The average life expectancy of ChangningDistrict residents has reached 85.32 years, thanks to its services, living conditions and environment, a district official said yesterday.

WangWeiren, the district’s Party secretary, said its average life expectancy had been leading the city and the nation for over a decade. It is also higher than Japan (83.7), Switzerland (83.4) and Singapore (83.1).

“The high economic standard of the district is among the major factors influencing life expectancy,” Wang told a press conference. He said the district’s GDP per capita had risen to 238,000 yuan (US$33,995) in 2019 from 150,000 yuan in 2015 compared with the city’s average of 157,000 yuan.

“Stable and healthy economic development makes the foundation for a high-quality life forChangningresidents.”

The press conference was the third of a series being held through the end of September featuring officials from the city’s 16 districts introducing their developments.

The average life expectancy of Shanghai locals reached 83.66 years last year, compared with 83.63 in 2018. It was 81.27 for males and 86.14 for females.

Changningaims to create a “clean, order, safe and civilized” community for residents, Wang said.

The number of community health centers in the district will rise to 52 from the current 40 by the end of 2025. Service centers for the elderly will cover all 10subdistrictsand towns, and they will include daycare, senior care, canteen and medical services.

Shanghai’s first community-level caring standard for seniors with cognitive disorders was unveiled in JiangsuRoadsubdistrict, covering community and home care, assessment, entertainment activity, dietary services and caregiver support. It is expected to help establish a standard that can be promoted nationwide.

Offering nutritious food, health services, haircuts and a bakery, the Elderly Care Center inXinhuasubdistrict provides a homely atmosphere for visitors.

Every room at the center is named after old lanes, and it boasts some ancient artefacts. Some visitors said it was the only elderly care center to remind them of familiar memories and culture.

People here have been invited to taste new desserts, preparing for the opening of dessert workshop next month.

An old mansurnamedTang, a former sailor, was exercising with a paramedic. To practice controlling his hands, he learned to write calligraphy in oracle bone inscriptions, and finished a book of 300 Tang poems in a few years.

Meanwhile, Changning has pledged to complete renovation of old residential buildings without separate toilets or kitchens by the end of the year. Over 90 percent of the 6,300 households living in such buildings have benefited from the renovation project.

Another “boutique community” project will continue to launchfaceliftson other old neighborhoods. Over 80,000 households of residents have benefited from the project.

Renovation projects have also been launched on four historic roads in Changning, said Wang.Xinhua, Yuyuan,WuyiandPanyuroads, with their historic villas and former residences of famous people, are all being refurbished.