As it becomes more civilized, city shifts gears

To transform itself into a national civilized city, Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, is making an all-out effort, ranging from epidemic prevention and boosting an environmentally friendly lifestyle to promoting city management and optimizing the business environment.

The city has carried out a series of projects to solve the basic livelihood issues that local residents are most concerned about, including improving social assistance, renovating old districts and enriching the cultural lives of residents.

Since the environment is an important part of the city, Nanning has been improving the security of drinking water sources and maintaining a high rate of good air quality. It has also resorted to more stringent measures to cope with bad driving and has optimized traffic signals and lights to relieve congestion.

While Nanning is advancing in its urban areas, many changes have also taken place in its rural areas. Significant urban infrastructure has been built, and more public services have been offered to villages in Nanning.

Those efforts have paid off: The quality of life for residents and the level of urban civilization are constantly improving, according to the city government.

Volunteer services are a highlight of Nanning’s drive to create a national civilized city.

“Hello, this is a stop line for nonmotorized vehicles. Please do not cross the line,” said Liang Xiaoyun, a volunteer holding a small red flag.

Every day, several thousand volunteers like Liang help facilitate orderly traffic.

“Creating a national civilized city is a major goal for Nanning,” said Wang Ke, who has been serving as a volunteer for more than 10 years. “As residents, we have a responsibility and obligation to do something for the city, for the public and for ourselves.”

Currently, Nanning has about 1.3 million registered volunteers, providing services in such places as nursing homes, orphanages, public squares, county fairs, schools for children being cared for by their grandparents and homes of people with physical disabilities.

In addition Nanning is playing an active role in promoting international exchanges.This year the city signed an agreement with Paysandu, Uruguay, to become its international friendship city, increasing the number of Nanning’s total international friendship cities to 25, the most in Guangxi.

As the pandemic has spread to foreign countries, Nanning — while guaranteeing its own supply of epidemic prevention materials — has donated several batches of medical supplies to its friendship cities and to Chinese embassies and consulates.

The city has also organized online activities, such as cloud negotiations, meetings and business matchups to help Guangxi and Nanning’s friendship cities resume work and production.