Hey fam 👋 Ready for some #GovTech inspo? Let's dive into Hangfeng Online, Qingdao's live hotline that bridges residents and officials in real time!
Launched in 2004 by the Qingdao municipal government and Qingdao Media Group in the Chinese mainland's Shandong Province, Hangfeng Online lets residents call in 📞 with questions or complaints. Officials respond live on air, share solutions, and a follow-up team makes sure fixes happen. It's like a city-wide group chat!
Deputy director Zhang Xiaolin calls it 'sitting on the same bench' with the public. With support from the city legislature, advisors, experts and media, this program has been turning digital connects into real-world solutions for over 20 years 🌟
Take the Xihai'an New Area housing saga: residents battled constant power outages and water issues for over a year, until Hangfeng Online highlighted it. Boom—local authorities swooped in, and utilities were back on in weeks ⚡💧
Qingdao didn't stop there. In 2009, they launched People's Livelihood Online with Qingdao Daily. The first live Q&A featured 19 department heads and drew 250,000 viewers! 🌐
Last June, a session on Xianjiazhai's bus routes led to the new No. 428 shuttle. Over 1,000 students at Tiankang School now ride comfortably, and parents celebrate extra snooze time (10 more mins, woohoo! 😴🚌).
These hotlines show how tech and transparency can level up local governance (aka grassroots governance). Democracy isn't just talk—it's a call away! 📲💪
Reference(s):
How Chinese live hotline to local government has empowered citizens
cgtn.com
