Community head helps make Long Beach a vibrant hub

Ti Gong

Su Li, the community Party secretary of Shanghai's Changtan area, is one of the driving forces behind transforming the former maritime center into a bustling residential and commercial hub.

The riverside area in Baoshan's Youyi Road Subdistrict, which stretches for 1.8 kilometers along the Yangtze, is being developed for housing and leisure, like many other container ports around the world. It is envisioned to rival London's Canary Wharf and Germany's Hamburger Hafen.

The 770,000-square-meter project, twice the size of Canary Wharf, is now home to over 6,600 residents, with parks, shopping malls, restaurants and coffee shops, hotels and kindergartens.

"It is a young community eager for innovation and connection," said Su. She serves as the Party chief of the First Residential Area of Changtan, or Shanghai Long Beach.

With over 65 percent of residents aged between 18 and 45 with a high level of education, Long Beach presented unique opportunities and challenges, she said.

Su used digital tools and lots of research to find out exactly what residents needed and solved these issues by bringing everyone together to talk it over.

One of her most notable initiatives is the "Digital Hut," a one-stop community service room. The platform provides access to a wide range of digital services from government affairs to medical consultations or taxi hailing.

The innovation not only brought convenience to residents' doorsteps but also a sense of belonging, Su said.

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Su has also created an environment where everyone talks openly and has a say in community decisions. She said she aims to give residents the power to shape their own neighborhood.

Whether it's dealing with noisy pets or upgrading the gym, her approach has made managing the community a team effort, bringing out a variety of skills and opinions among the residents.

"The big and small matters of the community are always open for discussion. Everyone feels involved. The community feels like our own home," said a senior resident surnamed Chen.

For instance, the community canteens offer tasty meals like steamed bass and braised pork at low prices, around 15 to 20 yuan (US$2.8). While the canteen's offerings are widely praised, residents suggested sharing the daily menu in advance.

Responding to this feedback, Su created a WeChat group for canteen operators to share menus with residents ahead of time. The initiative has made the community canteens popular with all age groups, including the elderly, working professionals, and young families. They sell about 1,800 meals a day.

Su embarked on a career as a community worker at the age of 19. Over two decades later, her dedication has helped to improve the living conditions of thousands across six different residential areas in Baoshan District.

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Su recalled her early days in the field as a whirlwind of challenges, from environmental refurbishments in older districts to mediating between the needs for green spaces and parking in more developed areas.

"My service principle is always 'note it immediately, respond promptly, and resolve it quickly,'" said Su.

Su said the young residents of Long Beach are full of lively ideas. To guide them to participate in community activities, her team provided various lectures and training salons. These offerings include small, interactive classes where residents can pick favorite courses.

Under her leadership, Long Beach quickly formed cultural teams for yoga, hulusi (a type of Chinese flute) music, and fashion, appointing community "art directors" among the residents.

They launched the "Health Express" to offer regular health talks and expert consultations, and organized parent-child crafts, environmental campaigns, and "Community Little Masters" programs to encourage families and children to integrate into the community.

Now, the community activity center has become a communal living room and a cultural hub that brings residents together, Su said.

Ti Gong