Trust is the key as Beijing community bonds deepen

Imagine entrusting your keys to a security guard for safekeeping, relying on a neighbor to tend to your plants and pets while you are away on vacation or sharing the responsibilities of after-school childcare with other working parents.

In a city where skyscrapers dominate the skyline and community bonds are elusive, such scenarios may seem far-fetched. However, in the Beiyuan subdistrict of Beijing's subcenter Tongzhou district, this is indeed a reality.

Lan Enlin, 69, a native of Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, moved to Beijing with his wife in 2007 in search of work.