Hotline reshapes megacity management

Successes of Beijing 12345 citizen phone service highlighted during two sessions

From broken hallway lights and insufficient parking to questions about policies and the installation of elevators in older residential buildings, Beijing's 12345 citizen service hotline receives an array of appeals and queries, playing a crucial role in urban governance.

During the just concluded two sessions, the annual gatherings of the National People's Congress and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Secretary of the Communist Party of China Beijing Committee Yin Li underscored Beijing's role as a national example. He said the megacity will be more meticulous in urban governance and enhance its capability to rapidly address public concerns.

While other cities in China operate 12345 hotlines, Beijing's Swift Response to Public Complaints mechanism has taken its 12345 hotline to the next level, transforming it into a vital tool for managing the megacity.

Swift response

The documentary Hotline Beijing recently premiered nationwide, showcasing the changes brought about by the Swift Response to Public Complaints mechanism since its inception in 2019 through seven real-life stories.

Xu Jieqin, chief director of the documentary, told The Beijing News that her survey of similar hotlines worldwide revealed that Beijing's 12345 hotline is almost unmatched in providing a "get things done through one phone call" service in a city of more than 20 million people.

Liu Huan, a senior hotline operator featured in the documentary, said that operators handle around 65,000 calls daily, with each operator answering 80 to 100 calls on average.

"The Swift Response to Public Complaints mechanism gives people a sense of security," Liu Hongyue, a member of the National Committee of the CPPCC and a host and producer at Beijing Radio and Television Station, told Beijing Evening News during this year's two sessions.

Liu Hongyue said her friend's parents recently resolved an issue through the 12345 hotline. The clutter in their hallway had made wheelchair access inconvenient. After failing to resolve the issue by themselves, they called 12345 and quickly received a reply from their residential community and property management company. The clutter got cleared, and a ramp was installed for wheelchair access.

Some foreigners living in Beijing have also commended the city's urban governance methods showcased in Hotline Beijing.

Pablo, a Spanish entrepreneur in Beijing's Chaoyang district, told Beijing Youth Daily that the 12345 hotline enables people to easily obtain information from various city service agencies, which consolidate information and efficiently resolve issues.

He was particularly impressed by a scene in the documentary where Beijing's emergency management department works with the 12345 hotline to handle emergencies due to a heavy rainstorm. He said he thought the hotline was just for everyday issues and was surprised to see its role in emergency response.

A Japanese student with the family name Yamazaki, studying at Peking University, credited the 12345 hotline for helping her adapt quickly to living in Beijing.

"I was doing registration for something, and as I didn't have an ID card, I could only use my passport for verification. However, the system took a long time to process passport information and was prone to errors." Feeling helpless, she called the 12345 hotline, which offered her a solution within minutes.

The Swift Response to Public Complaints mechanism is becoming a "golden business card" for Beijing, she said, adding that continuous optimization through technology could make the mechanism a benchmark for global urban governance.

Getting to the root

In Beijing, an increasing number of urban issues are being tackled through the Task of the Month mechanism. It picks out the pressing and difficult issues from 12345 appeals, aiming to address broader problems at their root.

Since its launch in 2021, the mechanism has resulted in over 1,800 reforms, more than 400 policies and measures, and the resolution of over 70 challenging urban governance issues.

In Chaoyang district's Shaoyaoju Beili community, for instance, there used to be nearly 1,600 electric bicycles but fewer than 800 charging ports. In the first half of 2024, the 12345 hotline received 154 appeals related to electric bicycles in the community, with the majority requesting additional charging facilities.

In 2024, the Beijing Commission of Urban Management increased its target of building 200,000 charging ports during the year to 320,000, focusing on areas with the highest demands and lowest vehicle-to-port ratios, including the Shaoyaoju Beili community. In the first six months of 2024, 302 new charging ports were added in the community.

The success of the Task of the Month mechanism also lies in its innovative and people-centered approach to solving problems.

Getting through the crowds of people and vehicles used to be a headache for students and parents during pickup and drop-off times at the Xicheng District Experimental Primary School. After the issue was listed as a Task of the Month in 2024, the city's education commission worked with other departments to widen the pathways, build a "pocket park", and create dedicated zones for parents and bicycles.

During the past four years, issues such as difficulties in obtaining property ownership certificates, installing elevators in older residential buildings, and optimizing bus routes and stops were addressed as Tasks of the Month. In 2025, issues including the road safety of electric bicycles and the construction of charging facilities for electric vehicles have been added to the to-do list.

huyuyan@chinadaily.com.cn