Work doesn't stop when the heat is going on
In the midst of the hottest days in town people across Jiading are beating the heat to keep the city going.
District’s SWAT officers stay cool
During a heatwave, some people hide in air-conditioned rooms enjoying ice cream, while others “take advantage of the heat” to run outside, wear heavy gear and sweat so much that it’s like raining — they are the SWAT officers of Jiading police.
Chang Wang, 23, is the youngest in the team. Although he was an athlete, he still has a lot to learn about tactics and actual combat compared with his older teammates.
To make him keep up with the training rhythm of the team as soon as possible, the instructor has set him strict requirements in addition to the daily training.
“The nature of our work determines that our team must be the youngest team in the bureau — all the team members were born in the 1990s,” said Liu Bin, deputy leader of the SWAT detachment of Jiading Public Security Bureau. The SWAT detachment he said, is the tip of a sharp knife, shouldering the responsibility of protecting the district and its people.
“The worse the weather is, the more helpful it will be for us to improve the comprehensive quality of our team members. It will lay a foundation for us to realize zero error in the process of handling, and can be ready to deal with all kinds of emergencies at any time,” Liu said.
SWAT officers in a training session
Tough tasks for firefighters
One-minute rope skipping, three-minute sit-ups, 1,500-meter running… To be a firefighter, you first need to complete these tasks.
On a recent morning, more than 400 candidates from the northern part of Shanghai were at the Jiading Sports Center for interviews and physical examination to become full-time firefighters.
In the physical examination, 26-year-old Du Wei was particularly calm, and completed the three tests with ease. It turned out that he had been a soldier before, and he had been practicing physical fitness since he retired from the army.
Wang Xiaojun, an examiner, said that due to the particularity of the post, firefighters must maintain good physical condition and train every day. “Running tests cardiopulmonary function, sit-ups test the core strength of the waist and abdomen, and rope skipping tests coordination.”
Many of the candidates were from Anhui Province. Zhao Rui, an Anhui applicant, said he was inspired by Shanghai firefighters who went to his province to fight floods and deal with emergencies. He wanted to wear the uniform to serve the people of Shanghai as well.
Like Zhao, Cao Zhengfang is also from Anhui. “When the people need firefighters to rush to the front line, this is their responsibility and mission. I want to contribute my own strength,” Cao said.
Shanghai plans to employ 1,000 full-time firefighters this year. The fire and rescue squadrons in Jiading, Baoshan, Yangpu and Putuo districts, in north of the city, will hire 190 in total.
Candidates have a sit-up test, part of the physical exam recruiting firefighters.
Like working while wearing down jackets
Every summer, people who work outdoors and expose themselves to the extreme heat always gain people’s respect. But this summer, a group of Jiadingers who work indoors are also fighting the high temperatures. They are the medical workers at observation sites. No matter how hot the weather is, they need to wear airtight protective clothing on the front line of COVID-19 prevention and control.
On a recent afternoon, Xu Xinyu, a doctor at an observation site in Jiading, was “fully armed” when he entered the anti-pollution area as usual.
Xu wore protective suit, hat and gloves, and applied antifogging agent on his goggles. Even before he started working, Xu’s forehead was dripping with sweat.
Knocking on the door, checking information and taking the temperature — Xu’s work seems simple, but not easy. The physical condition and mental state of quarantined people need to be ascertained and registered one by one.
Every six hours on duty, Xu is busy throughout the whole process. His gloves stick to his skin and his eyes are covered in sweat.
“Finally, I can take off my protective clothing and mask!” Xu said. He took off his equipment and felt relieved.
“It’s like running and working in a down jacket on a hot day,” Xu sighed.
Nevertheless, Xu never thought of changing his post. Since January, he has been working on the front line of the fight against COVID-19. From taking visitors’ temperatures on roads into Jiading to working at the observation site, he has never complained.
“The achievements made in epidemic prevention and control are due to the joint efforts of all of us,” Xu said.
“Now is the stage of normal prevention and control of the epidemic situation. We should adhere to every shift to ensure that the epidemic situation can be completely controled.”
Xu is the epitome of many medical staff in the war against the virus, and the heat. In line with the requirements of epidemic prevention and control, there are always 120 medical personnel working at all observation sites in Jiading.
Since Shanghai launched a Level 1 emergency response — the highest level for a public health emergency — on January 24 to combat COVID-19, more than 8,600 medical workers in Jiading have taken part in epidemic prevention and control efforts.
A sanitation worker, in heavy protection outfit, disinfects medical waste.
A medical worker checks the temperature of a person in quarantine.
Village made more beautiful by young designers’ efforts
Waigang Town launched a beautiful courtyard renovation project in Gelong Village.
A group of young “landscape designers,” consisting of college students and members of the Waigang children’s council, decorated the village with bonsai.
Chen Xi, a college graduate who majored in landscape design, was one of those taking part.
He said that what he saw and heard in the activity refreshed his understanding of the countryside. “When I was a child, I lived in Guanjia Village nearby, and I had some impressions of the countryside. Today, when I came to Gelong Village for the first time, I found that it not only had the rural appearance of my childhood memory, but I also saw a lot of new things.”
On the day of the activity, members of Waigang children’s council learned how to make bonsai. Liu Jingjing, from Waigang Primary School, studied how to grow tomatoes.
“If I succeed, I will share my planting experience with other children,” Liu said.
At the same time, in helping each other children who had not met before not only gained knowledge of bonsai, but also established friendship.
Young designers beautified two courtyards in the activity to help turn Gelong into a beautiful village.
Young landscape designers decorate a farm house with colorful flowers.
Visual artists venture outdoors to put development on record
More than 20 painters and photographers from Jiading and other districts of the city took part in an annual event to record the development of Jiading.
“After staying in the city for a long time, I come here with a feeling of returning to the countryside, and the paintings have a different flavor,” Zhang Zhiqi, a member of Shanghai Artists Association, said.
Zhang, a painter in Jiading, said he takes part in the activity every year. In his opinion, it is very meaningful to be able to record the changes in his hometown with his brush.
“My hometown is changing every year. I remember that this was a paddy field, but now it’s totally different. The lotus flowers are so spectacular,” the Jiading native said.
It’s not only painters who are busy depicting the beautiful scenery of the district with pencil or brush, but also photographers.
In order to better feel the innovation and development of Jiading automotive industry and the great changes of new rural construction, artists record and show beautiful pictures of the Jiading people’s prosperous lives.
A shutterbug focuses the lens on the lotus blossoms.
Life goes on in the subdistricts
In subdistricts, workers are sweating as they play their part in all walks of life.
A greenery worker sows seeds in the square at the Anting Culture and Sports Center.
A farmer sprays fertilizer on crops in the early morning in Malu.
A worker busy at a construction site in Huating
Urban management officers check a dump site in Nanxiang.
A community security worker on street patrol in Jiading Industrial Zone
A police officer directs traffic on Xincheng Road.
A mechanic checks a bus which broke down on Cao’an Highway.
A road cleaner drinks water during a break in Jiangqiao Town.
