly.

"It's impossible to change the situation only by myself or the office," said Zhang. "But as a director of the community office, I have to learn how to 'borrow' others' power."

The facts proved she did a great job. Gradually, people in the community noticed their life was improving.

They can now step on a clean boulevard and take a bus from the gate of the community to work, without worrying about theft of personal belongings from their dorms. After work, they can return to the room and don't need to remind themselves to lock doors and windows.

The successful transformation can also be seen in the reduction of police visits to the community. "In 2005 from February to April, they came 48 times, but from May to July, they only came 16 times," recalled Zhang.

But the ambitious woman said it was only the start. Her third "cut" aimed to enrich leisure time for the migrant workers.

During the same three months, on her suggestion, the local government allocated 2 million yuan (US$303,785) for planting trees and bushes, as well as establishing a free reading room and gym in the community, to improve the inhabitants' lives outside of work.

"At first, I wondered why fighting and attacks took place so frequently in Linli, and soon I noticed that many of the workers were just too idle after work," Zhang said. "Books and sports can fill their empty lives and souls."

After the initial three "cuts" in the first three months, Zhang's work has become much smoother, and the reading room and gym will be renovated soon.

In addition, Zhang and the community office have upgraded Linli's canteen, supermarket and other facilities, held several performances and blind-dating parties, and added a chat room for volunteer older workers to help younger colleagues deal with loneliness and emotional problems they may be experiencing.

As the director of the community office for six years, Zhang said she has no secrets for leadership, but "as I am a migrant worker, I have been in the same awkward situation other migrant workers have been in, that's why I know how to serve them."