Home » Feature » District Special
Going above and beyond the call of duty
Print Edition
IN the eyes of residents at Lianhua Apartment Residential Neighborhood in Putuo District’s Taopu Town, Liang Huili is an extraordinary person doing ordinary things with passion, patience and love.
The neighborhood committee director and Party branch secretary says this neighborhood is not just her home, but her office. Her job starts when she’s on the way to work. She says she looks around to see if there are fliers glued on walls or trash on the ground. Liang believes the community should be as clean and tidy as one’s own home.
The committee is busiest in the morning. Liang starts her day by doing paperwork and visiting elders who live alone in the neighborhood. She never knows when she will finish. Sometimes she goes home at 9pm.
Born in 1956, Liang says she worked in management at a textile company before joining the neighborhood community.
Liang recalls how things were much more difficult 15 years ago at Lianhua Apartment. Residents didn’t have tap water, gas or cable. Even the electric wiring was temporary. There were no bus routes or convenient stores in the area. It was almost like an isolated island, she says. Residents had no choice but to reach out to the neighborhood committee for everything.
Liang is popular among residents because she doesn’t shy away from problems. She takes responsibility and makes sure upper level administrators understand the plight of residents. The committee solves one major problem every year.
Difficult start
She says when she first started she never expected it to be this hard, but she knew helping others was the most important part of her job. This is the foundation of her attitude toward work.
“When the residents come to me, I have to help them,” she says. “If I truly can’t help them, I have to explain everything to them.”
Over the years her efforts have led to the establishment of a medical center, the renovation of all apartment building roofs, and the construction of an inexpensive dining hall.
The supermarket in the neighborhood offers free delivery on all orders over 30 yuan (US$4.83), a service seniors appreciate.
She’s also tough when facing challenges.
In 2006, a furniture factory nearby was polluting the air and residents were angry. Some residents became so mad that they knocked a hole in a factory wall. The workers were about to fight back when Liang stepped in.
Force pollution out
Environment protection administration officials were notified. The officials tested the emissions and confirmed they were 10 times over the limit. Liang and her colleagues led numerous negotiations with the factory, which eventually relocated in 2007.
Residents say she is brave while Liang insists “the residents give me that courage.”
They come to her with small problems like water leaks or someone putting trash in the hallway. She always remains calm.
“Even if you avoid something today, you still have to do it tomorrow,” she says. “It’s a must when facing the residents.”
She has not had a vacation in the past decade and residents know her door is always open.
Liang says she enjoys spending some time chatting and exercising with residents, taking a walk with community volunteers and caring for the elders.
She loves singing and dancing. She remembers dreaming of becoming a star when she was young. Now she’s on a different stage, helping others with her wisdom, charm and sincerity. Her dream has come true because she is a star in the community. “I feel satisfied when the residents tell me ‘Liang, you are great’,” she says, smiling.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
