On the evening of June 4th, the Jiafu community was bustling with a unique energy. Inside a sewing shop, the owner stitched bedding while discussing styles with residents. In the parent-child activity room, mothers played joyfully with their children. In the shared reading room, students concentrated on their homework. At the convenient vegetable stall, residents finishing work selected fresh produce. The lively atmosphere, filled with warmth, permeated this public rental housing community predominantly inhabited by a mobile population. It's hard to imagine this area was once a stretch of old, dilapidated, and dangerous houses.

Resident Qiu Lanying (right) and her neighbor sew bedding in the community sewing shop. Photo by Guo Ling for Tianshan Net-Xinjiang Daily.

Located on Yinhe Road Street in the Karamay District of Karamay City, the Jiafu community was established in April 2016. It is home to residents from 15 ethnic groups, with 1,646 households, over 90% of whom are part of the mobile population. Relying on meticulous grassroots governance measures, residents from various ethnic groups in the community help each other, weaving a tapestry of harmonious neighborly relations and shared prosperity through their interactions and integration.

"We focus on fostering a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation as our central theme, creating the distinctive brand 'Jiafu Harbor: Hometown of Kinship' and exploring a new service management model called 'Five Hearts Harbor'," introduced Yang Ting, Party Branch Secretary of the Jiafu community. The community leverages five key harbors—Safe Harbor, Understanding Harbor, Caring Harbor, Comfortable Harbor, and United Harbor—addressing residents' urgent needs and worries related to housing, employment, culture, support, and governance, helping the mobile population feel at home in their new city.

Having a secure place to live is the starting point for putting down roots in a city. "The monthly rent is less than 300 yuan, and the community has also created a 15-minute convenient living circle with a kindergarten, smart charging shed for vehicles, a dance studio, a fitness area, and a health service point—everything you need," said resident Rehanguli Mousa. She added that newcomers to Karamay who haven't yet found work can apply for 20 days of free accommodation within the community.

Breaking down barriers and fostering interaction and integration among residents of all ethnic groups is the goal of the "Understanding Harbor." For residents with a weak foundation in the national common language, the community offers evening classes tailored to their work schedules, divided into slow, basic, and fast tracks, which have already benefited 4,800 participants. "I attended classes regularly with my family every day. After building a foundation, I took the adult college entrance exam and was admitted to the Legal Affairs program at Tonghua Normal University," shared resident Maierhebaguli Rouzi.

Building on language learning, the community also uses traditional culture as a bond to create platforms for integration, enriching the spiritual and cultural lives of all residents. Activities like Hanfu try-ons, movable type printing, and hand-painted oil-paper umbrellas are regularly held. Traditional festival celebrations such as writing Spring Festival couplets, making zongzi for the Dragon Boat Festival, and crafting mooncakes for the Mid-Autumn Festival are held on schedule. Customs from different regions gradually blend, and unfamiliar neighbors slowly become familiar friends.

The community's convenient electronic screens continuously update with job postings. Community staff precisely match residents with employers and organize job fairs, enabling many to find employment close to home. The parent-child activity room addresses the temporary childcare needs of 150 families. The psychological counseling room is regularly open to address adolescent growing pains and parental anxieties. The "Red Star Clothing Bank" maintains a year-round stock of donated clothing, distributed free to families in need, providing a safety net for the daily necessities of the mobile population. By focusing on employment support, psychological counseling, and clothing assistance, the "Comfortable Harbor" precisely targets residents' pressing concerns.

"I had a day off today and went with my neighbor to buy some fabric. We made a bedsheet at the community sewing shop. It's pretty and affordable," said Qiu Lanying, originally from Henan province. "I've been in Xinjiang for nine years now. I feel safe and comfortable living here."

At the prominent entrance of the Jiafu community, a "Wish Wall" is divided into a Wish Collection area and a Wish Fulfillment area. The display continues to expand as more and more residents' wishes are realized. Photo by Guo Ling for Tianshan Net-Xinjiang Daily.

The "Caring Harbor" safeguards residents of all ethnic groups through small acts of assistance. At the entrance to the community service center, there is a Wish Wall, divided into sections for collecting wishes and for displaying fulfilled ones. Wishes like "a child wanting a football" or "an elderly person living alone wishing for a parrot" are posted. The pool of wish granters has expanded from initial community staff to include volunteers and caring individuals from all sectors of society. A heartwarming group photo is taken upon the completion of each wish.

"Fulfilling wishes is just one example of the community's warm services. To address residents' urgent needs and worries, we rely on a university student volunteer service base and ten other volunteer teams to regularly provide services like free appliance repairs, convenient haircuts, and mobile laundry, solving problems in residents' daily lives promptly," said Yang Ting.

The community harnesses the power of ordinary role models to inspire goodness. A dedicated family history museum and community culture wall display stories of exemplary residents. These stories, all sourced from within the community, feature individuals who are diligent entrepreneurs, dedicated learners, or upholders of harmonious family traditions, serving as benchmarks for others.

Wang Zhaohua, from Henan, initially made a living collecting scrap when he first arrived in Karamay in 2000. Through hard work, he transitioned into steel processing and sales. Yidiresi Aishan came to Karamay from Hotan City in 2017. Starting with a weak foundation in the national common language, he found a job through a community referral. While studying and working to save money, he opened a small supermarket in 2020. Zhu Jiwei is seen as a helpful neighbor by all, always the first to appear when someone needs help fixing appliances or pipes. The influence of such role models subtly encourages community residents to strive for goodness and pursue their dreams.

"More and more residents are taking the initiative to participate in community development," said community worker Ayinuer. Through living together, studying together, working together, and enjoying leisure together, residents from various ethnic groups have progressed from merely "physically residing in the community" to "integrating their hearts into the home."

From being strangers to becoming close-knit neighbors, the Jiafu community, through countless small acts, allows every resident who has journeyed from afar to genuinely feel that being in Jiafu means being home.