Improved services for Taizhou residents

More residents in Taizhou have been benefiting from the door-to-door services offered by local authorities, as the Taizhou government boosted its grassroots program in December 2016.

The land leasing encouraged by the authority has enriched many residents in local Gangmen village, doubling or even tripling their income.

For example, Shi Guobao, a 63-year-old man from Gangmen village once earned his living by farming paddy fields covering 0.67 hectares, with each generating only 200 yuan ($29.17) each year. Later, the annual income of each field increased fivefold to 1,000 yuan, as local officials helped him rent the farmland to other individuals or agricultural cooperatives.

Journalists interview Shi Guobao (middle), a 63-year-old resident of Gangmen village, Jan 19, Taizhou. [Photo by Yang Yang/China Daily]

"Receiving rent from fields while selling grain collected from other farmers, my wife and I can earn more than 10,000 yuan a year, a good sum for our daily life, thanks to methods and service provided by the government," said Shi.

Apart from living an increasingly prosperous life, the construction of infrastructure, such as street lights and dikes, has also been promoted across the city following officials' visits to the villages.

For the elderly, Taizhou has subsidized local communities to run canteens dedicated to them. In the Gongren Community of Hailing district, people aged 70 and over can have lunch for 8 yuan at the community center.

Senior residents have lunch at the canteen for the elderly in a community of Hailing district, Taizhou, Jan 19. [Photo by Yang Yang/China Daily]

"Our community aims to satisfy elderly residents and provide conveniences for them, relieving some of the burden on their children who work outside," said Zhang Wei, director of the community.

With officials collecting further information on people’s concerns, more people-oriented services and programs will be launched in Taizhou to improve living conditions.