Hu Jianwen from Baoshan Road Sub-district: Perpetuating Revolutionary Spirit, Striving for Grand Ambitions

Guest

Hu Jianwen, Secretary of the Party Working Committee of Baoshan Road Sub-district

Interview Background

The Baoshan Road Sub-district is located in the central part of Jing’an District. It starts from Dongbaoxing Road in the east, bordering Hongkou District, and extends to North Xizang Road in the west. To the south, it reaches Shanghai Metro Line 3, and to the north, it connects to North Zhongshan Road. The sub-district boasts a significant geographical advantage, covering an area of 1.62 square kilometers. It is adjacent to Suzhou Creek in the south, faces Daning in the north, and is close to the core area of the Economic Development Belt along the Suzhou Creek in Jing’an District. The sub-district features a wealth of community life services such as healthcare and education, with a total of 14 schools spanning from kindergartens to high schools, along with four medical facilities including the Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. It embodies a profound revolutionary cultural essence, earning the moniker “Red Baoshan”, and houses 26 revolutionary historical sites such as the Huzhou Guild, Commercial Press, and Sanzengli.

Host:

Hello, everyone! Welcome to today’s online interview. We are pleased to have Mr. Hu Jianwen, Secretary of the Party Working Committee of Baoshan Road Sub-district, as our guest. Hi, Mr. Hu!

Hu Jianwen:

Hi, host. Hello, everyone.

Host:

We know that Baoshan Road Sub-district is abundant in revolutionary resources, with a deep-rooted red cultural heritage, showcasing invaluable spiritual wealth. Could you please introduce it to us?

Hu Jianwen:

Okay. Huzhou Guild served as the headquarters of the third armed uprising of Shanghai workers in 1927 and now acts as a base for the sub-district to provide Party-mass services. To effectively utilize these abundant revolutionary resources, we have mainly focused on three aspects of work: firstly, promoting revolutionary historical sites to highlight original aspirations. We have established the “Red Baoshan Cultural Wall” on Baoshan Road, created the “Red Classic Trail Map”, and developed the “Exploring Historical Traces of Red Baoshan” “micro-marching” routes focusing on four main themes: youth, workers’ movement, culture, and revolution. Secondly, inheriting the revolutionary genes and telling good stories. We have inaugurated the “Red Baoshan Micro-theater”, presenting scene-based Party classes and revolutionary educational dramas like Unforgettable 1927 and Revolutionary Hot-blooded Brothers. Moreover, we have assembled a one-hundred-person revolutionary publicity team for nationwide lecture tours, offering profound enrichment for revolutionary education. Thirdly, building revolutionary brands and highlighting the spirit. We are committed to using the revolutionary culture as the main theme and the brand, “Home for Jing’an Neighborhood” as a platform to create the online and offline “Baoshan Road · Red Parlor”. This initiative aims to create a comprehensive layout of the grassroots governance system led by the Party building works with “one brand, two blocks, integration of three stations, empowerment in four aspects, five major Jing’an Neighborhood actions, and N ‘catalysts’ projects”.

Host:

Then let’s talk about Zhongxing Park. Situated at the junction of North Xizang Road and Zhongxing Road, Zhongxing Park, formerly a renovation project plot, has evolved into a “Global Excellent Community Park”. It stands as the city’s verdant oasis and a shared recreational retreat for residents in the vicinity.

Hu Jianwen:

Yes. We have set up a “Jing’an Neighborhood Party-mass Service Station” and a “Civilization Practice Station of New Era” within Zhongxing Park, offering comprehensive services to the surrounding residents.

Host:

In recent years, Baoshan Road Sub-district has been closely focused on the significant livelihood initiative of renovation, fully dedicated to accelerating its progress. In April 2020, the signing for the “Four-in-One” Project (combining neighborhoods No. 31, 149, 150, and 152 of Baoshan Road Sub-district)—Jing’an District’s last continuous secondary outdated Shikumen structure (Jiuli) plot—became effective, signifying an early completion of the district’s initiative to revamp contiguous secondary outdated Shikumen structures. Would you please provide us with more details?

Hu Jianwen:

Okay. Over the past decade, Baoshan Road Sub-district has expropriated a land area housing 13,000 households for renovation projects, demolishing nearly 540,000 square meters of floor space. Following that, we have significantly enhanced the living conditions and quality of life for residents. Currently, we are actively advancing the land acquisition for sporadic secondary outdated Shikumen structure areas such as Baochang Road and Qingyun Road. The first round of consultations has passed with a 100% approval rate, and these renovations are set to be completed in the latter half of the year. Thanks to the large-scale renovation, the overall appearance of the sub-district has undergone a transformative change, resembling a rebirth. Upscale residential complexes such as “Emerald Albany”, “Oriental One Shanghai”, and “Cyan International” have been gradually completed. The previously shacks and scattered “old, run-down, and small houses” have been transformed into high-quality residential complexes and public spaces.

Host:

The sub-district covers an area of 1.62 square kilometers and has a permanent resident population of nearly 60,000. How do you meticulously build a “15-minute convenient living circle” within such a small scope?

Hu Jianwen:

This has always been the focus of our sub-district. In recent years, the sub-district has constructed a series of public service facilities, including neighborhood centers, comprehensive centers for elderly care services, Party-mass service centers, and community canteens. Additionally, we have established the only community-hosted “Shanghai Glasses Museum” in Shanghai. These endeavors have rendered residents more convenient “doorstep” services.

Hu Jianwen:

The newly opened “Home Cooking” community canteen, a public support project, has been popular among the locals. What sets it apart from typical community canteens is its utilization of resources from the Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, enabling its regular offering of health-preserving Chinese herbal dishes. Furthermore, the canteen benefits from the culinary expertise of the Air Force’s Third Battalion of skilled soldiers, enriching the array of dishes in the canteen. The canteen boasts a diverse menu, pocket-friendly prices, and welcoming services. Since its opening, it has been warmly welcomed and widely praised by residents in the neighborhood, with over 1,000 customers dining there daily.

Host:

It showcases a distinct trait of the Baoshan Road Sub-district: pragmatism. All tasks are diligently carried out focusing on tangible results, emphasizing practicality, and fully unleashing grassroots innovation vitality. How do you interpret that?

Hu Jianwen:

Firstly, in terms of seeking tangible results, we focus on enhancing public satisfaction. We devote ourselves to addressing the needs of the public. The sub-district regards the “12345” hotline as a crucial channel for listening to public opinions, optimizing the mechanism for handling complaints promptly, and wholeheartedly dealing with every service request. Our “12345” hotline service has consistently ranked first in the district’s performance evaluation for several years. We have also been vigorously building warm and friendly government services at residents’ “doorsteps” and have launched the “Sui Xin Cha (Convenient Inquiry)” system, allowing residents to stay updated on the progress of their services without leaving their homes. We have implemented the “Jing Lin Bang Ban (Service Handling Assistance for Jing’an Neighborhoods)” services in 18 neighborhood committees, making substantial services to residents’ “doorsteps”. Additionally, we have established the district’s first standardized Enterprise Service Center and the city’s first community-level science and technology innovation and entrepreneurship service station, offering heartfelt and warm services to local businesses.

Hu Jianwen:

Secondly, we emphasize expanding public participation in practical activities. We have profoundly practiced the concept of “A people-first city is built by the people and for the people”, adhered to the whole-process people’s democracy, and utilized Party building to guide community mobilization methods. By effectively solving the issue of peeling walls in the Fudi Xindu International City residential complex, the complex has become the first residential complex with such problems addressed among the city’s commercial housing. In the waste sorting work, we have mobilized wide participation from the public, tailored the approach to the local conditions, and established the city’s first refined waste sorting model known as the “Yangbo Model”. Through the transformation of walk-in box-type “houses”, we have driven a more refined waste sorting management and cleaning standard known as the “Huiwen Model”. By implementing the “mobile garbage collection vehicle” plan, with relevant vehicles stopping at designated times, volunteers supervising on-site, and promptly clearing the garbage after disposal, we have achieved significant results under the “Secondary Jiuli Model”.

Host:

I believe that the Baoshan Road Sub-district, imbued with the revolutionary spirit, will always uphold its lofty aspirations and set off anew from a fresh starting point. Could you provide us with a glimpse of the sub-district’s future development?

Hu Jianwen:

We will firmly grasp this rare historical opportunity, leveraging our advantages in revolutionary culture and urban renewal, as well as strategic late-mover advantages, accelerating the pace of urban renewal and swiftly transitioning from a traditional old urban area to a modern livable one. We will also enhance our revolutionary brand, deepen the innovation of grassroots governance guided by Party building, and construct a social governance community where everyone bears responsibility, fulfills duties, and enjoys benefits. Our goal is to create a 15-minute convenient living circle, preserve the best resources for the people, offer high-quality supplies to the people, establish a solid foundation for improving people’s livelihoods, and transform the sub-district into a sought-after happy new home for all people.

Host:

Thank you for your sharing! This is the end of today’s online interview. See you next time!