By Xia Yiping
Most recently, the most reposted article in the “circle of friends” on WeChat is the “the most heart-warming written request for leave on the Lantern Festival: I want my grandpa to return to the age of 25”. The article depicts a story about the grandchildren helped the grandparents “return to” the youth, causing heated discussions. However, for the senior citizens living in the Ouyang Community, it is “quite convenient” to “return” to the age of 20. Various courses for the elderly, different kinds of cultural groups, a multitude of activities and lectures ... After the winter vacation, the Ouyang cultural activities street has seen the beginning of the long-awaited new term. Let’s see how the residents in Ouyang Community “return” to the age of 20.
Popular courses well received to enrich life
“We are of the same age. We are very happy, talking, laughing and learning new things together.” At Ouyang Community School, there are teachers delivering lectures every week, and nearly 20 courses are available for choice, such as English class, piano class, calligraphy class, cucurbit flute class, class of improving claborate-style painting, mobile phone photography class and digital photo post production class. New courses have been opened each term. Many courses are so popular that the registration is limited.
In addition, Ouyang Community Cultural Activities Center is also a place making the residents full of vitality. It is a platform set up by Ouyang Road Sub-district to give full play to the leading role of the backbone of culture and art in communities and organize and direct the senior citizens to participate in the cultural activities in communities.
Ms. Li, a resident, said, “I used to sit at home for a whole day after retiring. Now I come out and sing and dance with others. I am very happy, and my family members said I have a better complexion.”
Residents sharing advantageous resources
With the community residents’ cultural demands constantly increasing, the Ouyang Community came up with an idea to integrate the educational and cultural institutions and open the venues, teachers, art exhibitions, lectures and other resources to the residents. The sub-district could play the leading role in developing the “Ouyang Cultural Activities Street” shared by all community residents with the joint participation of educational and cultural institutions and the community volunteers involving management.
Through the dot-mode distribution of the cultural resources, the “Activities Street” provides the community residents with all kinds of cultural services. In addition, the 18 neighborhood committees, the Party members service center, the cultural center, the library, the online nursing home, the school for the aged and other units in the sub-district have also taken an active part in organizing the activities and lectures, mobilizing the participation of the residents and discovering star groups, forming an extensive and solid foundation of the masses for the network of “Ouyang Cultural Activities Street”.
Exchange platforms resulting in colorful retiring life
With the Ouyang cultural street playing the leading role, in addition to the abundant activities at the communities, the folk groups are thriving with dozens of cultural groups of different sizes in the sub-district and star groups emerging one by one. “Qiuzhiyun” dance troupe, “Jiayin” chorus, “Fangcao” opera troupe and other groups are not only well-known in Ouyang sub-district but also the star groups in Shanghai. In 2014, as the only community band in Shanghai, Changqing Brass Band participated in the special show of “Show Every Day” at the 16th Shanghai International Art Festival. The works of the photography salon were exhibited at the China Shanghai “Charms of Hongkou” exhibition in Hamburg, Germany.
Ouyang sub-district sets up the platforms for cultural exchanges for the residents, enables more community units to participate in the community construction and the residents to enjoy the results of the community cultural development, and makes their retiring life “more colorful” and “return” to the age of 20.