Guangzhou's first batch of international community service centers have opened for foreigners with expat-friendly facilities.
The two international communities include Guangyue Community (广粤国际社区) in Central Park View (凯旋新世界) at Liede Street, and Huijing Community (汇景国际社区) at Wushan Street, which are populated by foreign nationals in the region.
To facilitate the life of expats, the communities are both equipped with Overseas Residents' Service Center, Volunteer Service Center, Talents Service Center, Cultural Exchange Center for Chinese and Foreign Residents, and a comprehensive hall for discussion and communication on important issues.
Established in 2010, the community is deemed one of the "youngest" communities in Liede Street. Some 761 out of its 4,126 long-term residents are from outside the Chinese mainland, including staff members of foreign consulates in Guangzhou, executives of enterprises and coaches and players in soccer clubs.
Special classes featuring traditional culture and instruments as well as Cantonese language are scheduled in the neighborhood to help foreigners better understand Chinese culture and blend in with the locals.
1,015 out of the 18,880 long-term residents in the neighborhood are from some 29 foreign countries and regions, most of whom are executives of multinational companies, staff of foreign embassies and consulates in Guangzhou and their family members.
A reading zone set in the community gets busy every Friday with its parent-child reading activities. Equipped with abundant reading materials for bookworms of all ages, it offers a leisure reading environment for residents, especially foreign nationals, to dive into traditional Chinese culture and customs and make congenial friends. Besides the reading zone, "black technologies" such as multi-touch splicing screens are introduced to offer residents multi-dimensional interactive experiences in learning about Chinese culture.
The community also sets up a volunteer team, currently with 12 expats, and is preparing to roll out bilingual brochures about community management and city services, covering medical services, business, education and visa application, to facilitate life of foreigners in Guangzhou.
Author & editor: Becky