This is China Series
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Green Initiatives. Saving the crested ibis and sorting waste in Beijing. This is China | Episode 1
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Modern Chinese Artists Breathing New Life into Traditional Art. This is China | Episode 2
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Rediscovering the Chinese countryside. This is China | Episode 3
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Chinese villagers struggling for a better life. This is China | Episode 4
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Discovering China’s agricultural traditions. This is China | Episode 5
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Community ‘superheroes’ of China. This is China | Episode 6
Community ‘superheroes’ of China. This is China | Episode 6
This episode of the This is China series is dedicated to people who perform community service, often risking their health and well-being, and therefore seen as superheroes.
During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic Tao Jiudi had to work 24/7. She is the head of Xincheng Community Service Centre in Wuhan, serving 12,000 residents with just 12 employees. They had to screen people for infection, transfer patients and provide life supplies to pregnant women and seniors. She recalls that her team worked so hard during lockdown that they were on the verge of mental breakdown. Today Tao Jiudi continues her work, solving the district’s everyday problems. Locals treat her like a superhero – in China, helping people is an honourable job.
Another type of person who earned the title of the superhero is called ‘Lao Niang Jius’, a mediator. Traditionally it is a respected individual with a teaching or legal background. He volunteers to help people settle disagreements and find a compromise. Mediators work for free to maintain harmony in society. It is an essence of the Chinese approach to solving problems – let the community build its local industry of help.
How does the art of maintaining harmony in society work in reality? Watch and learn