Residents in the new Dongcheng district, formed by the merger of the former Dongcheng and Chongwen districts, will be able to enjoy new services aimed at making their lives more convenient, the government announced on Monday.

A blog has been launched by Tiantan Street to answer questions on policy-oriented housing and it has already received more than 2,000 hits. Hepingli Street has handed out summer heat relievers, such as mung beans and white sugar, to almost 500 families on the street who live on the basic living allowances.

There will be 17 streets and 199 communities in Dongcheng district after the two districts merge. The area will be 41.84 sq km and 865,000 residents will live in the district.

Directors of the 17 streets held a meeting to discuss how to improve such things as employment opportunities, housing and medical treatment, and undertook exchange visits to learn about service experiences from each other.

Some residents said their lives will not change when the districts merge.

"There is no difference for us. I will still go to talk with the same community neighborhood committee staff," said Zhou Shuo, a 26-year-old man who has lived in Dongsi Street since he was born.

However, Zhou said that some of his friends living in Chongwen district were unhappy with the change.

"Most of them do not want the name of Chongwen to disappear, after all they have lived there for most of their lives and they like the name," Zhou said. "But they also feel glad that at least the streets they live in will not change their names."

"Although the area and population will change, the division of streets will not change and we are trying our best to reduce the effect on residents and enterprises in the area," said Yang Liuyin, the secretary of the Party committee of Dongcheng district, the Mirror Evening News reported on Monday.