Our district deeply engages in studying the important directives on propaganda and cultural work issued by General Secretary Xi Jinping and the spirit of the Shanghai Municipal propaganda and cultural work meeting. The slogan "People’s City: Civility First" has resonated across the district, permeating every facet of the urban economic and social development, providing a robust ideological assurance and formidable spiritual force for the district's high-quality development.

Fostering Civility to Warm the Hearts of the People

Through the efforts of fostering civility, we continually elevate the level of urban civility and enhance the environmental landscape of the district. In 2023, we orderly advanced 55 district-level livelihood projects, with 13, such as the "Art YOUNG Beautiful" social education initiative, being included in Shanghai’s "Creation for the People" project repository. In response to citizen demands, we carried out 17 challenging improvement projects, including the repair of building facades and the cleanup of clutter in building corridors. We organized the "Civilization Golden Ideas: Innovation Takes Off Again" short video promotional activities, collecting and displaying 50 good practices, experiences, and suggestions from Yangpu citizens engaged in the comprehensive creation process. Across the district, 47 urban communities meticulously crafted the "Civility Life Show," a public stage that saw the emergence of neighborhood-specific creation brands like "My Excellent Kitchen." Alongside Fudan University, we conducted the research topic "Exploring and Practicing Good Governance through Civilization Creation in Yangpu District," refining mechanisms for creation aimed at serving the people.

Using the Yangpu District School Civility Office Directors' Joint Meeting as a platform, we coordinate the wisdom and strength of 11 universities within the jurisdiction to foster a new ecosystem of shared creation of civility, shared platforms, and joint cultivation of talent. A number of district-school collaborative projects have been effectively implemented, such as Fudan University’s "Peach and Plum Library" project, which extends the reach of university books into the community, the "Teachers View Yangpu Development" monthly city walk project, the installation of a pedestrian rain shelter at the entrance of Tongji University, and public service advertisements designed by masters of intangible cultural heritage from Shanghai Publishing and Printing College, continuously expanding the circle of friends involved in the universities’ creation of civility.

Nurturing the Hearts of Youth with the Power of Civility

Innovating activates the ideological and moral construction of minors through the "Four Ones" brand activity carrier, focusing on "one theme" for regional development, utilizing "one channel" to spread the voice of civility, creating "one corridor" to showcase the demeanor of the youth, and establishing "one stronghold" to support their wholesome growth. These efforts continuously launch activities that have significant social impact, satisfy the masses, and are popular among the youth, allowing one child to influence an entire family and, by extension, the entire society.

In the year 2023, we deepened the "Civil Little Ambassadors" theme activity, hosted the "Innovative Vitality Source: Yangpu Civility Style" young advocates recruitment and collection activity focused around living, dining, traveling, and entertainment themes. This initiative let minors ignite new vitality in Yangpu, check in to new trends in Yangpu, and activate the power source of Yangpu, ultimately producing 10 civil young advocates for Yangpu.

We created the "Yangpu Youth Speaks" multimedia showcase activity, centered around "talking about Yangpu, praising Yangpu people, and extolling Yangpu sentiments," selecting a group of "Yangpu Youth Golden Microphones" to spread "the voice of civility in Yangpu." We also developed the "Growth Custodian" minors nurturing project, prominently featuring "growth choices," "growth interventions," "growth interactions," and "growth motivations" as four major branded courses. We integrated resources from distinguished teachers, excellent parents, and outstanding peers to form the "Growth Custodian Mentor Group," helping minors establish correct life perspectives, cultivate good growth habits, and build positive parent-child relationships.

Cultivating Civility and Promoting Goodwill

Seizing the opportunity of Shanghai's "Virtue Enriches the City: New Era Role Models Live Studio" launching and premiering in our district, we innovated promotional methods, perfected mechanisms for caring and honoring exemplary individuals, and encouraged Yangpu residents to emulate virtuous people, admire heroes, and strive to be pioneers. Led by the District Propaganda Department and the District Office for Spiritual Civilization, we formulated the "Yangpu District Policy on Cultivating and Selecting Role Models of the New Era," which was officially issued by the district committee at the district-wide conference on cadres’ work style and organized by the Office for Spiritual Civilization for implementation, becoming a systematic document for cultivating civility. In the 2023 annual district recognition program, Yangpu’s advanced collectives in spiritual civilization and individuals were highlighted alongside attracting investments as the only two projects in the district. We actively carried out the "Show Your Family Treasures, Plant New Civilized Customs" series of activities for civilized families, creating a long-lasting and normal pattern for the establishment of civilized families.

Our district led various functional departments to compile a list of 20 actions for cultivating personal virtues among citizens and advanced them in an orderly manner. We conducted campaigns for the "New Seven Don’ts" standards and promoted civilized dining, traffic, pet-keeping, and household waste sorting, extending the "Clean Plate Initiative" into communities, campuses, commercial areas, and enterprises. We preserved and revitalized Chinese traditional culture and festivals, having continuously organized 19 sessions of the Lantern Festival parade and 17 sessions of the Qingming Kite Festival, with a total of 32 traditional festival activities, including Dragon Boat Festival, Qixi, and Double Ninth Festival, held in 2023.

Unique Approaches to Civilized Practice

As the original proponent of the People’s City concept, Yangpu District meticulously developed the Yangpu Riverside into a "Window of Civility" accessible to the public, pioneering the construction of the "Yangpu Riverside New Era Civilization Practice Demonstration Belt." We developed three Riverside walking routes— "Red Riverside Walk," "Industrial Riverside Walk," and "Park Riverside Walk"—integrating nine Riverside stations + the People’s City Planning Exhibition Hall + leading enterprise resources into a unified signage system. This creates a series of civilized strongholds that combine propaganda, experiential sharing, and cultural leisure. On the fourth anniversary of the General Secretary’s visit to Yangpu Riverside, the flagship station of Yangpu District's Riverside Civilization Practice officially commenced operations at the People’s City Planning Exhibition Hall. In collaboration with the Yangpu Maritime Bureau, we also established "land and water" New Era Civilization Practice stations, providing services for shoreline residents, Riverside visitors, and waterborne vessel inhabitants. These tangible measures make the Yangpu Riverside space more approachable, enhance urban memories, and further highlight its charm as a leisure destination.

In this new era and on this new journey, Yangpu will continue to solidly advance the practical implementation of the People’s City concept, promote the achievements of the People’s City's construction, persist in telling the civilized story of Yangpu as an urban district, and make a rightful contribution to Shanghai's efforts in propaganda and cultural construction.