Governing a state has its constants, with benefiting the people being the ultimate principle. From employment services delivered directly to doorsteps to senior meal halls established within communities; from high-quality, balanced basic education to continuously upgraded smart healthcare initiatives, Nantong has unwaveringly prioritized a people-centered development philosophy since the 13th Municipal Party Congress.
Treating the public's "critical small matters" as "top priorities," sustained efforts have been made across employment and entrepreneurship, education and healthcare, as well as elderly care and childcare. By tackling issues one by one and persisting year after year, the city has delivered a substantial and heartwarming report card on improving people's livelihoods.
Deepening Employment and Entrepreneurship to Cement the Foundation for Shared Prosperity
"Human resources and social security departments at all levels have provided us with extensive support, including applying for training program codes, declaring talent introduction subsidies, and connecting us with project cooperation resources," said Zhu Pengpeng, principal of Rudong County Honglingyang Vocational Skills Training School, on September 8. As a young entrepreneur returning to his hometown, he leveraged Nantong's entrepreneurial support policies to launch his career locally.
In October 2021, the Rudong County Honglingyang Vocational Skills Training School Co., Ltd., co-founded by Fujian investors, leading technological talents, and local Nantong enterprises, was established in Yangkou Town. The school's facilities are now nearing completion, with projections indicating annual sales revenue of approximately 150 million yuan and employment for over 150 people once fully operational.
Employment represents the most significant aspect of people's livelihoods. Over the past five years, Nantong has coordinated employment and entrepreneurship initiatives, implementing a comprehensive policy package that has consistently solidified the foundation of the job market. The city has cumulatively added 556,500 new urban jobs, supported 84,700 urban and rural workers in successful self-employment, and assisted 113,100 individuals facing employment difficulties in finding work. This work in employment and entrepreneurship has earned commendations from provincial government supervision and inspections, with the public employment service standardization pilot project rated "Excellent" by the National Standards Commission.
Policies supporting enterprises and stabilizing employment have been precisely implemented. Nantong has adopted an "automatic approval without application" model, distributing 60.05 million yuan in one-time job expansion subsidies to 8,427 enterprises, facilitating the hiring of 40,033 college graduates and young job seekers. Furthermore, 1.469 billion yuan in job stabilization returns has been allocated to 71,000 employers, benefiting over 950,000 workers. Work-based training subsidies totaling 286 million yuan and one-time retention training subsidies of 42.105 million yuan have been distributed through a "no-visit, confirmation-only" process, effectively reducing corporate labor costs.
Employment security for key groups has been robust. Focusing on college graduate employment, Nantong has developed a talent attraction framework combining online and offline channels, exploring opportunities both locally and regionally through intensive virtual recruitment and specialized on-site job fairs. Since 2021, job-seeking and entrepreneurship subsidies totaling 15.51 million yuan have been provided to 10,339 college graduates facing employment difficulties. Social security subsidies of 17.57 million yuan have been issued to 502 small and micro enterprises, encouraging them to hire 5,609 graduates. The city has also established 11 standardized municipal-level informal job markets with regional characteristics and 14 municipal labor brands, driving employment for over 502,800 people and generating average annual labor income increases exceeding 7.38 billion yuan. Additionally, 8,663 public welfare positions have been developed, benefiting 113,100 individuals with employment difficulties.
The multiplier effect of entrepreneurship on employment continues to expand. Nantong has launched two policies to aid businesses and benefit the public, strengthening entrepreneurial support for key groups such as the unemployed, veterans, and young college graduates. The "Four Seasons of Entrepreneurship" themed activity series and the "Creating a Famous Nantong" service brand have been introduced. Four provincial-level entrepreneurship demonstration bases and 42 outstanding provincial-level college student entrepreneurship projects have been recommended, with Jingcheng Science and Technology Innovation Park becoming the city's first national-level entrepreneurship incubation demonstration base. Since 2021, a total of 65,300 people have undergone entrepreneurship training.
The vocational skills training system has been continuously refined. Nantong was the first in the province to include new occupations such as industrial robot system operators and ride-hailing drivers in the training, assessment, and subsidy scope for vocational skills training certificates. By deeply integrating online theoretical knowledge with offline practical exercises, the city successfully conducted 2,351 training sessions across more than 50 job categories, with approximately 90,200 trainees participating. For the first time, high-quality enterprises have been included in the recognition scope for public training bases. In the urban area, 9,348 college students have participated in public training, with 10.13 million yuan in public training subsidies disbursed.
Safety nets remain robust and reliable. Since 2021, the city has cumulatively paid 3.165 billion yuan in unemployment insurance benefits to 270,000 unemployed individuals, along with 792 million yuan in medical and maternity insurance premiums. An additional 90.69 million yuan in unemployment assistance has been granted to 26,000 recipients. These measures to stabilize employment, boost income, and benefit the public have strengthened residents' confidence in their livelihoods. Over the past five years, the city's per capita disposable income of residents has grown from 46,882 yuan to 57,242 yuan. By place of residence, urban per capita disposable income increased by 19.2%, from 57,289 yuan to 68,293 yuan, while rural per capita disposable income grew by 26.9%, from 29,134 yuan to 36,972 yuan.
Optimizing Public Services to Enhance Inclusive Quality
"Why does the little robot recognize the teacher but not you?" On the 1st, at the first artificial intelligence general education class of the new semester at Nantong Middle School Affiliated Experimental School, teacher Chen Jianan's opening question immediately captured the children's attention. During the class, case studies like the "Turing Test" and "Facial Recognition" were presented, prompting students to engage in group discussions or hands-on practice, remaining deeply engrossed even after the bell rang.
This scene exemplifies Nantong's commitment to high-quality educational development. The balanced and high-quality provision of public services forms the core support for people's wellbeing. Over the past five years, Nantong has concentrated on key areas of public concern, including education, healthcare, elderly care, and childcare, consistently working to expand, upgrade, and make public services more inclusive. This ensures urban and rural residents can access high-quality services close to home, enhancing the warmth and quality of livelihood security across all dimensions.
Investing in education enriches people's lives. Over the past five years, Nantong has consistently strived to build a strong educational city, continuously optimizing the urban-rural educational landscape. Adhering to the principles of inclusive preschool education, balanced and high-quality compulsory education, and distinctive development of ordinary high schools, the city has promoted education's role in empowerment, deepened educational modernization, and fostered a continuously improving educational ecosystem.
The supply of educational resources continues to expand. Since the start of the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the city has cumulatively invested 130.023 billion yuan in education, a 39.56% increase compared to the 13th Five-Year Plan period. A total of 55 primary and secondary schools have been newly built or expanded, adding 83,000 high-quality student places. The quality of basic education remains leading. Rudong, Hai'an, Rugao, Qidong, Haimen, Chongchuan, and Tongzhou have all achieved the status of national-level preschool education popularization and inclusion counties. Haimen, Tongzhou, Hai'an, Rugao, Rudong, and Qidong have been recognized as national-level counties with balanced and high-quality compulsory education development. The city boasts 3 provincial-level high-quality high schools, 3 schools approved for high-quality high school development, and 8 schools approved for high-quality characteristic high school development. Efforts have been made to advance the integration of ideological and political education across primary, secondary, and tertiary levels, implement the student physical fitness enhancement plan and the "2·15 Special Action," and promote the "One School, One Brand; One Student, Multiple Skills" initiative, essentially achieving the goal of "schools with characteristics, classes with clubs, and students with projects" in arts education.
Educational equity illuminates students' paths to growth. Nantong implements the policy of "urban integration for children of migrant workers," achieving a 100% enrollment rate in public schools and a 100% compulsory education enrollment rate for children with disabilities. The city has 611 primary and secondary schools and kindergartens located in townships, accounting for 52% of the total. There are 92 smaller-scale compulsory education schools with fewer than 200 students, 66 of which are in townships. Education continues to empower Nantong's development. Over the past five years, Nantong University and the city have pursued integrated development and collaborative innovation. Southeast University's Nantong campus received official approval from the Ministry of Education. Nantong Health Vocational College initiated higher vocational enrollment, and Nantong Industry and Trade Technician College successfully applied to become a joint college site for a provincial federation. Nantong has also introduced an implementation plan for incremental policies to boost college graduate employment, vigorously organizing "Talent Return to Nantong" activities to build a talent reservoir for the city's development.
Educational governance efficiency continues to improve. Nantong has innovatively implemented "Four-Full Management" covering all targets, all times, all spaces, and all fields, promoting meticulous school management. 100% of schools have broadband access of 100 Mbps or above, and 550 schools, representing 98.04%, have achieved smart campus status, accelerating educational digitalization.
Healthy Nantong initiatives are improving quality and efficiency, safeguarding public health. Over the past five years, Nantong's average life expectancy has reached 83.68 years, and residents' health literacy rate has risen to 43.42%. Five cases from the "Beautiful Hospital" initiative have been recognized as national benchmarks. The city's medical-preventive coordinated innovation experience has been included in national-level typical cases. The National Health Commission's Million Disability Reduction Project – the Jiangsu Nantong Pilot Project for Stroke Prevention, Treatment, and Disability Reduction – has been launched, making Nantong the first pilot city in the country for this initiative. The Healthy China Construction Conference has been held in Nantong for two consecutive years. The integrated development of the health industry is robust, fortifying the national health defense line.
One by one, livelihood initiatives are delivering tangible results. Public services are rapidly transitioning from mere availability to high quality, with convenience and warmth increasingly integrated into the daily lives of residents.
Focusing on "Elderly and Young" to Cultivate a Foundation of Happiness
The "one old, one young" demographic encompasses countless families, and livelihood projects carry the expectations of the people. Around 10 a.m. yesterday, Fan Jiang, the person in charge of Dasheng Family Kitchen Community Canteen (Gaojiadian Branch) in Chongchuan District, began packing boxed lunches in preparation for the upcoming lunch rush. Over twenty dishes were laid out in a row: glistening red braised lion's head meatballs, tender and delicious steamed perch, and the braised pork trotters even carried a thoughtful label reading "Caution for high cholesterol." Since opening in August, the canteen's affordable prices and delicious flavors have made this "canteen at the doorstep" the preferred daily dining spot for many nearby seniors, serving approximately 130 people each day.
"It's enough for my little granddaughter and me to have a meal, very convenient," said Aunt Li from Yongyi Jiayuan, who spent 22 yuan at the Dasheng Family Kitchen Community Canteen (Gaojiadian Branch) at 11:20 a.m., purchasing pineapple sweet-and-sour pork, cowpea fried rice, braised lion's head meatballs, and pickled cabbage stewed with potatoes. A little later, Mr. Wang and his wife, Ms. Wei, drove specifically to the canteen for lunch. Ms. Wei smiled and said, "The ingredients are fresh, the prices are reasonable, and it greatly facilitates the elderly. I hope there will be more such elderly-friendly canteens near my home."
Data from the "Seventh National Population Census" shows that Nantong has 2.3187 million registered residents aged 60 and above, with 90% of them choosing to age in place within their communities. Over the past five years, in active response to population aging, Nantong has enacted the "Nantong Elderly Care Service Regulations," dynamically updated the guiding catalog of basic elderly care services, and introduced special policies such as the "Comfortable Nantong" three-year action plan to improve meal assistance services, the high-quality development of rural elderly care services, and the building of an elderly care service talent team. Focusing on the urgent needs of the elderly, the city has further deepened the development of home and community-based elderly care services, weaving a tighter service network and striving to build a higher-quality, more sufficient, and more balanced elderly care service system.
Nantong continues to include the construction of community elderly meal assistance points in its livelihood projects, employing flexible and diverse strategies such as renovating existing elderly care facilities, partnering with social catering enterprises, and moderate new construction. A total of 356 community elderly meal assistance points have been established citywide, ensuring that meal services for the elderly are convenient, accessible, affordable, and safe. Simultaneously, 40 comprehensive urban street-level elderly care service centers and 94 rural township-level regional elderly care service centers have been built, achieving full coverage of the community elderly care service network. At the village and community level, 45 embedded community senior homes and 270 demonstrative rural mutual-aid neighborhood points have been established, meeting the diverse home and community-based elderly care needs of residents.
In response to infant and toddler childcare needs, Nantong's childcare service supply continues to expand, effectively alleviating the "childcare challenge" for families. Currently, 385 kindergartens citywide have added childcare classes, and 5 enterprises and institutions have opened staff childcare services, with the number of childcare places per 1,000 population reaching 4.8. All secondary and higher-level general hospitals now offer pediatric outpatient services, and public welfare projects such as routine scoliosis screening for children are regularly conducted, comprehensively safeguarding the health of children and adolescents.
With harmonious governance and flourishing development across all sectors, Nantong's rivers and seas are filled with the warmth of improved livelihoods. By continuously enhancing people's wellbeing amid high-quality development, a "happy life" has become the city's most heartwarming hallmark.