The fourth "Knowing Your Neighbors, Being Courteous, and Living in Harmony" neighborhood carnival, held on Aug 28 in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, has helped boost local urban-rural integration and social harmony in the prefecture-level city. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
A "Neighborhood Carnival", initiated by a sub-district office in Wuxi, East China's Jiangsu province, has helped boost local urban-rural integration and social harmony in the prefecture-level city.
The "Knowing Your Neighbors, Being Courteous, and Living in Harmony" cultural carnival, in its fourth edition since its inception in 2023, was unveiled by Anzhen sub-district office on Aug 28 in Xishan district, with its steady aim of bolstering shared enjoyment and civilized interaction among residents.
As the fourth "neighborhood carnival" was being held by the shores of Yingyue Lake with rich and varied programs, residents swarmed to the event with heartfelt enjoyment.
"I used to think that living in a high-rise meant not even knowing the people across the hall. But at today's event, I not only got to know neighbors from the next building, but also chatted with villagers from nearby Tan village. It was especially warm," Li Hong, a resident in Jiuli neighborhood community, said.
In August 2023, Jiuli community held its first "Neighborhood Carnival," featuring two main sections — resident talent shows and food-sharing. Seeing neighbors who previously barely knew each other, even when living door-to-door, gather warmly together, chatting and laughing, the participants agreed, "This event was exactly right!"
At that time, the newly established Jiuli community suffered from a common ailment of modern cities — tall buildings standing side by side but neighbors keeping their distance. With a high rate of new residents, social alienation was a key governance challenge.
To break the impasse, Jiuli community decided to start by "getting people out of their homes". Based the success of the first "Neighborhood Carnival", the community established multiple integrated service spaces, boosting civilized practice activities, and offering suggestions for community development.
Xu Jun, an official from Jiuli community, said, "Community governance cannot rely solely on officials; it also needs everyone's deliberation."
Participants swarm to the fourth "Knowing Your Neighbors, Being Courteous, and Living in Harmony" event in Wuxi, Jiangsu, to enjoy the harmonious environment. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
The fourth carnival specially included an interactive "Offer Suggestions Through Conversation" zone and a "Voices from the Lanes" public opinion collection section. Residents wrote down their suggestions and posted their wishes on topics such as living environment, safe communities, convenient services, and cultural enrichment, engaging in face-to-face conversations with community workers.
Holding the "Neighborhood Carnival" is merely one touchpoint in Anzhen sub-district office's exploration of a new path for the integrated development of urban and rural spiritual civilization.
Beside Jiuli community, Jin'an community is also giving full play to the agglomerative role of its social organization federation platform, steadily advancing the selective cultivation of social organizations. To date, it has nurtured a total of 31 social organizations, with five registered and 26 on record.
Participants enjoy the fourth "Knowing Your Neighbors, Being Courteous, and Living in Harmony" event in Wuxi, Jiangsu. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Anzhen sub-district office's progress also extended beyond urban communities. During the fourth "Neighborhood Carnival", folk songs, modern square dance, Bangladeshi dance performed by an international student from Wuxi College unfolded a harmonious picture of cultural and urban-rural integration.
As Wuxi's first pilot village for complete housing renovation, 214 rural homes in Tan village have been renewed, restoring the white-walled, grey-tiled, small-bridge-and-flowing-water charm of the a riverside town south of the Yangtze River.
As the evening breeze brushed past and the Yingyue Lake shimmered in the fading light, a five-meter-long "Collective Memory Scroll of Jiuli River" was exhibited, where adults and children jointly painted their cherished mother river, filling it with river protection pledges and warm messages.
