Our village now is such a beautiful garden that city people are envious of our life here,” said Hou Juying, an 80-year-old woman who lives in Da Tieqiao Village, Chedun Town in southwest Songjiang District. The village has had a makeover after launching an environment renovation campaign in 2020.

Da Tieqiao Village faces Huangpu River, Shanghai’s iconic river, in the south of the metropolitan area. Though it enjoys fresh air and extraordinary natural views, adeclining population and poor infrastructure held the village back. Chedun Town decided to launch an “inhabited environment renovation campaign” to help Da Tieqiao Village acquire a completely new appearance.

After a few months’ joint effort, great changes have taken place. Stepping into the village, visitors immediately notice the wall painting which was customized to meet villagers’ suggestions and show off the best features of the hamlet. It is now a landmark that sheds light on the village’s history.

Apart from the wall painting, village infrastructure such as roads and grassy areas have also been improved. Tidy, broad squares and green parks have replaced abandoned land, offering villagers a spot to exercise. Adopting the ancient Chinese saying “Decide on policy only when you know what people suffer”, a pavilion named “Zhijian Pavilion” in the newly-built Pocket Park is the new venue for village leaders to meet and work with villagers to solve their problems.

“Retaining our history while improving the living environment for villagers, that’s our aim,” said Sun Wei, the Party Secretary of the Da Tieqiao village. “We want to make Da Tieqiao village as beautiful as a picture.

However, today’s success has not been a trouble-free process. Sun remembers how difficult it was to dismantle illegal buildings. Elderly villagers were not willing to let go of things they had had for years without months of persuasion from young village leaders. Sun said the biggest shift provided by the renovation campaign was not the improvement in the environment, but the development of the villagers’ quality of life.

Thanks to the renovation, many people who work in the nearby factories are looking to rent houses in Da Tieqiao Village, providing villagers with extra income. Sun said that the village had retained enough resources to meet more requests from villagers.

“The renovation campaign has finished, but our work for village improvement continues,” said Sun.