On September 20, the Shanghai "International Family Day" Carnival and Minhang District Happy Neighborhood Festival kicked off with great fanfare at the Huacao Town Sports and Culture Center Plaza. Accompanied by the cheerful melody of "Scottish Highland Dance," residents from 78 countries and regions gathered together.
At the venue, the Happy Neighborhood Market and Car Trunk Market were bustling with activity. Various exotic handicrafts and specialty foods were neatly arranged, appearing particularly eye-catching under the warm string lights. Some foreign vendors enthusiastically introduced their products, attracting numerous residents to browse and shop.
On the same day, the 2nd anniversary theme event of the Huacao International Community Center (HICC) was also held simultaneously. Chinese and foreign guests gathered around the stage to share a cake symbolizing "international friendship."
According to reports, since its establishment in September 2023, HICC has become an important platform for international community governance and cross-cultural integration through diverse activities and meticulous care.
As one of the pilot exploration areas for concentrated foreign resident community governance in the city, Huacao Town in Minhang District has actively carried out governance pilots based on the characteristics of international communities. The town fully leverages the advantages of foreign residents and international resource concentration, enriches cultural activities, builds communication platforms, optimizes the experience of foreign residents in Shanghai, and strives to establish a new international community governance system featuring Party leadership, government guidance, diverse co-governance, precise services, and cultural integration. Through years of exploration and practice, a diverse and integrated governance ecosystem has been preliminarily established.
**Party Leadership Enhances Multi-element Governance Efficiency**
How can international communities solve the many challenges of governance such as "inability to enter," "inability to invite out," and "difficulty in satisfying everyone"? Huacao Town has established a multi-element co-governance framework with Party committee guidance, government responsibility, international center operation, and participation from other social organizations and public welfare organizations, forming a "one-axis, multi-drive" organizational system. The Qianwan International Community Party Building Alliance, composed of 42 member units, works in coordination with the "Huacao International Community Management Service Committee" and "Jinfeng International Community Development Promotion Association," transforming community workers from "unable to enter" to "deeply integrated."
The town has built platforms such as the "Foreign Resident Forum" and "People's Congress Legislative Observatory," holding over 40 forum meetings to guide foreign residents' orderly participation in social governance. This has promoted the implementation of livelihood projects that foreign residents are highly concerned about, such as the addition of traffic lights and new cultural activity venues. Two health suggestions proposed by foreign residents were even adopted by the Municipal People's Congress, transforming foreign residents from "unable to invite out" to "actively participating."
Relying on the Huacao International Community Center (HICC) to organize over 190 needs in 4 major categories for the international community, the town has integrated multiple services including medical care, education, and sports and culture. It has innovatively created comprehensive service stations integrating overseas personnel service stations, immigration integration service stations, international social work stations, and town Red Cross associations. The bilingual magazine "Huacao·LIFE" has been published, and the English version of "HUACAO123" life tips has been launched, solving the pain point of public services being "mismatched." In 2024, services were provided to 6,000 foreign residents cumulatively.
**Cultural Integration Expands International Communication Effects**
In international community governance, Huacao Town has always attached great importance to cultural integration, viewing it as key to connecting diverse neighborhoods, nurturing governance warmth, and promoting community diversity and coexistence.
For example, the town has created series of brand projects such as "Foreigners Celebrating Chinese Festivals," "International Family Day Carnival," and "Shanghai City Micro-tourism," and opened the city's first "Citizen Night School" foreign class, offering characteristic courses such as Chinese calligraphy, traditional martial arts, and Chinese and foreign cooking. Four foreign teams for cooking, qipao, cycling, and e-sports have been cultivated, continuously promoting Chinese and foreign cultural exchange and mutual learning.
Additionally, using HICC as a base, Huacao Town has organized and cultivated over 10 Chinese and foreign volunteer teams, providing more than 200 course activities for local Chinese and foreign residents throughout the year. To thank these lovely international community "wonderful partners" for their contributions in helping to form a good pattern of "co-consultation in governance, co-promotion of services, and cultural integration," honorary certificates were awarded to them at this neighborhood festival.
Next, Huacao International Community will also launch a "Foreign Volunteer Incubation Plan," establishing a "service-points-benefits" closed loop to encourage foreign residents to participate in community deliberation, legal observation, and public welfare services, actively creating an international community life community and governance community.
The organizer's relevant person in charge stated that this community neighborhood festival is not only a gathering celebration for Chinese and foreign residents, but also Minhang's solemn commitment to the future—to continue with an open and inclusive attitude and precise professional services to create a benchmark for "multinational community members, diversified community culture, and internationalized community governance," allowing every resident to find a sense of belonging here and jointly build a beautiful harmonious home.