Residents band together to improve society

Conference confirms city's leading role in NGO sector

The Civil Society 20 China 2016, which opened earlier this month in Qingdao, in East China's Shandong province, will foster more civil society organizations in the country and boost the region's economic and social development, local officials said.

"The development of NGOs (non-governmental organizations) in Qingdao is the epitome of China's civil societies," said Li Qun, Qingdao Party chief. "Chinese cities are becoming increasingly open to diverse non-government organizations.

"With their help, the city will be more civilized and organized, and people's livelihoods and well-being will also be improved."

Qingdao has a long history of civil societies, with the first, Qiyan House, established in 1902.

By the end of last year, 12,271 NGOs had been registered in the city, with membership amounting to more than 100,000, up 10 percent year-on-year.

One example is the Xinyuan community, a special compound in the city with five ethnic groups from more than 20 cities across China.

To foster harmony among neighbors with different backgrounds and cultural beliefs, local residents founded a coordination committee.

The committee has been encouraging mutual assistance among residents and organizing cultural events. Following their success, many communities in Qingdao have founded similar organizations to create benefits and protect the mutual interests of their residents.

Another is Brother Environment Protection, which was founded 10 years ago to clean up the local environment. The community has removed more than 30,000 US pokeweeds, a toxic plant that could hurt people and animals.

Thanks to Jiaozhou Bay, and several bodies of water in the city, Qingdao has become a habitat for many varieties of wild birds. The Pan Jiaozhou Bay Environmentalists was founded to offer help in water treatment and cleanup of the water banks. With its dedication to the environment, Qingdao ranks top among China's Livable Cities on the list the Chinese Academy of Sciences released in June.

There are also many other renowned NGOs or individuals in Qingdao devoted to the public good, such as Weichen ("Dust" in English) Fund, Qingdao Blue Sky Rescue, Qingdao Xiaojie Handicapped People's Aid (Sister Smiley), Qingdao Voluntary Road Rescue Team, Qingdao Shanhaiqing Coast Rescue Alliance, as well as Wang Jianmin Sign Language Studio and Guo Zhen, a volunteer teacher who travels to remote impoverished areas in western China.

In another development, the training center of the China Volunteer Service Federation, Qingdao, was inaugurated on July 7 at the Qingdao Volunteer Service Institute.

The training center will be dedicated to enhancing systematic growth of volunteer services by leveraging its strength in talent development.

More than 170 non-government organizations from over 50 countries and regions participated at the Civil Society 20 conference. The event, which started in 2013, is a platform where civil societies can propose suggestions on matters put forward at the G20 Summit to governments and all sectors of society.

xiechuanjiao@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 07/20/2016 page12)