In the light of the local saying that "everyone is a business environment", Zibo city in East China's Shandong province has been moving to develop a service-oriented ecosystem to enhance its soft power.
During the recent May Day holiday, 207 Zibo government businesses provided free parking and toilets to the public, while government staff offered voluntary services in crowded places.
"I came to Zibo for a vacation and parked my car at the municipal government parking lot. I like the kindness of the city," said one visitor.
Zibo has been trying to raise its profile as a service-oriented place in recent years and has launched 13 new initiatives for governmental affairs services. Last year, it rolled out 50 incentives and policies for talent and recruited 47,000 college graduates.
To improve the service environment, the city has slashed approval times for over 400 projects so they can start construction earlier and it has provided assistance and agency services for over 1,000 people.
In addition, there are currently 1.07 million volunteers in Zibo, among its 4.7 million permanent residents. Tens of thousands of volunteers are devoted to service work, such as traffic guidance during the May Day holiday, contributing to the emergence of a service-oriented society.
Young volunteers in Zibo's Boshan district guide visitors. [Photo/WeChat account: zibofabu2014]
Volunteers man a government service center in Zibo. [Photo/WeChat account: zibofabu2014]
