Why Shanghai's "Project" Continuously Rises, 30 Years of Method | Service | Shanghai

In summer, Yang Quan, a delivery rider from Lincang, Yunnan, has once again encountered the toughest delivery season of the year. However, his heart is steadfast: the "Warm New Nest" new employment group service station in front of Zhaofeng Square in Zhongshan Park is a harbor for him and his colleagues to shelter from wind and rain throughout the year, regardless of the extreme cold or heat.

This is one of the many "warm new nests" in Changning District. Yang Quan, born on the banks of the Lancang River and born in the 1990s, did not know that in the bustling city center of Shanghai, many people used to live in shabby houses, some of whom also faced insurmountable difficulties such as serious illness and unemployment.

The Huayang Road Street in Changning District, where Zhaofeng Square is located, is one of them. 30 years ago, grassroots cadres in Huayang visited day and night to understand the living conditions of all the disadvantaged groups and helped them solve difficulties one by one. From then on, a "cohesion project" was born with the core values of "understanding people, caring for people, and uniting people", and the core methods of "connecting hundreds of families, understanding their emotions, solving difficulties, and warming the hearts of hundreds of families", which was promoted throughout Changning.

Today, 30 years later, the "Cohesion Project" has extended its concern for "people" from the poor people in registered residence to many people living and working here, as well as corporate legal persons. The "Cohesion Project" has also become a "golden signboard" for grassroots party building in Shanghai.

What has kept the "cohesion project" alive for 30 years?

Shanghai Cohesion Engineering Museum

A bird's-eye view of the Huazheng section of Suzhou River

The warmth and coldness of the people are always in our hearts

In the early 1990s, shortly after taking office, Chen Jianxing, the then Secretary of the Party Working Committee of Huayang Road Street, led a team to visit the disadvantaged groups in his jurisdiction. The scenes before him made grassroots cadres sweat: an elderly person who had eaten rotten vegetable peels for over a decade, a patient whose back pressure ulcers had adhered to the bed board, and an elderly woman who had never taken a photo until her death

Soon, Huayang Road Street launched the "Chuan Bai Jia Men, Know Bai Jia Qing, Solve Bai Jia Difficulties, Warm Bai Jia Xin" action. In 1993, this grassroots party organization work mechanism, known as the "cohesion project," quickly spread throughout the entire Changning District.

On April 17, 1994, the front page of the Liberation Daily published a report titled "Spring Breeze, Beautiful Sun, Warm Huayang", which told the story of Huayang Road Street in Changning District, which only covers an area of 0.61 square kilometers but has 70% shantytowns. Through the most in-depth and thorough visits and the most systematic and continuous work, cadres led the way to care for the disadvantaged and formed a system and consensus.

On April 17, 1994, the front page of Liberation Daily published an investigation into "Spring Breeze, Beautiful Sun, Warm Huayang", accompanied by a commentator's article titled "Understanding People, Caring for People, and Consolidating People.".

On June 29, 2023, the front page of Liberation Daily published Liberation Investigation's "Eternal Original Aspiration - Innovative Development of the" Cohesion Project "in Changning District.".

"We care about serving the elderly, seriously ill patients, foreign sister-in-law, and self reliant young people..." Today, 30 years later, Chen Yahua, then Deputy Secretary of the Party Working Committee of Huayang Road Street, who personally experienced the "cohesion project" in the past, has also become an ancient and rare elderly person. But she still remembers the 17 difficult groups identified by the grassroots cadres in Huayang during their visits one by one.

"Do things one by one, solve problems one by one." Chen Yahua gave the simplest and most direct answer to the working method of the "Cohesion Project" at its inception.

Thirty years have flown by. The dark and cramped deep streets and alleys of Old Huayang have now been replaced by the bustling Zhongshan Park commercial district and the beautiful Suzhou River waterfront space. But the most basic "working principles" of understanding the bottom line, classifying assistance, and continuously promoting are always embodied in the actions of every generation of grassroots cadres.

The current Secretary of the Party Working Committee of Huayang Road Street, Bai Yan, always cares about several numbers: 5611, the number of pure elderly families in the street; 930, number of street rescue recipients; 947500 square meters, the street can be included in the residential area for the renovation of boutique residential areas; 12127, the number of households that have completed or are currently undergoing the renovation of boutique residential areas; More than 3800 enterprises in the jurisdiction; 100%, progress in resettlement for people facing employment difficulties

Each individual behind these numbers has someone to care about and someone to help. "With the development of the economy and society, 'always keeping the warmth and well-being of the people in mind' needs to pay attention to the diverse needs of the people and actively seek out the 'silent minority'," said Bai Yan.

So, we saw that Aunt Xu, who lives on Anshun Road, no longer had to beg for help to send her 90 year old mother downstairs for medical treatment. With the efforts of grassroots cadres, the old house was successfully equipped with an elevator; More than 1540 households in Xinjingwu Village are no longer trapped by parking and charging. The street and residential area have built a party building joint construction platform, allowing the construction of tram charging piles to synchronize with the construction of high-quality residential areas; The white-collar cafeteria in Xinda Square can provide a full and delicious lunch for 15 yuan, making white-collar workers in the air park "iron powder"

What is the origin of "cohesion engineering"? Today, 30 years later, as the objects served by grassroots party organizations extend from individuals to groups, from natural persons to enterprises, legal persons, and even all aspects of society, the answer to the "original question" seems to have become clearer - the "cohesion project", always answering the fundamental questions of "what" and "how" party organizations at all levels should do it. Zhang Wei, Secretary and Mayor of Changning District, said that no matter how society develops and how people's needs increase, caring for those in need with enthusiasm and realizing the people's aspirations for a better life should be the starting point and foothold of all work, which should always be the original aspiration of party members and cadres.

Soliciting suggestions from residents for the integration and opening of Zhongshan Park

"Warm New Nest" Party and Mass Service Station

Demands are changing, services are keeping up with the times

Understanding, caring for, and uniting people, every generation of grassroots cadres has their own understanding, interpretation, and interpretation. The service objects and fields of "cohesion engineering" have also expanded with the development of the times, from individual demands to group needs.

In the late 1990s, the focus of urban management in Shanghai began to shift towards communities. Practical projects such as large-scale relocation, demolition of illegal buildings, creation of civilized communities, renovation of road markets, and construction of community service centers are promoting the gradual progress of Changning's "cohesion project" from providing warmth and assistance to institutional measures that serve the people.

In 2013, Changning took the lead in completing the renovation of old neighborhoods below the second level in the central urban area. However, the renovation of old residential areas and the improvement of living environment still need to be promoted. Grandma Wu has been using the kitchen for 30 years, and when cooking, the lime from the ceiling falls into the pot. Last year, the sanitation overhaul of Lane 1293 on Yuyuan Road was completed, and her kitchen and bathroom were covered with transparent white tiles and equipped with new style pipes that can be used with complete confidence.

In the old alleyway, complex neighborhood conflicts have accumulated over the years. Previously, when inquiring about major repair plans, the position of a bottle of soy sauce could even implicate old accounts from decades ago. What should we do? "140 households have 140 different needs, and we need to convey the policy of benefiting the people to the deepest part of the alleyway. When encountering conflicts, we will solve them one by one, and each household will have its own policy," said the neighborhood committee official.

After the major renovation of the alley sanitation, the public kitchen in Lane 1293, Yuyuan Road

Nowadays, there are nearly a million people living and working in Changning. How can we better meet the people's aspirations for a better life? One popular project after another, and one practical matter of people's livelihood is being promoted.

Changning is the first to explore the path of building a "15 minute community beautiful life circle" in the entire region. In the past two years, Changning has added 113 breakfast and lunch outlets, 29 standardized vegetable markets, and 4 smart vegetable markets, making the lives of residents more convenient.

Walking in Changning, people find beauty within reach. Surrounding the Hongqiao Development Zone, there was originally a shortage of outdoor sports facilities. In combination with urban renewal, Changning has added multiple basketball courts under the elevated bridge of Yan'an Road; Mr. Wu, a citizen, works at the Jinhongqiao International Center and travels through the New Hongqiao Center Garden every day to commute on the Metro Line 10. After the Spring Festival, he found that the renovated entrance of the park is simple and spacious, with a wide view. He also added curved stone benches for people to rest

In the Internet era, the elderly who cannot access the Internet or use smart phones have become a "silent minority". "What if I fall and no one notices me?" The concern of the elderly living alone was remembered by the community officials in Jiangsu Road Street. Nowadays, an intelligent water meter connected to the "One Network Management" platform is installed in the homes of more than 1200 elderly people living alone on the street, along with intelligent elderly care facilities such as AI voice calls and smoke alarms, to provide elderly people with a safe and secure retirement.

"Computers cannot replace the human brain, and digitization cannot replace door-to-door technology," concluded grassroots cadres in Changning. Having a clear understanding of the suffering of the common people, with everything explained and implemented, is the unchanging logic of the "cohesion project" in responding to changes in the times over the past 30 years.

The Hongqiao Park, which has been renovated and reopened this year, is located in residential and commercial areas

The 20th bus stop preserved after the integration and opening of Zhongshan Park

Asking for solutions and creating a better urban environment

Thirty years passed in a flash, and thirty years remained fresh and fresh.

The "Cohesion Project" gradually covers new economic organizations and social groups, starting from serving individual communities and caring for disadvantaged groups. The service targets are becoming increasingly diverse, and the service methods are continuously innovating, refining the "New Four Hundred" spirit of "asking for the needs of a hundred families, gathering the strength of a hundred families, solving the worries of a hundred families, and realizing the dreams of a hundred families".

"Xiaopang Vegetable", which has been operating for more than 20 years, moved into a new stall at "My Home Vegetable Market" on Wuyi Road by the end of 2021. The boss Xiaopang didn't expect that the trendy MIX320 park would leave a row of storefront rooms as a convenient vegetable market. Behind this, it is the joint efforts of relevant departments, state-owned enterprises, and streets in Changning District to retain the necessary fireworks and energy for the people in the trend of urban renewal, as well as to hold onto each livelihood position.

Wuyi Road "My Home Vegetable Market"

The Dingdong grocery shopping station on the first floor of Guofeng Technology Building has transformed the annoying "fishy smell" into a "human touch". After a series of building governance meetings, the street took the lead in establishing a "Warm New Nest" service station here, and riders took the initiative to assume the responsibility of co governance in maintaining the surrounding environment - the new employment group changed from a "governance object" to a "governance force".

In Changning, in recent years, emerging industries have gathered and high-level talents have gathered. How can we serve and gather them?

The Jinhongqiao International Center, which generated 12.6 billion yuan in tax revenue last year and became the third building in Shanghai with a tax revenue of 10 billion yuan, was once plagued by a tidal wave of elevator shortages due to the rapid increase of 5000 employees by the company Pinduoduo in three years.

The Party Working Committee of Tianshan Road Street took the lead in establishing a "Building Management Conference". After multiple discussions, the property management, tenants, and the street of Jinhongqiao Building quickly reached a consensus: to add a freight elevator and add a check-in machine in the lobby on the first floor to alleviate the pressure of foot traffic caused by the peak work hours of the enterprise.

As a result, the Jinhongqiao International Center established the first building party committee in Shanghai, promoting the construction of grassroots party organizations and services to cover the most active economic and social meridians.

Jinhongqiao Building Governance Council

So, the "One Hour Noon" activity and the "Dandelion" tax service station entered major buildings in Changning; In the "Shanghai Silicon Alley" enclosed by Wuyi Road, Dingxi Road, Yuyuan Road, and other areas, Changning District has established a party building alliance for science and technology innovation blocks, linking the resources of large institutions and universities, and building an exchange platform for science and technology innovation enterprises and talents, sparking sparks of win-win cooperation.

Li Wenjing, who came overseas to start a business in Shanghai, was delighted. "Who would have thought that one day I could live across from Niaoya Bookstore!" The Shangsheng Xinsuo, where the bookstore is located, is a famous landmark of Shanghai's urban renewal in recent years. Changning District provides 116 talent apartments with excellent environment and moderate rent in this land of "every inch of land, every inch of gold". The 200 square meter "Ningjuli" Party and Mass Service Station downstairs provides various convenient services and rich cultural activities for white-collar talents.

In Changning, the warm and energetic party and mass service positions have stepped out of the community and "entered" the Hongqiao International Open Hub, Suzhou Riverside Line, commercial districts, and industrial parks... Wherever the needs of party members and the masses are, the party's position covers, and the party's services extend.

Every night, the Huayang Community Cafeteria located in the Anhua Road Debi Yi Garden will always light up warm lights after nightfall, providing hot dishes and meals for residents and white-collar workers. In the newly opened "Cohesion Project" micro exhibition hall of the Huayang Community Party and Mass Service Center, two lively scenes of grassroots cadres and community residents celebrating the Double Ninth Festival stand side by side: one from 30 years ago and the other from today; The same people are preparing hot Noodles in soup. They have the same love for fish and water.

Now, every Double Ninth Festival, Huayang Road Street will provide the elderly with hot soup noodles with meat and vegetables

30 years ago, the scene of grassroots cadres and residents in Huayang celebrating the Double Ninth Festival together.