Several residents of the Zhaofeng Building said their community-driven renovation in Shanghai was helped by the pivotal role of its grassroots Party.

They said that the grassroots Party organization has been open-minded in listening to residents' requirements and advice regarding improving their daily lives, for example, ideas regarding whether to add greenery and charging facilities for electric bikes in the residential compound.

"We always respond to the needs of the residents, which gradually builds mutual trust. And only in this way can we summon the residents together to work for a common goal when there is something critical going on," said Bao Li, secretary of the Party branch of the residential community where the building is located.

Residents said there are not many communities like them where all the households in the building — with at least one individual representing a household — are in a WeChat group, and can talk directly to the secretary of the Party branch of the residential community.

"This really shows that the secretary is responsible. Because when anybody can speak to all in a group chat, such communication becomes transparent in front of everybody's eyes, which can be a quite scary matter," said Liu Guanglei, a resident in the Zhaofeng Building.

"If someone mentions an issue in the group chat, many people may express similar concerns and vent emotions, and that may often make a small problem magnified," said Liu, 41.

Bao said: "We always face problems head-on, take the initiative to communicate with the residents, and find ways to solve problems. The sooner we step in to help solve problems, the smoother it will be."

In 2020, some residents proposed to build a multistory parking garage in the residential compound. Although the compound is small and it might cause trouble as some might oppose the idea, Bao said as the Party organization is at the grassroots level, they never reject residents' suggestions.

"As long as the residents have ideas, we must find ways to facilitate them and help them achieve their wishes," she said.

The renovation project that was completed in November involved meticulous planning and discussions within the community, with various viewpoints and concerns being addressed to ensure inclusiveness and transparency.

Despite initial skepticism and differing opinions among some residents, the community leaders, including Bao, worked tirelessly to facilitate dialogue and decision-making.

For example, some residents said there must be corruption involved in such building renovation projects. Bao said whenever she saw someone saying anything inappropriate in the WeChat group, she and her colleagues would immediately communicate with him or her face to face.

"As a Party leader at the grassroots, I must pay attention to people's different voices. The more someone opposed the renovation project, the more we would listen to him or her," said Bao.

"If a resident could provide evidence for opposition, I would certainly call for a halt to the project. However, any opposition must be justified," she said.

Out of respect for the ideas of all the residents, all four renovation proposals were provided to each household for thorough discussions and voting.

"Throughout the entire process that involved extensive communication, we hoped that none of the residents thought their ideas were neglected," said Bao.

Residents said the process was a perfect example of advancing whole-process people's democracy.

"The more we participated in the discussion around the renovation plan, the closer we felt about our relation to it. And that promoted all the households to gradually reach a unity of thoughts," said Feng Jumei, a resident of the building.