A street in Shinan district, Qingdao, East China's Shandong province [Photo/dailyqd.com]

Shinan district, Qingdao, East China's Shandong province, aims to become the cleanest district in China, and it made strong efforts to improve its urban environment, roads, gardens, buildings, toilets, and garbage sorting in 2019.

More than 11 million pots of flowers have been placed in major areas throughout the district, and in 2019, a total of 914 arbors and 80,000 shrubs were planted along main roads. A newly added greenbelt covers an area of over 22,000 square meters.

A total of around 188,000 sq m of roads and sidewalks were renovated by the district government in the past year, and around 1,100 guideboards have been rewritten in both Chinese and English. Traffic lights have also been upgraded.

The district has been promoting the construction of "pocket parks" – small areas of green space set aside for recreational purposes – completing 10 of them in 2019. Permeable materials were used in their construction to allow rainwater to seep into the soil.

Buildings in old communities were renovated as well, and insulating layers were installed on the external walls of residential buildings, providing residents with more comfortable living conditions while also saving energy. In addition, training sessions were organized regularly to help improve the quality of local property management.

Shinan district has also built or upgraded 115 multipurpose public toilets. The upgraded toilets are equipped with free WiFi, smart vending machines, baggage holders, and more. The district has now reached its goal of five public toilets per square kilometer, and it leads the country in this regard.

In order to promote garbage sorting, the district has set up publicity boards and corridors and handed out various brochures. Special systems have also been issued to better deal with bulky and kitchen waste.