Clubs bring neighborhoods together
An elderly man practices Chinese calligraphy at the Mohan neighborhood club watched by other members.
Despite the old Chinese saying “a far-off relative is not as helpful as a near neighbor,” people who live next door these days are often not in contact with each other.
Because of that, an elderly couple in Jiading started a neighborhood club at their home, triggering a campaign to promote neighborhood relations.
After a decade of growth, Jiading now has 347 neighborhood clubs which play an important role in the community. Members of each club are neighbors or have a common sense of values, common interests, or are of the same trade.
At Huilongtan neighborhood, a dozen senior citizens are in a Chinese calligraphy and painting club. They gather every month to practice the traditional art forms and exchange views and works.
Their creations were displayed at Jiading University for the Elderly and the Jiading-based Han Tianheng Art Gallery.
Each of the 17 communities in Jiading has around 20 such neighborhood clubs.
Members of a knitting salon concentrate on their handiwork at one of the 347 neighborhood clubs that have been launched in Jading Town over the past 10 years.
The establishment of the first neighborhood club in Jiading dates back to 2007 when the elderly couple in Yinxing neighborhood issued regular invitations to meet at their home.
With the support of the neighborhood committee, the first neighborhood club came into being.
A mobile population, run-down infrastructure and weak property management are the major problems the Meiyuan neighborhood faces. But locals gathered together to improve their environment and have built more than 100 square meters of green space.
At Xiaonanqiao neighborhood, a club offers residents haircuts and home appliance repair services every week.
The Jiading Town Community established a neighborhood chamber in 2008 to improve the organization of activities of each neighborhood club.
Three years later, a salon was built at each neighborhood. A neighborhood council was also established to encourage residents to take part in local affairs and community governance.
Jiading Town also develops Party building at neighborhood level. The community has numerous run-down settlements, poor infrastructure and all sorts of businesses which make management a tough job and leads to a bottleneck in Party building.
A corridor has been built for the neighborhood club in Houhuangqiao community, and has become a favorite spot for relaxation and chats.
Integrating neighborhood relations with regional Party building and creating positive interaction among local businesses and residents is the aim.
Jiading Town established the city’s first neighborhood Party building service center in 2013 and sub-centers at all 17 communities.
Supported by the construction of good neighborliness, a unified grassroots Party building system has been established.
Party organizations of different levels and Party members started serving local citizens through the platform. Local schools opened their playgrounds. State-owned enterprises raised funds to support needy people.
Party members also took part in security construction to let locals live and work in more safety.
The Party building center also launched a series of projects, such as fundraising and lectures, through local businesses to better serve residents.
Through the system, local businesses enhanced their relations and became good neighbors too.
