The 51-year-old Wu Tengxin runs a special convenience store in Weidong Village, Jiangmen City of Guangdong. Wu is physically disabled due to polio and he opened the store with the help of the village's CPC committee after the factory he worked for closed down in 2016.
The operation of the convenience store improved Wu's living conditions and inspired him to contribute to the local community. "We should have more barrier-free facilities for the disabled in the rural areas," Wu proposed at a seminar organized by the Jianghai grassroots legislative contact station in 2022.
The grassroots legislative contact stations work to connect the public with the National People's Congress (NPC), China’s top legislative body. Having collected the feedback from residents, Zeng Lingchang, an officer of the Jianghai grassroots legislative contact station, said they would invite legal experts and lawyers to translate the oral language in the report into professional terms before submission.
Wu's suggestion as well as other 32 pieces of suggestion were collected by the Jianghai grassroots legislative contact station and submitted to the Legal Affairs Committee of the NPC Standing Committee as a reference to formulate the law on building a barrier-free living environment. Eight pieces among them were adopted.
The law on building a barrier-free living environment was approved at a session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress and took effect nationwide on September 1, 2023. More than 50,000 disabled and elderly residents actively participated in the formulation of the law and voiced their own opinions.
Thus far, the village has witnessed changes as most buildings are equipped with barrier-free facilities. Most of the public toilets on Lile Street have also been equipped with ramps. "I can now go to the park myself by motor scooter without others' help," said Wu.
Reporter:Chen Ting, Weng Junting
Translator:Jasmine, Rofel
