What's going on now?, Chongqing Internet famous community service that was once "denied visits" | Autonomous | Community
There is a community in Chongqing called Bai Xiang Ju, which used to be the filming location for many movies due to its unique architectural style and geographical location.
There is an aerial corridor between the buildings in the community, which provides a good view and can capture multiple Chongqing landmarks such as the Yangtze River Cableway and Dongshuimen Bridge. There is also a unique wonder of Chongqing's mountain city architecture here - the 24 story building does not have an elevator, but there are entrances and exits on the 1st, 10th, and 15th floors, and every exit is actually a road.
It is precisely because of these special features that more and more tourists have come to the White Elephant Residence to take photos and check in in the past two years. This summer, there are four to five thousand tourists visiting and taking photos every day.
However, when tourists come, problems also arise. The influx of tourists has caused inconvenience to the residents of the community, and a sign saying "no visits" has been hung at their doorstep. Some also believe that more tolerance should be given to tourists. So, what is the balance point between tourist visits and daily life of residents?
Since the end of May, the CCTV reporter has been working at the White Elephant Residence, documenting the changes through nearly three months of filming.
Residential buildings transformed into tourist check-in areas
Residents cannot bear its disturbance
The White Elephant Residence is not actually a traditional tourist attraction. It is an old residential area built in the 1990s, with over 500 households, mainly elderly residents. The increase in tourists has brought business opportunities to some merchants, but it has also caused inconvenience to many residents.
On May 23rd this year, the White Elephant Residence, known as the "must check in place for Chongqing tourism," was surrounded. At the entrance, multiple personnel are on duty, and there is also a sign hanging that reads "Residential buildings, no visits allowed".
Resident Wang Jiaming is one of the guards on duty. During this year's May Day holiday, he couldn't bear it anymore and decided to restrict tourists from entering.
Wang Jiaming's mother is 96 years old and suffers from various diseases such as hypertension. She felt unwell that day and needed to be urgently sent to the hospital. Wang Jiaming carried her mother on his back and almost couldn't walk along the way. He walked all the way and asked the tourists to give way before coming out. Fortunately, the old man was in good health after arriving at the hospital.
The Bai Xiang Ju aerial corridor is the place where tourists gather the most. Many residents with windows facing here claim that the tourists taking photos are very noisy and their families are unable to rest normally.
The operators also bring troubles to residents. The entrance and exit passage of the entire White Elephant House is only over two meters wide. Some merchants, in order to expand their business area, have placed freezers, tables and chairs on the passage outside the store, which not only affects the entry and exit of residents, but also blocks the fire exits.
The residents hope to solve this problem as soon as possible and restore their peace of life. Some residents bluntly say, "This is a residential area, not a tourist area, and tourists are not allowed to come in." However, for some residents and tenants in the residential area, the arrival of tourists also brings business opportunities and improves their lives to a certain extent.
Tourists bring new business opportunities
Business is constantly flowing at our doorstep
Xiong Xueqing and Li Sanwen moved from the countryside to Bai Xiangju in 2004 and bought a small house of about ten square meters. They had previously sold skewers of incense, and since June and July last year, they have been selling beverages and tourist souvenirs. Their monthly operating income is over 5000 yuan, which is also their retirement income.
There are many operators in the aerial corridor who are tenants, and Mou Yuanhong is one of them. Her snack shop covers an area of about 50 square meters. Starting from July this year, due to the continuous heating of Bai Xiang Ju, the monthly rent has increased from 1500 yuan to 2000 yuan. But at the best of her business, she could earn tens of thousands of yuan a month. With this small shop, they are making a living while paying off the debts they previously owed.
At present, a complete tourism product format has been formed here, including restaurants, coffee shops, small shops, and souvenir shops. The local street leader admitted that Bai Xiang Ju is a spontaneously formed popular check-in spot, and the vast majority of the property rights belong to individuals. If commercial tourism is to be developed, the consent of residents needs to be sought. But for these existing operators, it is not realistic to ban them all in one size fits all manner.
In the view of the local tourism department, the popularity of Baixiangju is beneficial for driving the development of tourism in the entire Yuzhong District. Although it is not a government created tourist attraction, they welcome tourists to come.
After the "customer rejection" controversy
How to find a balance point between residents, tourists, and merchants?
Two days after the sign "No Visits" was erected, on May 25th of this year, the White Elephant Residence opened again to welcome guests.
Residents stated that they are not standing on the opposite side of tourists when setting up signs, but are opposing disorderly management. After the rejection incident, the street organized various departments multiple times to discuss countermeasures, with a clear goal: to manage the White Elephant Residence, but the method was not to block the door.
Finally, Yuzhong District coordinated the funding and installed 16 cameras in areas with concentrated tourists and residential passages to timely monitor the flow of people and implement diversion measures. During this year's Dragon Boat Festival, due to high foot traffic, the community temporarily closed the entrance to the White Elephant Residence with fences and released it in batches. For team tourists, registration is still required to enter. In this way, the crowds of tourists can be somewhat alleviated.
At the most easily blocked passage - the best location for tourists to take photos with the Yangtze River Cableway and Dongshuimen Bridge - community workers use early morning hours to stick diversion stickers on the ground to guide tourists and residents on their routes. "The red part of the ground sticker is used for residents or tourists' normal travel, and both sides of the red part are used for tourists to check in and take photos," said a community worker.
Some residents of the White Elephant Residence also spontaneously formed volunteer service teams to encourage tourists to clock in civilized. However, as it is a spontaneous organization without institutional constraints, the effect is not significant.
According to the relevant provisions of Article 28 of the Fire Protection Law of the People's Republic of China, no unit or individual shall occupy or block evacuation routes for the occupation of road by operators. So, the street joined forces with multiple departments to take the road occupation business seriously. After a period of rectification, road occupation operations and street vendors have been standardized.
In order to balance the interests of all parties in a more long-term and effective manner, after multiple discussions, the local government has decided to promote resident autonomy.
On June 28th this year, led by the local community and voluntarily registered by residents, the Bai Xiang Ju Autonomous Service Team was officially established.
Because there are many old communities in Yuzhong District, communities like Baixiangju without property management companies are managed by autonomous property service centers established by the community.
In order to ensure the sustainability of residents' autonomous management services, the Autonomous Property Service Center has set up management service stations in the public areas of Baixiangju. In addition to providing consultation and lost and found services for tourists, it also hires personnel to sell cold drinks here. All operating income is used as public income for the community's autonomous service work.
Next, they plan to diversify the public benefits of Bai Xiangju, not only for autonomous services, but also to provide feedback to local residents, improve public facilities, and involve residents, tourists, and business owners in co construction, sharing, and co governance. "We plan to collaborate with tourism companies in our jurisdiction, and have the autonomous team plan tourist routes and provide paid services for tourists. This will be used as a public benefit for the White Elephant Residence, for painting walls and renovating public facilities, so that the autonomy can continue to thrive in the long term."
Since the establishment of the Bai Xiang Ju Residents Autonomous Service Team over a month ago, residents have clearly felt the changes in the environment. Three months later, the reporter once again sought feedback from the residents who had previously been interviewed.
"There are fewer people shouting here now."
"I see them patrolling at any time, the weather is so hot, and I understand them very well. To be honest, it's much better after rectification."
"The merchant is still very supportive in this regard and has collected everything that needs to be collected."
In the months following the incident of the "rejection of guests" incident in Baixiangju, the local government has made many explorations in grassroots governance. The basic direction is to improve resident autonomy under the guidance of street communities, leverage the advantage of residents being familiar with the local situation, use the emotional bonds formed between residents over the years, promote all parties to jointly maintain community order, and find a balance point for harmonious coexistence among residents, merchants, and tourists.
I hope that more places with similar problems can explore management methods for residents to jointly build, govern, and share, balance the development of culture and tourism with daily life, and turn "internet famous" scenic spots into "long-lasting" classics.
