“Cheer up! Cheer up!” “Good games!”...In recent days, in the residential area of Huaihua Power Plant in Xianrenqiao Community, Yingkou Street, Hecheng District, the sound of basketball collisions and cheers have intertwined, and children have surrounded the free skewer stalls. The smiling faces of residents in front of the Huimin Service Station are particularly bright under the street lights.

At the sight in front of him, Yang Jingjiang, who has lived here for more than 20 years, couldn’t believe it. The old community, which used to have mottled walls, narrow alleys, abandoned open spaces, and even no entrance, has undergone a great transformation now.

In order to practice the concept of people’s cities and implement the requirements of the Provincial Party Committee’s “organizing meetings to revitalize the city, setting standards and making samples”, Huaihua has comprehensively launched the renovation work of old residential areas built from 2001 to 2010 since the beginning of this year. The renovation of old residential areas has been included in the key livelihood projects of the province and the city, promoting the upgrading of infrastructure construction in old residential areas and enabling the masses to truly live in peace, livability and happiness.

In the midst of summer, the reporter walked into the residential area of the power plant, where green trees provided shade and the roads were clean. The brand new basketball hoops stand at both ends of the basketball court, providing residents with a better experience on the flat and non-slip sports ground.

The residential area of Huaihua Power Plant was an old community built in 1995. Due to its long construction time, various facilities in the community are gradually aging. In order to improve the quality of life of residents, the Hecheng District Housing and Urban Rural Development Bureau and the original property rights unit of the community jointly invested in the renovation, widely listened to the opinions of the people, and dealt with the key difficult problems of residents. The focus was on retaining walls, ground yards and roads, flat roof waterproofing, lightning protection renovation, rain and sewage diversion renovation, etc., forming a phased renovation plan of “identifying risks—renovating infrastructure —repairing the main body of the house”, with a total investment of more than 6.5 million yuan.

“Watching the earth shattering changes day by day, the residents of the surrounding communities envy us,” Yang Jingjiang told reporters. Now, he walks through the newly renovated community with his neighbors every morning, following the newly repaired Yuanhe Road and the scenic belt of Wushui River. It’s so enjoyable to watch a passionate basketball game right down the stairs at night.

In the family area of Jixian School in Sanjiaoping Community, a street in the city, the reporter saw that even after it had just rained, the road surface of the community remained clean and fresh, and the air still emitted a faint natural scent.

“In the past, I used to worry about water accumulation when going out on rainy days. Now, with the separation of rain and sewage, the roads have become more spacious, and the streetlights are bright at night, making the environment much more beautiful!,” said resident Xie Lijun, who couldn’t help but admire the changes now.

Accurately addressing “key difficulties” and actively responding to public concerns. The reporter opened the notebook of Xiang Lingjiang, a staff member of the Hecheng District Housing and Urban Rural Development Bureau, and clearly marked one by one the residents’ demands and feedback from the liaison department.

Not long ago, she and Tang Ling, a social worker from Sanjiaoping Community, collected more than 10 opinions and suggestions from residents through home visits, holding resident meetings, and other forms, and finally formed a “one-stop” renovation plan that includes rainwater and sewage diversion renovation, road widening and hardening, green landscape upgrading, and lighting facility updates.

“This project has truly achieved ‘transformation’ to the hearts of our residents,” said Zhang Jun, secretary and director of the Party Branch of Sanjiaoping Community, to reporters. During the transformation process, the community adhered to the “residential site list, government acceptance” model, and used the dual channels of “online inquiry+offline negotiation” to smooth public opinion and ensure that the transformation content accurately matches the needs of the masses.

Currently, the countdown to the 5th Hunan Tourism Development Conference has begun. The renovation projects of various old residential areas in the city are racing against time and rushing to meet the deadline, comprehensively promoting the acceleration and efficiency of project construction.

The reporter saw at the site of the renovation project of the old residential area in Teacher’s New Garden that construction workers are carrying out the renovation of underground rainwater and sewage diversion pipelines to reduce the pollution caused by the merging of rainwater and sewage.

“At present, we have completed 40% of the total underground pipeline network renovation project and expect to achieve full completion by September this year.” The person in charge of the construction of the project introduced that in addition to the rainwater and sewage diversion pipeline network, the construction site also carried out the laying of the fire pipeline network simultaneously.

The heartwarming project benefits people’s livelihoods and revitalizes old residential areas. In 2025, the main urban area of Huaihua plans to invest 186 million yuan to renovate 33 old residential areas and complete the renovation of supporting facilities in 56 old residential areas, involving 280 buildings and benefiting 8,495 households and about 30,000 people. It actively responds to the “revitalizing the city through organizing meetings” and implements urban renewal, making the happiness and sense of achievement of the elderly more abundant and fulfilling.

Journalist’s note:

From mottled walls to lush greenery, from narrow alleys to spacious sports fields, the transformation is not just about buildings, but about the confidence of ordinary people’s lives—it is the countless folds of Yang Jingjiang’s life that are gradually smoothed out, the “little wishes” of the people that are remembered, and the people’s livelihoods hidden in underground pipelines.

The countdown signs of the tourism development conference are still beating on the street corners, and the new appearance of these old residential areas may be the most touching business card of a city—after all, happiness is never measured by the height of high-rise buildings, but by the temperature at the doorstep of ordinary people.

(Translated by Tian Xia)