Neighborhoods adopt a can-do spirit
Print Edition
THE Daning community is an old neighborhood that is young in spirit.
Liang Youqing, 70, leads a group of five retirees who write plays about life around them, and others in the community perform their work in the community theater.
“Residents, especially the elderly, are highly involved in cultural activities in the community,” Liang said. “It gives us happiness and helps keep us healthy.”
Other communities in Shanghai might envy Daning because it actually has more volunteers than it knows what to do with. The community urges civic participation from schools, soldiers from a nearby military camp and senior citizens.
“Our activities are so popular that we usually have too many applicants,” said Guo Qiang, deputy director of the community office. “Those who don’t make it often feel unhappy.”
Daning is one of several large residential communities along the Middle Ring Road in Jing’an. It is a success story in the district’s efforts to get people more involved in the day-to-day affairs of their communities.
At Daning International Elementary School, for example, Shanghai Shuochang, or a Shanghai rap of storytelling and singing in the local dialect, has been introduced into the curriculum.
Community activity goes beyond entertainment. Each of the 20 neighborhoods selects a charity or service project to run.
“Each project is set up and managed by the residents themselves to address particular needs in local neighborhoods,” said Zhang Yu, another deputy director of the community office.
One example occurred in an old neighborhood at 540 Daning Road, which has a large public square that can accommodate 1,000 people and is equipped with 41 pieces of fitness equipment.
But with heavy use, particularly by the elderly, the equipment often falls into disrepair. That’s the gist of a community project called the Grey Hair Maintenance Crew, which was set up in 2000.
“Actually, in most cases, it’s easy to repair the equipment just by changing some parts,” said Liu Yongchu, 72, who joined the team in 2005. “But it would take about a week if you reported that to the neighborhood committee and then waited for repair workers.”
At first, the five retirees who founded the grey brigade used their own money to repair facilities. The group now has 16 members, aged from 60 to 81, and the neighborhood committee picks up the tab for parts.
Last year, the group extended its services to cleaning up the square and publishing leaflets urging residents to keep the neighborhood free of rubbish. They also cooperate with the local sports bureau to teach residents how to use fitness equipment, and they check gas pipes for leaks.
“This level of activity is what we want to achieve in every neighborhood,” Zhang said.
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