Recently, the General Office of Central Commission for Guiding Cultural and Ethical Progress announced the results of its annual review of listed national civilized cities for the year 2021. Haiyan passed the annual assessment with distinction, ranking 12th among the 124 county-level civilized cities, 4th in Zhejiang, and 1st in Jiaxing. From now on, Haiyan will strive to promote the construction of the national civilized city, aiming to be upgraded to a national model civilized city.

In the recent covid-19 prevention and control, many volunteers from different walks of life hold fast to the front line, firm in their faith that “We will never retreat until the pandemic yields.” “I sign up to volunteer!” “Put me on duty tonight!” “I will take my part in cleaning buildings!” People of Haiyan wearing the “red vest” can be seen in the medical observation and quarantine stations, at guard points of pandemic prevention and nucleic testing sites and around every corner of the city and countryside, forming a reassuring and aspiring defence line against the pandemic.

In recent years, Haiyan has taken active measures in promoting volunteer services, putting good use of those “red vests” and “red caps”. According to statistics, the county has organized 765 volunteer teams with more than 75,000 registered volunteers. As a national civilized city, Haiyan is getting warmer and more beautiful through volunteer service, such as theme-centered education on Tuesdays, construction campaigns of a national civilized city on Saturdays , etc. In 2021 alone, 179 government departments and more than 20,000 volunteers in the county participated in community construction, civic virtue advice and other activities. In total, 102 activities were carried out in the constructing campaign of national civilized city on Saturdays, and 408,000 volunteers participated in home visits, environmental protection, daily inspections, etc.

In recent years, with the aim of improving the city quality, Haiyan has accelerated the organic renewal process of urban areas, resulting in the opening to traffic of the Coastal Avenue, Leyuan Road and Wuyuan-Yuanhua Highway, and several others -- including Zaoyuan Road, Xinqiao Road, Baichi Road and Haixing Road -- about to be put into operation. Recently, the reporter witnessed in the county that Qinshan Road was being laid with asphalt coating from the Coastal Avenue on the east to the Riverside road on the west. “Walking on the street, I feel happy and safe in that people are becoming more polite and the city more civilized,” a resident named Li Huanying says.

Besides Qinshan Road, Haiyan will upgrade another 9 roads in poor conditions in 2022. Moreover, the county will launch a campaign to address such problems as outdoor advertising, roadside markets, illegal transforming residential houses to commercial usages, and catering lampblack, renovate and upgrade 1,218 residential buildings. In a word, the whole city will be transformed dramatically both in function and cityscape.

The county’s beautiful cityscape in Spring is coming with leafy trees, flowers and grasses. About 60 Parks, including Menghu Park, Wetland Park, and Coastal Park, are scattered around the city along several lines like pearls linked in a chain. Seawall Greenway, Tuanjiegang Greenway, Wengjin Greenway and other urban and rural greenways are gradually weaving into a network, expanding to cover the whole area. Ranking first in air quality for five consecutive years in Jiaxing, rated as an Excellent County in the assessment of Beautiful Zhejiang Campaign for four consecutive years, and succeeding in its construction of a demonstration county for national ecological civilized counties, Haiyan is a place where the residents’ sense of happiness is getting stronger and stronger...

Furthermore, the county will continue to optimize its supply of public services. Four of “Six Key Centers of People’s Wellbeing”-- the new people’s hospital, vocational education center, culture and art center, history and culture center-- will be put under construction. The city will grow with more charm and higher quality. Walking on the streets, local people can experience the city’s changes with each passing day, its functions becoming more improved, civilized characteristics more highlighted.

To make the national civilized city more attractive and warm-hearted, Haiyan has established a multilevel and three-dimensional network to promote its spiritual appeal. Based on the “Lecture Room of Haiyan”, Haiyan has launched a series of publicity programs like “Haiyan: Voice of the Youth” “Haiyan Sister” “Revolutionary Messengers” and “Stories from Niangniang” to inspire and enlighten the young and pool strengths with new ideals. Projects have been implemented to improve citizens’ ideological and ethical levels in the new era through three campaigns: implementing core values, demonstrating model examples, and promoting ten civil behaviors. Public service advertising featuring the famous character Sanmao, which is a signature of Haiyan, has been rolled out to make the core values down to earth. The city has witnessed countless unsung heroes and heart-warming kindnesses, such as letting pedestrians go first before the zebra crossing, making way for an ambulance in a 45 degree steering, tending to help a centenarian who fell on the ground. All of these demonstrate a civilized city as it should be.

In 2020, Haiyan was listed as one of the National Civilized City with a high ranking in the sixth batch, and in 2022 the city passed the annual assessment with high scores. However, the construction of a civilized city is always on the way. Aiming at the new high standard of national model civilized city, Haiyan will continue to strive to perfect itself unswervingly and whole-heartedly to satisfy its people.