Zhou Quanguo runs a tight ship in the Xing'an community of the China-Myanmar border city of Ruili.

The 54-year-old army veteran is the Party chief of the community in Yunnan province, and has dedicated himself to improving the lives of the locals since retiring from the military and joining the community in 2009.

Having joined the Communist Party of China in December 1987, Zhou has long been committed to the major causes of the nation, whether big or small.

"No matter whether serving in the army or for the residents, I always serve the people," he said.

When he first started in the community, conditions were bleak, with poor access to basic services in the community that has roughly 7,000 people now.

This would represent a serious challenge for most, but not for military man Zhou who got straight down to work expanding the local service center.

"I'm always grateful for my experience in the army, which has toughened my willpower. I made sure I was a good soldier, now I still have the same high standard for my work," he said.

In 2010, through concerted efforts on his part, Zhou was able to attract investment from local authorities and build a one-stop service center for residents. The center has since grown from 358 square meters to around 1,400 sq m.

The multiuse center can not only be used by residents to apply for and receive basic living allowances and affordable housing subsidies, but also as a free venue for entertainment and leisure.

"From 1 pm to 5 pm, we have painting and calligraphy rooms open to the residents, also the reading room. Every Thursday, volunteers will come to teach the waiting residents calligraphy," he said.

"Our community committee is responsible for every resident, so we deal with all their everyday issues. The workers have a great deal of passion for their jobs and they are highly efficient and achieve great results."

It is no easy feat managing a residential community of thousands at the best of times, but it can become even more challenging when that community is located on a country's border.

The city of Ruili is the major border crossing point between China and Myanmar.

"We have many old residential communities in the area, and also many international residents. The population flow is also big, increasing management difficulties," Zhou said.

To better serve the residents, he said that the committee has divided the whole community into eight grids, which are then subdivided into 156 smaller grids.

"We make sure that every smaller grid has one grid manager, with the smaller grid covering 15 households or 60 people."

More challenges came after the novel coronavirus epidemic hit the city in September 2020.

"I remember that my colleagues and I were busy organizing nucleic acid tests for the residents late at night, and we didn't have the time for breakfast in the morning. What impressed me was residents sent us breakfast like steamed buns and fried dough sticks," he said. "At that moment, I felt that all my work had paid off."

Zhou said that thanks to the committee's efforts, no resident was confirmed with a COVID-19 infection during the sporadic outbreaks in early September 2020. "The committee's work is not easy, but I'm always prepared to better serve the people in the future. People always come first in my work," Zhou said.