Quality of life improved comprehensively

In 2018, greater employment stability was ensured in Guiyang. Secured venture loans totaled 272 million yuan ($39.61 million). 233,100 new jobs were created in urban areas, 38,200 rural laborers transferred to other sectors, and 88 percent of the communities and villages reached the goal of full employment. 

Education has become more balanced. 276 primary/junior middle schools and kindergartens were newly built, renovated, or expanded, and 30,480 school places were created. 

Moreover, Guiyang, the first city in Guizhou to launch the Happy Children Project (a free, after-school daycare for children of compulsory-education ages), saw at least 85 percent of its students attending such care centers.

Access to health care was improved. 13 hospitals were newly built, renovated, or expanded. 30 demonstration centers for the Healthy Cell Project were built. A cloud-based platform for health-related information began operation, and cross-provincial real-time settlement was fully realized, allowing the cost of hospital stays to be settled where it is incurred.

Travel has become faster and more convenient. Line 1 of the Guiyang Metro was in full operation, construction of Line 2 was in full swing, and work on Line 3 began, bringing Guiyang up to speed with the times in terms of metro transit. 

Usage of the China T-Union Transport Card hit 70.6 percent. There were 10,000 new public parking spaces and measures were taken to improve the traffic at 30 points where congestion easily occurred. 

Arts and culture thrived. The city completed 142 community cultural service centers, 15 community book-sharing systems, and 40 fitness-for-all pathway projects. 

Guiyang hosted major sporting and cultural events, such as the 14th Asian Cross-country Championships, the 13th Guiyang City Athletics Meet and 10th Municipal Traditional Games of Ethnic Minorities, and the 6th International Yangming Culture Festival. 

Greater assistance was provided for the elderly. Guiyang was in the third group of pilot cities to receive financial support from the Central Government to develop in-home and community elderly-care service reform. 25 daytime care centers were built in urban and rural areas, and 30 rural mutual-aid nursing homes for the elderly were established. 

Greater social harmony has been achieved. Guiyang passed the second round of review for National Hygienic City. The amount of crime dropped 2.02 percent, the number of solved cases rose by 3.53 percent, and the index measuring people's sense of security reached 98.98 percent.   

A view of the Guiyang sports center. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]