Veteran CPC member facilitates installation of elevators in old residential buildings

Zhu Chunqing, a man in his seventies in Wuhan, central China’s Hubei province, has facilitated the installation of elevators in old residential buildings, which has benefited the local people.

Zhu Chunqing looks at the elevator being installed. (Photo/Jin Yumeng)

Zhu, also secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) branch of Tangcai community, started his work after learning that some of his neighbors in the apartment building at the residential compound where he lives hoped to add an elevator. The compound has since added seven elevators to several five-to-six-story buildings that were built in 2000, with the city having rolled out favorable policies to encourage the installation of elevators in old residential buildings.

Since late October last year, the septuagenarian began soliciting opinions from every household in the building.

It was by no means an easy task since at least two thirds of all the households in the building needed to first agree on the matter. Some residents frowned on the project moving forward, saying that adding an elevator would take up space and generate noise, among other concerns. However, Zhu made persistent efforts to address their concerns after listening to their ideas until all the households finally agreed on the plan to add an elevator.

The next challenge that awaited him was to select an elevator company and work out a plan to split up the bill for the project. Zhu, who had assessed the pros and cons of several elevator companies, invited residents to his home to discuss how best to choose a proper company. They soon made up their minds, and Zhu, with a ‘spark of genius’, came up with a viable solution on how to split the expenses, which was also accepted by all the households.

After the installation plan was approved by the local government, all the households believed that Zhu was the ideal person to supervise the use of the large sums of money needed for installing the elevator. Indeed, they could rest assured, with Zhu having specifically gone ahead to open up a new bank account for the project and having kept the community updated on the usage of the allotted funds.

Zhu was also very cautious about the details of the contract signed with the elevator company. He invited a retiree from the People’s Court of Hanyang District in the city to look over the terms of the contract one by one.

Neighborhood affairs may be trivial and time-consuming, but Zhu said it was the duty of a CPC member to serve the people. “Although I’m retired, I will always serve the people in the community as a Party member,” he added.

His hard efforts have touched the hearts of many people, including Ji Yanfang, secretary of the Party committee of Tangcai community.

“It is not easy to complete a difficult task related to people’s livelihoods,” Ji said, adding that Zhu succeeded because he, as a CPC member, always aims to serve the people wholeheartedly and has earned the trust of the people.