The coastal city Xiamen of Fujian province has been pushing forward reforms in the sectors closely related to people's well-being during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), improving their sense of fulfillment, happiness and security, local officials said.

To address the rapid growth of the school-age population, 40 billion yuan ($5.65 billion) has been invested in 379 construction projects for primary and secondary schools and kindergartens during the period. A total of 154 old schools have been renovated, with 329,000 enrollment places added.

Chen Wenqiang, director of the Xiamen education bureau, said they have done "four things" over the past five years to secure fair, quality education for all children: expanding capacity, enhancing quality, sharing resources and promoting balance.

Xiamen is one of the first cities in the province to introduce the "One Thing for Enrollment" reform, which simplifies the required materials and procedure, increasing the accessibility and convenience of public services in the education sector.

As of September, there were more than 650,000 residents aged 60 and above in Xiamen, accounting for 12 percent of the permanent population. The city has set up a four-tier elderly service network covering the city, district, township and village levels, supported by a smart service platform that can provide home-based health monitoring, remote alerts and emergency assistance.

To maintain social order and better safeguard people's lives and property, city authorities have stepped up supervision in transportation, food safety and large events, and made sustained efforts to create a law-based business environment and provide people with convenient legal services.

Healthcare services

"Over the past five years, Xiamen has advanced its 'Healthy Xiamen' initiative to new heights by adhering to the health-first strategy, fostering the integrated development of medical healthcare and public health, and improving health service systems and mechanisms," said Ji Xiangfeng, vice-mayor of the city.

A high-level healthcare network featuring four national regional medical centers and 15 public tertiary hospitals, the top level in China's three-tier hospital system, has been established.

It encompasses a wide range of specialized departments such as oncology, cardiovascular care, pediatrics and mental health.

Currently, there are 23,500 hospital beds in Xiamen, up more than 4,000 from 2020. Meanwhile, the number of general practitioners for every 10,000 people increased from 1.62 in 2020 to 4.42 this year, exceeding the targets set in the national and provincial 14th five-year plans.

Yao Guanhua, director of the Xiamen health commission, emphasized that they have been exploring new models to offer residents easier access to medical services.

The city has established China's first municipal-level health information center, enabling the sharing and mutual recognition of medical test results among secondary hospitals or above, greatly improving service efficiency.

Fourteen public hospitals have obtained licenses for internet-based diagnosis and treatment, allowing residents to receive follow-up visits via mobile phone.

Employment support

Official data showed that funds of 1.56 billion yuan were distributed during the past five years to stabilize employment, benefiting 432,400 enterprises in the city, and 78,900 young people received living subsidies of 2.2 billion yuan.

"In recent years, we have prioritized the cultivation of skilled personnel. It not only helps improve workers' skills and increase their income, but contributes to the industrial transformation," said Zhou Yu, director of the Xiamen bureau of human resources and social security.

The bureau has provided subsidized skills training and entrepreneurship programs for key groups such as those facing employment difficulties, as well as customized courses for enterprises, according to Zhou.

From 2021 to 2025, Xiamen has established one BRICS New Industrial Capacity Enhancement Base, two national-level and 15 provincial-level highly-skilled talent training bases.

"These platforms provide systematic training to workers from junior operators to senior technicians, giving crucial support to our city's talent cultivation," Zhou said.

Additionally, the city has stepped up support for workers in new forms of employment such as food delivery riders and couriers, by offering them exclusive occupational injury insurance and enacting legislation to protect their labor rights.

Housing security

Zhang Zhihong, vice-mayor of the city, said that over the past five years, Xiamen has implemented a series of measures to ensure all residents have access to affordable housing and good living conditions.

Since April 2023, the city has launched modern renovation projects in 108 urban villages, demolishing 1.19 million square meters of illegal structures, revamping 397 kilometers of pipelines and building 526 garbage storage facilities and public toilets.

In Shanting community, Xiang'an district, local authorities have converted abandoned shrimp ponds into a culture-tourism complex, while Weili community in Huli district has established a creative cultural market based on historical buildings.

The city has also refurbished 1,410 old residential areas during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, benefiting approximately 248,900 households.

Key improvements included the installation of over 2,000 elevators and the addition of 33,800 new of — road parking lots.

Dongrong community in Huli district has integrated 25 residential complexes and built facilities such as a community canteen and a care center.

The project has been designated by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development as a benchmark case for urban renewal and promoted nationwide.