The "Smartphone Photography Workshop" was held in Bokai Community for four consecutive weeks and came to a successful conclusion on September 24. The workshop was organized by Bokai Community and Xingzhong Group under the guidance of Zhongshan Foreign Affairs Bureau. Xie Jianqi, a well-known short video instructor in Zhongshan, was invited to give lectures. With practical and vivid contents expressed in both Chinese and English, the workshop attracted many foreign participants.

Bokai Community is one of the communities in Zhongshan that attract an increasing number of foreign residents. On June 15 this year, the Bokai Community Expat Service Center was set up. Under the guidance of Zhongshan Foreign Affairs Bureau, Zhongshan Public Security Bureau and Torch Development Zone, it has been actively integrating social resources and continuously improving its services, playing an important role in  helping foreigners integrate into the community life.

Enhance sino-foreign friendship through community activities

Since the establishment of the Center, Bokai community has successively held many activities, such as "Zongzi Making for Dragon Boat Festival", "Lantern Making for Mid-Autumn Festival", "TCM Culture Lecture and Experiencing Session" and "Smartphone Photography Workshop", attracting many foreign residents to participate. 

Some of them signed up for the activities through HiZhongshan WeChat account, while some were invited by relatives and friends in the community. They all praised the community for actively expanding services for foreign friends here.

Language volunteers: Good helpers to expand foreign services

Language barrier leads to huge challenge for primary-level staffers to provide services for foreign residents. In order to facilitate the community work, Zhongshan Foreign Affairs Bureau and Bokai Community have made great efforts to integrate foreign language talent resources and recruited language volunteers from residents, teachers and international students in the community. 

Before the activities, Bokai Community postied recruitment information through the "Volunteer Zhongshan" platform to invite language volunteers. Therefore, language volunteers dressed in red vests can be found in every activity.

Police station, reception room, service hotlines... available near home

To facilitate the communication between foreign residents and the community, Bokai Community Expat Service Center has set a special consultation room, and made available a consultation hotline 88363733 (in Chinese temporarily).

In addition, the Bokai Community Police Station was set up next to the Center, aiming at facilitating the registration of temporary residence by foreign residents (please call 87161223 one day in advance to make an appointment).

Bokai Community has also fully expanded its volunteer services for psychological counseling, and had the first psychological counseling case for foreign residents in the community with the help of language volunteers and psychological counselors. It has been well received by foreign residents.