CHONGQING, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Wu Chengli, 42, serves as the Party secretary and residents' committee director of Minzhu Village Community in Chongqing. Since a national-level pilot program for urban renewal was launched in Minzhu Village in 2021, Wu, a deputy to the Chongqing Municipal People's Congress, has convened numerous “courtyard meetings“ where residents were invited to voice their opinions and suggestions.

　　Wu Chengli and her colleagues work to address residents' concerns at Minzhu Village Community in Xiejiawan Sub-district of Jiulongpo District, southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, Feb. 25, 2025. (Xinhua/Huang Wei)

　　As the program concluded on this New Year's Day, Minzhu Village was no longer a shabby residential area, but a modern community with well-equipped public facilities, reinforced with innovative mechanisms for grassroots governance.

　　People walk past an art installation of “Mailbox No. 1“ at Minzhu Village Community in Xiejiawan Sub-district of Jiulongpo District, southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, Feb. 25, 2025. (Xinhua/Huang Wei)

　　One example of such mechanisms is “Mailbox No. 1.“ Originally set up in 1953 as a dedicated communication channel for workers of a local factory to share their ideas with the management, the mailbox has been repurposed during the 2021 urban renewal program as a link between deputies at all levels and the public.