The spring breeze once again greens the banks of Suzhou Creek. In Putuo, livelihood is never an abstract concept; instead, it materializes through nuanced details such as warm elderly care, guaranteed medical services, vibrant education, powerful volunteerism, and efficient public services. These elements collectively form the most touching foundation of urban development. The year 2026 marks the beginning of the "15th Five-Year Plan" period. Commitments such as "reserving the best resources for the people and serving them with high-quality provisions" and "directing more capital and resources toward human investment and livelihood services," as outlined in Shanghai's "15th Five-Year Plan," are taking root and bearing fruit across Putuo's streets, communities, and buildings.
The happiness of every family is closely tied to elderly care, and Putuo consistently prioritizes the needs of the elderly by empowering the industry to enhance the quality of care. At the Shanghai Silver Hair Store on Daduhe Road in Putuo District, 65-year-old Zhu Yeling is selecting elderly-assistance products at 10 a.m. She humorously refers to herself as a "young senior"—expecting to join the ranks of the "older seniors" in ten to twenty years. "Right now, I'm most concerned about elderly care. Smart elderly care has brought us great convenience," she says. Having moved from Xintiandi and Shunchang Road to Putuo years ago, Zhu initially found life here somewhat unfamiliar. "Putuo has developed incredibly fast in recent years. The 15-minute community living circle makes everything convenient—dining, grocery shopping, and community services." She was particularly impressed when she saw promotions for stair-climbing aids and other mobility services at the Silver Hair Store: "Some seniors live on the sixth floor of old buildings without elevators. With these services, they can go downstairs and stay connected to the community." Beyond mobility aids that help "grounded" seniors leave their homes, other products at the store also enhance the quality of life for the elderly. "A friend's father had difficulty using the toilet, requiring 24-hour family care, which exhausted even the healthy caregivers," Zhu recalls. She promptly advised them to visit the Silver Hair Store to find suitable assistive products. With urgency and hope in her voice, Zhu expresses, "I hope more Silver Hair Stores will open, so more people can learn about them and quickly find solutions when facing difficulties." During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, Putuo District aims to establish a "three zones, two centers" development framework, focusing on the diverse and multi-level consumption needs of the elderly. It plans to build a "1+6+N" comprehensive elderly-friendly consumption scenario matrix, with the city's first Shanghai Silver Hair Store as the core载体. The district will promote the "Elderly-Friendly Mall" model, integrate silver hair consumption with technology, finance, health, and other industries, and continuously expand consumption scenarios. Special events like the "Elderly Care Financial Benefits Season" and "Vitality Festival" will be launched, alongside new formats such as silver hair tourism and education, integrating these into the development of the industrial innovation belt along the Shanghai-Nanjing corridor. The "Silver Hair Express" will depart from Shanghai West Station, carrying the happy lives of the elderly toward broader horizons.
Medical care forms the foundation of livelihood. Putuo District focuses on advancing medical frontiers and deepening specialized disciplines to ensure high-quality medical resources are accessible to the public. Minimally invasive targeted interventions that control tumors without surgery or harsh chemotherapy side effects are a boon for many cancer patients. "Putuo has an aging population. For painful and oncological diseases, minimally invasive interventions can effectively treat patients with intractable pain and help those with mid-to-late-stage tumors avoid the side effects of chemotherapy and surgical trauma, thereby extending survival and improving quality of life," explains Zhu Yongqiang, Director of the Pain and Interventional Department at Putuo District Central Hospital. Specializing in pain and tumor interventional treatments, Zhu has been in Putuo for over three years, leading his department to become a leader in minimally invasive tumor interventions within the district and beyond. Leveraging the District Health Commission's Talent Introduction 2.0 policy and the Western Medical Consortium's Tumor Alliance, Zhu is building a distinctive minimally invasive tumor interventional discipline. "Putuo has developed rapidly in recent years, with new industrial parks and high-tech zones rising swiftly along the Yangtze River Delta industrial belt. This presents excellent opportunities for our medical technological advancement," he notes. He aspires to establish minimally invasive tumor interventions as another signature discipline in Putuo, enabling residents to access high-quality medical services close to home. In the future, Putuo will concentrate on medical frontiers, supporting disciplines with significant advantages and distinct features to create a recognizable clinical brand matrix. It will establish a multi-level, comprehensive system for discipline development and talent cultivation, helping medical professionals like Zhu Yongqiang realize the dream of providing "high-quality medical care at the doorstep."
Education shapes the future. Keeping pace with the times, Putuo District empowers education with artificial intelligence, creating diverse pathways for youth development. In the innovation lab of Caoyang No. 2 High School, sophomore Xia Haoyan and his peers are debugging an AI learning model. "I'm interested in chemistry and physics, and I especially love AI," he shares, enthusiastically listing the school's specialized courses: informatics Olympiad training, survival skills programs, labor education, and more. "The curriculum is diverse, the pressure is manageable, and we even have sports championships!" Under the dual influence of the "double reduction" policy and enhanced science education, this renowned school is exploring a balanced approach to quality education. Xia states, "I hope my classmates and I stay healthy and avoid being 'brittle' students. At the same time, I want to learn more about AI and use technology to make life cooler and better!" Students are finding their growth trajectories through varied courses. Aligned with the "AI + Education" initiative, Putuo District will deepen the iterative upgrade of the AI-enabled education "107 Project," establish municipal-level AI education demonstration bases, and provide children with multiple avenues for growth, ensuring "suitable education for every student to learn, grow, and shine."
The beauty of home requires collective guardianship. Putuo uses volunteerism as a bond, allowing the flowers of civilization to bloom quietly along the banks of Suzhou Creek. From Wuning Road Bridge to Caoyang Road Bridge along the Putuo section of Suzhou Creek, a group of "river protection volunteers" is measuring the beauty of the waterfront with their footsteps. Wu Fang, Secretary of the Party General Branch of Zhiyin Yuan Residential Area, is one of them, having witnessed the remarkable transformation of Suzhou Creek. "The government spent 30 years on rigorous remediation. The water is clear, the banks are green, and the floodwalls have changed from dull concrete barriers to open waterfront spaces," Wu explains. Whereas people once avoided the creek, it now attracts crowds of visitors. As part of the river protection volunteer team, he leads members in patrolling the banks, cleaning up litter, and discouraging uncivilized behavior. At one point, fishing enthusiasts set up over a dozen spots, sometimes accompanied by net fishing and other inappropriate activities. Wu proposed a "combination of疏导 and regulation"—designating reasonable areas and building clear water platforms. This suggestion was adopted, balancing regulation with demand. What moves him most is that all team members participate voluntarily. "Dozens sign up every time we post in our group chat, even children asking for extra sessions on weekends. They genuinely want to protect their home," Wu says. He hopes more people will join the river protection efforts, using cruise boats to link waterfront commercial areas, create a 15-minute waterfront living circle, beautify the opposite bank, and enhance the nighttime cruise experience. Volunteer spirit, like the waters of Suzhou Creek, nurtures silently. Putuo is establishing a three-tier volunteer service linkage system at the district, street, and community levels, developing an intelligent volunteer service system, deepening the "Beauty and Coexistence · Dandelion" brand project, and improving star certification and incentive mechanisms for volunteers, ensuring that every volunteer's dedication receives a response.
Public services are closely linked to popular sentiment. Putuo empowers services through reform and technology, making government services warmer and more efficient for residents and businesses. At the Putuo District Government Service Center, window staff member Xu Yukun adeptly processes a cross-provincial license application from Yancheng, Jiangsu. "Having worked on the front lines for over seven years, I've witnessed the tremendous shift from manual legwork to full online processing, and from services limited to the district to integrated handling across the Yangtze River Delta," he remarks, calling himself a "living archive of reform." As the "one-stop service" evolves into a "multi-regional platform," Xu's workstation has become a "router" for cross-provincial business. "Previously, companies had to travel back and forth for relocations. Now, data does the running, and our window is the final stop," he says. He looks forward to leveraging more robust government service platforms to provide seamless, high-quality services to more enterprises and residents, making Putuo's business environment as welcoming as a spring breeze. In the past year, a "remote virtual window" for government services along the Shanghai-Nanjing Industrial Innovation Belt was launched, enabling zero travel for cross-regional matters for businesses and individuals. AI-powered "One Thing for Opening a Shop" has streamlined the process for new shops, reducing steps from 12 to 3 and trips from at least 5 to a maximum of 1. The modest service window reflects the transformation of government services from mere "completion" to effective "management." During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, Putuo will focus on "efficiently managing a category of matters," deepen "AI + Government Services," expand benchmark scenarios like "One Thing for Opening a Shop," promote targeted delivery of business-friendly policies, and form a closed loop of "service-approval-supervision-feedback," making public affairs more convenient for all.
The elderly-friendly products Zhu Yeling seeks, the waterfront Wu Fang protects, the keys Xu Yukun taps, the ablation needles Zhu Yongqiang wields, the AI courses Xia Haoyan loves—these seemingly ordinary aspects of livelihood are becoming levers for high-quality economic and social development. The needs of the elderly invigorate the silver hair industry; children's education broadens technological pathways; the convenience of cross-provincial services boosts data-related enterprises; even local hospitals and Suzhou Creek cruises create new jobs and opportunities. There is no endpoint in safeguarding and improving livelihoods, only continuous new beginnings. As the "15th Five-Year Plan" commences, Putuo uses livelihood as the brush and development as the ink, striving to paint a happy picture of a "People's City." Here, every ordinary wish is cherished, and every livelihood need is transformed into developmental momentum.
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