You are here: Home > China > Nation

Adjust font size:

Don't be surprised and remember to say hi if you see a group of foreign expats wearing red armbands patrolling the neighborhood in southwest China's Chengdu.

Chrisrui (front), who also has a Chinese name Zhang Rui, from Ghana is the head of the patrol team. [Photo: chengdu.cn]

A patrol team comprising eight expatriates from five different countries has recently started to serve the expat-concentrated Tongzilin community in Chengdu, which has over 2,600 foreigners.

Chrisrui, who is known by his Chinese name Zhang Rui, from Ghana is the head of the patrol team as he is fluent in Chinese.

He said the team was more like a volunteer group, with the responsibility to collect information of the other foreigners' needs and solve their problems with the assistance of the Chinese community.

"The foreigners may need to rent an apartment, look for a part-time job or apply for a temporary residence permit, but these things might bother them if their Chinese is not good enough," Chrisrui said.

Each of the patrol team members wears a red armband with the words "Community Patrol" printed in both Chinese and English.

Chrisrui said he was inspired when he saw volunteers wearing red armbands help directing traffic on the street.

"[I thought] that might be a sign of helping others," he said.

Chrisrui is an international student doing his doctorate in Chengdu, and most of the patrol team members work in international schools or multinational companies in the city.

Apart from the international team, the community has another two Chinese patrol teams. They hope to patrol the neighborhood once per week in the future.

Print E-mail

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)

Add your comments...

• User Name Required
• Your Comment
• Enter the words you see:    
  Racist, abusive and off-topic comments may be removed by the moderator.