A local's guide to best of Caojiadu Subdistrict
Editor's note
Jing'an comprises 13 subdistricts – Jing'ansi, Caojiadu, Jiangning Road, Shimen Road No.2, Nanjing Road W., Tianmu Road W., Beizhan, Baoshan Road, Zhijiang Road W., Gonghexin Road, Daning Road, Pengpu Xincun and Linfen Road, and one town – Pengpu. Each of them is working to make Jing'an a better place. We will invite a local resident or worker to introduce the best of each subdistrict and town in this series.
Episode 3: Caojiadu Subdistrict
Zhang Lizhen: Office director of Caojiadu Subdistrict
Litter bins designed to recycle used coffee cups are set up in Caojiadu during this year’s coffee festival to promote green concept.
Expat rendezvous
Caojiadu is one of the most popular communities for expats to live in Jing’an, especially the areas around Jiaozhou, Wuding, Xinzha and Yanping roads.
Fancy bars, Instagrammable cafes and stores alike jazz up the community and make expats feel at home. Of them, coffee could be a highlight.
Currently, more than 30 coffee shops have opened in the community, including chains such as Starbucks, M Stand and Wagas, as well as independent brands like Neighbors Coffee, Brick Lane and Dream Café.
A coffee map guiding you to discover local coffee shops has been released.
The community initiated its own coffee festival last year with the launch of “Caojiadu specialty coffee drink” as it aims to make the subdistrict a new coffee culture landmark in the city.
This month, in the second year of the local coffee festival, a new green concept was integrated into the festival and special “green” litter bins designed to recycle used coffee cups were released. Currently, you can find them in Jing’an Now Space, an Instagrammable creative park known for a building with sheer white facades and walls; and Nuoan 1919, an office cluster renovated from a former watch factory.
Coffee grounds generated by local coffee shops would also be collected and processed to be used to feed earthworms and for plants.
Two giant wall paintings featuring a cat and a dog respectively at the corner of Yanping and Wuding roads
Pet-friendly
This month, Caojiadu launched a new project with the aim to build a pet-friendly community.
Two giant wall paintings, one of a cat and the other of a dog, have been revealed at the corner of Yanping and Wuding roads.
A map illustrating 15 pet-friendly stores, including pet stores, coffee shops and photo studios, has been released. They welcome pets and have areas for them to rest and play.
Some companies in the subdistrict have also answered the call by allowing their employees to bring their pets to the office.
In the future, more retailers and firms will take part in the initiative. “Pet-friendly” elements will be injected to a roadside garden at the intersection of Xinzha and Yanping roads during its renovation.
Pet experts will be invited to give lectures to guide local residents about how to raise pets in a scientific way.
Caojiadu community service center
Caring environment
Caojiadu covers over 1.49 square kilometers and is home to more than 70,000 residents, making it the most densely-populated subdistrict in Jing’an. Local residents can access facilities such as shops, stadiums and healthcare centers within a 15-minute walk.
The community service center has incorporated small stores offering services to repair shoes, cut door keys, mend clothes and more, providing curbside vendors a fixed place to run their business and local people with convenience.
In its latest move to better serve local people, the center has launched different themed activities like “housekeeping day” and “laundry day” to collectively provide identical services.
The active participation of local people in community affairs helps a lot in building a livable community.
Take a community project called “micro-charity” as an example.
It was designed to encourage local people to work with officials to solve headaches in community management, take part in volunteering locally, give suggestions for urban renewal programs and care for the young and the elderly in the neighborhoods.
Since its launch in 2015, 505 programs have been launched, benefiting more than 70,000 people.
This month, a variety of activities under the “micro-charity” project have been held, including a charity fair at the Da’an Garden residential complex, a flea market at the Huafang residential complex, a sports meeting at the Sihe Garden residential complex and a healthcare consultation class in the Wuxi neighborhood.
