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China City Talk: How Shanghai is turning public spaces, technology and social care into everyday services_我的网站

少年派的奇幻漂流

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Aerial view of Shanghai's skyline Photo: VCGEditor's Note:
An international metropolis on the shores of the East China Sea, a new migrant city rising from the Gobi Desert... China's cities embody a remarkable range of forms and efforts etched across a diverse range of landscapes, all of which is reflected in the everyday lives of ordinary people.
No two cities look alike, yet the standard by which we measure a city's warmth is familiar: Is there a place to rest safely? Is there a hot, decent meal to eat? Is there a corner where even the most vulnerable are treated with care and dignity? These seemingly small details are, in fact, what make a city truly moving.
The Global Times is launching a new series, "China City Talk." In this series, we explore cities across China, focusing on the everyday rhythms of life shaped by the human warmth of public policy and the quiet ways urban governance transforms individual lives. These stories offer one of the clearest windows into contemporary China.
Inside a historic red-brick building that houses a Party-mass service complex, run by a local grass-roots organization of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Kunqu opera enthusiast Li Qin rehearses with her retired friends. Many of the complex's spaces are open to the public, and in its elegantly old-fashioned hall, the arias of the classical opera float gently through the air.
At an AI-equipped community canteen for the elderly, a robotic arm skillfully prepares bowls of noodles. Affordable dishes line the serving windows, and 62-year-old Ao Yongjian, who lives nearby, joins the queue as he always does, choosing the dishes he likes.
In a mixed-use commercial block, a class at a rehabilitation center for children with autism is suddenly interrupted by a sharp cry from 9-year-old Xiaozheng (pseudonym). A volunteer beside him gently takes his hand and comforts him in a soft voice.
In Shanghai, scenes like these unfold almost every day, in every corner of the city. From some 12,000 Party-masses service complexes to more than 500 community elderly canteens and the city's first summer vacation care program for children with autism, this metropolis is responding to the needs of every single citizen with remarkable care and precision.
A robotic arm cooks noodles at Hongqiao AI community canteen. Photo: Courtesy of the canteen

A robotic arm cooks noodles at Hongqiao AI community canteen. Photo: Courtesy of the canteen
A shared home
With its photogenic looks and downtown location, a Party-masses service complex in the Jing'an district's Shimen Road No.2 subdistrict has gone viral on social media, drawing visitors from near and far almost every day.
Set beside Suzhou Creek, the service complex is made up of three century-old, red brick villas. After being restored in September 2025, many areas were reopened to the public free of charge. Residents now come here to read, chat, dance, and even play chess with AI robots.
There is also a "care station," which provides convenient services for couriers, delivery riders and other workers on the go.
At noon, courier Wang Jun stopped by to warm up his lunch and take a short break. He told the Global Times that, because he is always busy, he used to eat lunch squatting by the roadside, or grab a brief rest in the lobbies of some companies. "Now that this place is here, I can eat a hot meal at noon and get out of the rain when it pours," he said with a smile. "It feels like home."
Delivery rider Wang Shuwei first came here on a rainy day while delivering food. On her period at the time, she found the restroom, only to realize she had forgotten to bring a pad. Fortunately, a janitor pointed out that the "care station" offered free pads.
"At that moment, I thought, how can something be this good?" Wang said. She has since become a regular. "The words 'Party-masses service complex' used to sound like something that had nothing to do with me. But after coming here, I realized there are real services here, and the staff are all very kind."
Behind these services lies carefully conducted surveys of nearby residents.
According to He Hanqing, director of the service complex, the renovation began after more than 1,000 feedback forms were collected online and offline. "Many residents wanted the complex to be closer to Suzhou Creek. They wanted a community canteen, while some young people wanted a shared office space, and parents wanted areas to play with their children," she said. They then integrated indoor and outdoor spaces into a single design, extending the renovation to include the surrounding Suzhou Creek promenade and the space beneath nearby bridges.
Today, the service complex receives an average of 4,000 visits a day. More than 30 percent of visitors come from outside the local community, 12 percent are tourists from elsewhere in China, and 7.7 percent are from overseas, according to data provided by the complex staff. In this highly urban complex, where rent for commercial land is extremely expensive, the place has become a shared home for many.
"We are not doing the math in terms of economic returns, but in terms of public sentiment," He Hanqing told the Global Times. "It is worth it to open up precious land to the public for free."
Warming stomachs and hearts
Around 11 am in Shanghai's Hongqiao subdistrict, the aroma of freshly cooked food drifts out of a community canteen. Named a "community canteen for the elderly," it is actually open to everyone, not just seniors.
Through a glass wall, a robotic arm in the back kitchen deftly picks up a tray of washed vegetables and delivers it into an intelligent cooking chamber. Within minutes, stir-fried cabbage is ready to serve. Braised pork, zucchini with scrambled eggs… more than a dozen dishes stand neatly lined up across the counter
Opened in 2021, this is one of Shanghai's earliest AI community canteens. The dishes here are prepared by machines and an AI system. According to the canteen's manager, Dong Yong, the system contains more than 3,000 recipes and can precisely regulate oil and salt use. Beyond its AI features, the canteen also offers full traceability for its ingredients, from procurement to processing.
What really puts diners at ease, however, are the prices. A vegetarian dish costs 4.5 yuan (67 cents), meat dishes range from 6 to 9 yuan, and some specialty items sell for 12 to 18 yuan, according to a price list on the wall.
Seniors aged 60 and above can enjoy discounts and subsidies. "A meal here costs me about 15 yuan on average - it's tasty and a good value," said resident Ao. Since retiring, Ao has come almost every day.
So how can the canteen turn a profit while charging below-market prices? He Junting, an official from the Hongqiao subdistrict, explained that the canteen is part of a government-supported partnership.
The local government provides the venue rent-free, allowing the restaurant to pass on the savings to customers. "That's why the prices are so affordable," she told the Global Times.
After choosing her dishes, a 70-year-old resident surnamed Du sat down at a table and chatted with the Global Times as she ate. Her husband is in the hospital, leaving her little time to cook for herself, so she comes here for lunch four or five days a week.
"The food here is healthy and the prices are friendly. I don't have to bother buying groceries or washing dishes myself," Du said. "The government really has solved an important problem for us older people."
During lunchtime, white-haired seniors, office workers and cleaning staff alike share the same dining space, giving the canteen a lively, down-to-earth atmosphere. Whether powered by AI or run in more traditional ways, these affordable community canteens can be found in nearly every neighborhood across Shanghai - warming both stomachs and hearts.
Accompanied by a volunteer, a child with autism plays toys at Palm Star Children's Rehabilitation Service Center in Shanghai on July 30, 2026. Photo: Chen Xia/GT

Accompanied by a volunteer, a child with autism plays toys at Palm Star Children's Rehabilitation Service Center in Shanghai on July 30, 2026. Photo: Chen Xia/GT

Accompanied by a volunteer, a child with autism plays with toys at Palm Star Children's Rehabilitation Service Center in Shanghai on July 30, 2026. Photo: Chen Xia/GT
Much love and care
This summer, Shanghai launched a pilot program for children with autism in three districts, including Changning, marking the city's first attempt at such a summer daycare service.
The Palm Star Children's Rehabilitation Service Center, a professional rehab facility for children with autism, is located in Changning. There, 10 children attend the program, with each child paired with a volunteer.
In the classroom, laughter mixes with sudden cries. When one child has an emotional outburst, a volunteer gently calms him down; when another seems lost in her own world, the volunteer stays by her side, guiding her patiently.
Xiaozheng has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. When his mother fell ill and his father grew busy caring for her, his grandmother was left to look after him alone. In previous summers, Xiaozheng could only stay at home. This year, however, the summer vacation program gave the boy somewhere to go.
Each session of the program lasts three weeks and costs only 600 yuan - less than one-tenth of what a commercial institution might charge. For families like Xiaozheng's, which are struggling financially, this fee is covered by the local government.
In Shanghai, children with physical, intellectual or mental disabilities also receive annual care and living subsidies.
Caring for children with autism is a lifelong process, and summer vacations have long been a gap in that support, said Chu Lin, director of the center. She explained that the program is the result of joint efforts from government subsidies, social organizations and donations from caring enterprises. "Every child has the right to education. By learning here and practicing simple daily living skills and social interaction, we hope their situation can gradually improve."
Among the volunteers is 21-year-old Kalahala Nuerbaishan, a university student majoring in special education. Before taking up her post, she and the other volunteers completed two rounds of professional training.
She shared that at the program, one boy under her care had been silent all day at first, but now he raises his hand to ask for tissues on his own. "Small progress like that gives me a great sense of accomplishment," the volunteer told the Global Times.
Lunchtime arrives. Accompanied by volunteers, the children wash their hands, line up and collect their meals. Some are already seated; others are still restless. Yet the special education teachers and volunteers remain patient, trying again and again to communicate with them.
In Shanghai, the most scenic stretch along the Suzhou Creek waterfront has been left for ordinary residents; the most advanced technology is being used to prepare three meals a day; and the most professional expertise is supporting the most vulnerable children.
This metropolis, as many people living there told the Global Times, is interpreting the meaning of "cities are built by the people, for the people" in the quiet, everyday acts of care that speak the loudest.
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Discord 针对有关 Take-Two 追查 GTA66 泄密者身份的在线报道做出了回应，表示尚未正式收到传票，一旦收到，将在回应前对其进行严谨的评估。

B | 上周五，美国纽约南区地方法院法官 Andrew L. Carter Jr. 批准了 Take-Two 的请求，要求传唤 Discord 提供 Rockstar 母公司认为与泄密事件有关的用户身份信息。Take-Two 对微软的传票也获得了批准。虽然微软发表声明称乐于与 Take-Two 和 Rockstar 合作以帮助挖掘 GTA66 泄密者，但 Discord 在昨晚发布了不同的表态。

C | Discord 营销总监 Ryan K. Rigney 在推文中表示：“我可以分享这一进展。Discord 尚未收到来自 Take-Two 的传票。当我们收到时，我们会在回应前评估其有效性和范围。”Take-Two 发出传票的理由是涉嫌违反《数字千年版权法》（DMCA）。它希望获得与“CyberLeek”账户相关的资料和记录，据称该账户是 GTA66 泄密事件的幕后黑手。传票要求提供与多个 Discord 服务器成员相关的用户账户识别信息。文件中提到的其中一个 Discord 服务器是“discord.gg/darkviperau”，该服务器被描述为 DarkViperAU 编辑的服务器。DarkViperAU 是澳大利亚 GTA6 内容创作者 Matthew "Matt" Judge 的网名，他在 YouTube 上拥有 227 万订阅者，在 Twitch 上拥有近 90 万粉丝。Judge 否认有任何不当行为。倡导言论自由和隐私的组织 Reclaim The Net 在推文中批评了针对 Discord 的传票。该组织表示：“版权法本应针对侵权行为，但在这里，它被用来搜寻身份信息。Take-Two 正在寻求 DMCA 传票，这可能会暴露那些没有泄密或上传 GTA6 VI 片段，但参与了讨论泄密内容的 Discord 服务器对话的用户。”在文章中，Reclaim The Net 继续说道：“其中一个涉事 Discord 服务器拥有超过 107,000 名成员，虽然目前尚不清楚 Take-Two 是否会针对每一个人，但请求中确实提到了自 6 月 1 日以来，作为三个指定服务器成员并参与过对话的‘所有用户账户的所有识别信息’。

D | ”“在这种情况下，Take-Two Interactive 的一份文件清楚地表明，他们的目标不仅限于上传泄密内容的人，还针对了仅仅与这些所谓泄密者存在于同一个 Discord 服务器中的整个社区和频道。

E | ”“这现在变成了打着执行版权法的幌子来索取成员名单。

F | 虽然如果人们反击，这种行为可能会被制止，但实际上 DMCA 的流程中没有任何东西能以足够强力的方式惩戒这种行为。”“提交索赔既便宜又快捷，而合规成本则由平台承担。曾几何时，公司至少还会试图维持一种表象，即他们的目标仅限于侵权行为，但如今，他们变得越来越大胆，现在甚至在打击任何恰好出现在附近的人。”目前尚不清楚微软是否也已正式收到 Take-Two 的传票，尽管根据法庭文件，微软似乎已经启动了自己对 CyberLeek 账户的调查。与此同时，针对 Twitter / X 的传票尚未签署，但这可能仅仅是形式问题。与此同时，GTA66 的泄密仍在继续，人们对 CyberLeek 可能发布重大剧情剧透感到担忧。Rockstar 和 Take-Two 均未对此发表声明。