Lianhe Street in the suburb of Guangzhou City, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, is a typical community that officials and policemen keep a close eye on.
Most of the community's residents are relocated farmers and migrant workers who, in the words of a police officer, are more prone to "mass incidents" -- protests and illegal gatherings.
The community has a "stability maintenance" office, with officers handling minor disputes and complaints while reporting greater risks of unrest to higher authorities.
But the "stability maintenance" office means little to third grader Ma Qingqing, who passes by without noticing it every day after class. She ran directly to the four-storey building next door. Lianhe Yijia, or Lianhe Family, is a 1,020-square-meter community service center with a staff of 18 people, including 11 professional social workers.
Ma and about 50 other children play and do their homework there, with the help of social workers. The children have free meals at the center until their parents come to pick them up. Many migrant workers leave their jobs around 6 to 8 p.m. while schools end classes at 4:30 p.m..
Community service centers bring help, comfort, joy and unity to the local people. "When members of the community feel happy, they have no reason to take to the streets," said Zhang Liangguang, the CEO of Lianhe Family, a pilot project that exemplifies China's efforts to adopt a softer approach to maintain social stability.
