Grassroots involvement in issues affecting residents is the Number 1 priority among the Top 10 Livelihood Projects for 2021 that were decided at the 9th Session of the 9th Zhuhai Municipal People's Congress, which closed Feb 3.

The Civil Affairs Bureau will be funded to work with residents in selecting services, goods, and engineering issues to be submitted by villages (communities) to town (sub-district) governments for approval. The public is to participate in quickly solving "the trivial, urgent, and difficult things" concerning the community. The intent is to benefit people more equitably and continue to enhance their sense of gain, happiness, and security.

Selected second during the session is quality education. An additional 11,000 primary and secondary students and 2,800 kindergarteners will be provided education at a cost of 880 million yuan ($136 million) this year. Three primary and secondary schools will be built in Hengqin New Area, one in Xiangzhou, one in Jinwan, two in Doumen, and one in the National Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone (Tangjiawan). Two kindergartens are slated for Hengqin New Area, three for Xiangzhou, two for Doumen, and one for the Tangjiawan zone.

In addition, the city will spend 134 million yuan ($21 million) installing 8,552 air-conditioners in 172 primary and secondary schools.

Banzhang Mt-hugging Jingshan trail [Photo by Chen Jiazhe / WeChat account: zhuhaifabu]

Other livelihood issues are:

The Zhuhai Center for Chronic Disease Control (Zhuhai 3rd Renmin Hospital) will come into operation with 800 patient beds. Meanwhile construction will begin on a municipal biosafety P3 laboratory and disease prevention capability improvement project in Nanping. Work will progress on the Scientific Research and Main buildings on the Second North Campus of Zhuhai People's Hospital in Old Xiangzhou, as will the renovation and expansion of Guangdong TCM Hospital in Jida and Zhuhai Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese & Western Medicine in Gongbei.

Costing 470 million yuan ($73 million yuan), construction of the 11,336-sqm (3-acre) municipal Senior Service Institution in Nanping will be completed with floorage of 60,194 sqm (15 acres) to integrate intelligent medical treatment and healthcare. 

Both the main line of the 9.9-km (6-mile) Fenghuang Mt and 13.5-km (8-mile) Banzhang Mt hiking trails will be fully completed by the end of this year as will 500 parking spots for each near main entrances and exits.

In Doumen Zhongxin Eco-environmental Protection Industry Park, work will be completed on the Zhuhai Medical Waste Disposal Center and first phase of a waste-treatment plant to process 300 tons of kitchen waste and 30 tons of cooking oil daily.

A Civic Service Center with floorage of 155,000 sqm (38 acres) in a 43,600-sqm (11-acre) building and with 2,000 parking spaces will provide one-stop municipal administrative service to residents and enterprises. It is sited at the intersection of West Meihua and North Yingbin roads in New Xiangzhou.

The city will establish a migrant population and rental housing information management system that allows self-declarations by homeowners and renters, information sharing among government departments, law publicity, and livelihood services.

The Honghe Bridge connecting Xiangzhou's Nanwan Urban Area to Jinwan's Aviation New Town will remain toll-free this year. The government is covering the 300-million ($46-billion) expenditure for expressway services. Costing 800 million yuan ($124 million), traffic flow on the 6-km (4-mile) Renmin Road will be eased with the establishment of three pedestrian overpasses and elimination of traffic signals.