'Neighborhood carnival' bolsters urban-rural integration in Wuxi

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 Anding 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."