Community volunteers in Qingdao visit elderly people who live alone and make dumplings together. CHINA DAILY

Qingdao in Shandong province will make strides in building a high-quality coastal city ideal for living, working and traveling by 2026, the local government said on Sept 22.

In recent years, the city has increased investment in education, employment, medical care, elder care, housing and social assistance. Spending on people's livelihoods accounts for more than 70 percent of the city's fiscal expenditure.

The environment has been significantly improved in Qingdao and the air quality ranks first among cities in Shandong. The proportion of offshore marine areas with excellent water quality has reached more than 98 percent. Meanwhile, biodiversity and ecosystem functions have generally remained stable in the city.

In the next three years, Qingdao will focus on 67 major tasks in five fields. They are facility construction; environmental improvement; cultural tourism promotion; public service optimization; and village construction.

A number of major projects to improve people's well-being will be completed by 2026. And urban renewal and construction are to make breakthroughs with a modern international metropolis rising up from the ground by 2026.

By then, Qingdao aims to build itself into an international coastal tourism destination, which could receive 170 million visitors annually. This would achieve a tourism revenue of 310 billion yuan ($43.32 billion) and deliver an added value of 100 billion yuan to the cultural industry.

The city plans to provide adequate and convenient urban public service facilities, including housing, education, medical care and elder care by 2026. The social security system is expected to cover all residents by then.

Besides this, 100 provincial-level beautiful demonstration villages and 10 demonstration rural vitalization areas are expected to be built in the next five years in the city.

Qingdao will also strengthen and make innovations in social governance to build a safe, civilized and digital city through a series of projects.