Chongqing- During the 2021 National Two Sessions taking place in Beijing, a successful conclusion is to be declared for the 13th Five-Year Plan, followed by the announcement of China's development targets over the next five years.

Among key objectives in the 14th Five-Year Plan, China keeps its economy running within an appropriate range and promotes green development.

In what ways have these developments made a tangible difference to the life of everyday people in Chongqing? One good way to quantify the changes that have materialized over is to hear the stories of foreign residents who have witnessed them first hand.

What developments have most directly changed life for the better, and what vision do they see for Chongqing over the 14th Five Year Plan?

Impressive public transport infrastructure

Paul is a teacher and consultant from Canada who first came to China in 2006 and moved to Chongqing in 2008. He has taught in universities and training centers across the city and is an avid sports enthusiast who loves to play golf, badminton, tennis, and squash in his free time.

"When I first arrived, I sensed right away big changes were going wherever I looked. For me, the most notable developments were new infrastructure projects like subway lines and bridges. I was very impressed by the speed of construction across the city and how people were able to continue about their daily lives with relatively little disruption or complaint."

"It’s amazing to see the number of bridges going up in Chongqing along both rivers and how they are multi-purpose. For example, the new Qiansimen Bridge that crosses near the Grand Theatre and Jiefangbei carries subway trains, vehicle, and pedestrian traffic."

While Paul is a frequent user and admirer of this new infrastructure, he has also followed economic developments in the city with interest and likes to follow the latest news through English language ex-pat websites in China.

"At the same time, I have often read news about the establishment of free trade zones in Chongqing, the expansion of Jiangbei International Airport with Terminal Three, and the economic impact those developments have brought for the economy. I’ve been through T3 on a few occasions now, and I find it a huge modern structure with nice design and efficiency that should make a strong impression on first-time visitors."

More accessible healthcare for foreign residents

As a keen amateur sports enthusiast, Paul strongly believes that a healthy and active lifestyle has always been the way to reduce the need for medical consultations. However, there have been inevitable occasions that necessitated hospital visits, such as visa-related medical check-ups. Since moving to Chongqing in 2008, he has seen marked progress in the facilities, service quality, and environment inside hospitals.

"I try my best to lead a healthy and active lifestyle, so I have never really visited hospitals and clinics regularly. However, and I have noticed during occasional visits that medical facilities have become more efficient, orderly and courteous."

"Many hospitals have machine-readable patient cards for making appointments, checking test results, and settling bills, which means we don’t need to look around and queue for different booths. Generally, the hospitals have become more hygienic, and the environment is more pleasant."

"I would like to see hospitals and clinics become more convenient for foreigners to visit independently and make it a stress-free experience, especially in communication. However, I do know the ex-pat community often shares lists of English-speaking doctors to help, and I heard some hospitals have set up 24-hour bi-lingual telephone services, which is good news for foreign residents who have difficulty with the language."

Untapped potential for the mountain and river activities

The great expanse of the mountain country and wilas allowed him to see public facilities and attitudes up close.

"I would like to see more sportsderness in Canada is famous the world over, and having grown up close to this environment, Paul has noticed a great source of potential for outdoor activities in Chongqing that are yet to be developed. Also, his passion for sporting pursuits h facilities in public parks, such as badminton and tennis courts for people to use on a casual basis. There are now many private sports and fitness clubs in Chongqing with excellent facilities, some of which cater to popular sports but were relatively unknown in China until recent years. Squash is a great example of this."

‘Golf clubs in Chongqing are excellent, even in second and third-tier cities of the municipality. I like how residential complexes surround golf courses in the city, and I have noticed there are more driving ranges and academies around the city."

"The only problem is that most clubs are very expensive, so I hope something can be done to make the sport more accessible to people who are interested but lack the means to experience it."

He is also happy to see that local parents are taking sports more seriously for their children as an extra-curricular activity, improving their physical health and character.

"I’m really glad to see that parents are more conscious about young children learning a sport with professional coaches, and not only focus on their academic performance. I think this should make them more physically active when they become adults and eventually make the country more competitive in a wider range of international sports events over the next generation or two."

Perhaps the clearest and most exciting potential for future development lies in the natural wealth of mountains and rivers in downtown Chongqing. While there is plenty of commercial navigation and residential areas, there are still relatively few opportunities for citizens to experience the natural environment through physical recreation.

"For me, the mountains and rivers in Chongqing are a great untapped source of potential recreational activities. For example, there could be more water sports at the two rivers' confluence points, such as kayak or canoe rentals. Also, they could try holding live concerts on a barge or the riverside beaches at suitable times of the year."

"As for the mountains, they could build a network of developed hiking trails better designed for public use. There’s great potential for mountain climbing, and I think they could be exploited for mountain bike tracks. Longer distance hiking trails along undeveloped stretches of the rivers would also be very popular."