Yesterday morning, 77-year-old Wang Jinyuan in the Home-based Elder Care Service Center of Linhu Community, Youchegang, a town of Jiaxing,  sang the song “Hero Anthem” happily: We sing highly for the heroes in the wind and smoke, listen to the green mountains around, listen carefully...” while there were a group of senior residents playing the electronic organ, flute, erhu (a Chinese traditional musical instrument). The Center was harmonious and lively.

It is nothing special to many, but it is very meaningful to Wang Jinyuan.

When he was young, he lived in the countryside, but his spare time was colorful. In his spare time he liked to sing accompanied by his friends. During that period, vast fields were their unforgettable memories. After 2012, his  village was moved to Linhu Community, but his hobby was restricted.

“After moving to the Community, every family lives close to each other. Singing at home will disturb neighbors, and it is far to go to sing in the park,” said he. He clearly remembered it used to take half an hour to go to the park from home. On a rainy day, to go to the park or not to go was always a question for him.

“Similarly, I have many friends who like to play musical instruments. They did not get together often any more, so they were not so familiar with their instruments as before,” said he. His experience is not a single instance. Actually, many senior citizens’ life becomes insipid although their living environment has been improved with rapid urbanization.

However, a revolution quietly took place soon.

In 2014, there were 813,000 citizens over 60 years old in Jiaxing, accounting for 23.3% of the total population, ranking first in Zhejiang. How to make them enjoy high-quality public services becomes a stone on the reform road.

At the end of that year, Municipal People’s Government of Jiaxing issued “Implementation Suggestions on Accelerating the Development of Elderly Care Services”, which clearly stated that great efforts would be made to construct the community’s home-based elder care service center and ensure each rural and urban community had their home-based elder care service centers respectively by the end of 2015 and 2017.

Soon, Wang Jinyuan found that a three-story building opposite the community began to be renovated. “When I heard an activity center for the elderly was to be construct, I thought then perhaps it was just a room with a few tables for Chinese chess. It was not comparable to that of urban areas.” But it turned out he was wrong.

On April 28, 2017, the Home-based Elderly Care Service Center of Linhu Community was put into operation. In addition to the tables, there were various kinds sports equipment, an audio and video room, a medical room, a library, etc., in the Center. More importantly, there was a spacious multi-functional activity room.

“At that time, Secretary Li told me that it was the room for us to sing. The room was new and tidy. I was so happy,” said he. Secretary Li mentioned by Wang Jinyuan is Li Mingzhong, who was Party Branch secretary of Maxian Village before his retirement. Maxian Village now is today’s Linhu Community.

The operation of the Center made Wang Jinyuan know better the official document mentioned above. At 8:30 every morning, he comes here to print music scores, arrange equipment, etc. Although he rarely uses a microphone when he sings, his voice is loud and melodious.

“The more I sing, the better progress I make. A few years ago, I participated in a town-level singing competition and won a third prize. I have never expected to be in the spotlight when I used to sing in the fields.” At Wang Jinyuan’s words, Li Mingzhong fell into deep thought.

When this service center was put into operation at the very beginning, only a few people came. “Many people lived in the city with their children, and many got used to stay at home,” said Li Mingzhong. He organized volunteers to “send” the service to the elderly, for example, they went to visit the elderly living alone, held artistic performances, gave the elderly haircuts, etc. Gradually, more elderly people came here.

“When they came they found it was not far from home,” said Li Mingzhong. This service center is available to eight residential complexes. The distance between it and the farthest residential complex is two kilometers away. It just takes 15 minutes for residents to come by bike or on foot.

The following effect continues. Gu Fuming, a resident of 70 years old, loved to play the flute after his retirement. It used to take him 10 minutes from home to get to this center, but now his journey time has been further shortened.

This March, a new elderly care station with an area of 400 square meters was put into operation in the residential complex (Phase II) where Gu Fuming lives now. As an additional part of the Home-based Elderly Care Service Center of Linhu Community, this service station consists of four zones respectively for reading, health care, sports and video & audio, which can meet the needs of the elderly of his residential complex.

“When I was young, I travelled often by train for several days to earn money for a happy life, but now it just takes me three minutes to come here to enjoy a happy life,” said Gu Fuming. He feels now happiness is easily accessible.

The time the elderly spend to go to the elderly care center decreases, but their happiness increases. As early as the end of 2016, urban and rural home-based elderly care service centers were available to all residents in Jiaxing, and the services have been continuously optimized in response to the construction of “public service circles within 15-minute walks ”. “We plan to build 100 more community-based elderly care service stations across the city this year to make the elderly enjoy more special services within less time,” said Ni Jiawei, deputy director of Elderly Service Department of Bureau of Civil Affairs of Jiaxing.

At 11 a.m., Wang Jinyuan and Gu Fuming, who have rehearsed all morning, go down from the Center to enjoy a four-yuan or six-yuan lunch after they scan their ID cards.

The elderly enjoy the same amount of food with others, but it is just half-priced. It is convenient for the elderly to dine here with a lower price. After lunch, they plan to go home for a nap before coming to play table tennis in the afternoon.

Lessons learned from reform

It is undeniable that “elderly care service circle within 15-minute walks ” reform has been well received in Jiaxing. General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed that people’s happiness is the most important issue for the Chinese modernization. All the work of the Party and government is for the happier life of the people.

What is happiness? Everyone has his own answer. For Wang Jinyuan, he has realized his dream that he can sing happily in the Center; what’s more he has made more than 50 new friends. He is happy. For the 1.113 million elderly people now in Jiaxing, they can enjoy quality elderly care services within their 15-minute walks. They are happy too.

“Compared to people’s aspirations for a better life a decade ago, people’s aspiration now is not limited to material and cultural wealth. They aspire for more quality public services,” said Ma Huafang, director of Department of Social Development and Reform of Development and Reform Commission of Jiaxing. In recent years, Jiaxing has been exploring a balanced, easily accessible and high-quality development path for the “public service circle within 15-minute walks”.

With the construction of new parks, schools and health service centers, the residents of 84.14% of villages (communities) in Jiaxing can reach the nearby early childhood cares and education facilities within 15 minutes; while the residents of 98.41% of villages (communities) can reach the surrounding sports facilities within 15 minutes... For the people of Jiaxing, 15 minutes does not just refer to time; it is also a “ruler” to measure people’s happy life.

Development is endless, and so is our reform. There is more work to be done in Jiaxing to create a better “public service circle within 15-minute walks”,

“More efforts should be made to further narrow the public service gaps between urban and rural areas, different regions and different groups of people, gradually integrate various service circles and promote the sharing and construction of high-quality and balanced public services to improve public services,” said Ma Huafang. The various service circles for the people, by the people and of the people should be created and further improved, which is the need of the reform and the will of the people.