China's ongoing urban renewal projects have helped benefit more than 100 million people in residential communities across the nation in recent years, said Zhou Lan, a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Beijing on Tuesday.
Zhou was speaking during a group interview ahead of the opening meeting of the third session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People.
As part of its urban renewal initiatives, China has been renovating old urban residential communities across the country since 2019, with these efforts improving local living conditions for more than 100 million residents, according to Zhou.
"As of now, more than 66,000 urban renewal projects have been implemented nationwide, renovating 250,000 old residential communities and directly benefiting over 100 million people," she said.
China's Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development has previously said that work will continue in the construction and renovation of underground tunnels, the renewal of municipal facilities, urban household waste classification, and the building of pocket parks and urban greenways, as well as the construction of elderly care facilities and child-friendly spaces in urban residential areas.
The ministry said it will also promote the development of digital homes, smart residential areas, intelligent housing construction management, urban operation management service platforms, and intelligent municipal facilities.
When it comes to the planning of such projects, Zhou stressed the important role of collaborating with both public and market entities in order to deliver the necessary changes to benefit local people and improve urban areas.
"When formulating urban renewal plans, the government should actively engage the public and market entities to raise opinions, express needs and offer suggestions. This helps identify pressing public difficulties and problems, real social demands and the region's sustainable development positioning," she said.
China's urban renewal projects directly benefit over 100 mln people: CPPCC member
Hong Kong's first astronaut lifted off into space on Sunday, sparking a wave of enthusiasm for space exploration in the special administrative region, while inspiring a new generation to look to the stars.
The Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 23:08 (Beijing Time) on Sunday. The crew members include Lai Ka-ying, the first astronaut and payload specialist from Hong Kong to join a national space mission, whose achievements have motivated many Hong Kong residents.
"I feel so happy and thrilled. This is the first time a Hong Kong astronaut has gone to space, and to see a true Hong Konger, who is also a mother of three, just really touches my heart," said Chow, a local resident.
The successful spaceflight of Lai has especially captivated the younger generation to dream bigger about the future.
"I want to be an astronaut, because I want to discover more things about space," said a young student surnamed Chow.
"I have seen things related to spaceflights of astronauts. I hope when I grow up, I could receive training and go to space myself," said another student surnamed Koo.
To meet public expectations, the Hong Kong Space Museum has updated its space-themed exhibition with the latest development of the Shenzhou-23 mission, extending the display until July 6. Parents are seizing the moment to enrich their children's knowledge.
"At his age, I want him to be exposed to a wide range of information. With all the recent astronaut news, I brought him here specially to see for himself. We will also check out a film about space knowledge at the planetarium. I hope he can get more out of this from an early age," said Cheung, a father.
"We just watched the Shenzhou-23 launch at home with my son last night, and decided to take him to the Space Museum," a mother surnamed Chun shared.
"I saw on TV that so many people were cheering for the launch. When the rocket was launched, fire burst out from its body. I was really happy they succeeded," said Chun's son.
Hong Kong's first astronaut ignites citywide enthusiasm over space exploration
