NEIGHBORHOOD centers in Minhang are bringing people closer together in ways they probably never expected.

One example is Xia Xin, a graduate of the China Conservatory of Music who is now working at Commercial Aircraft Corp of China. At a meeting in the Wujing Town Neighborhood Center, she talked of her continuing passion for music.

At a result, she was invited to give music lessons at the center. They have become very popular with residents who share her love of music and want to learn more.

The first neighborhood center in the district opened in Hongqiao Town. Minhang now have 32 such centers, each serving a residential radius of 1.5 kilometers.

Besides encouraging cultural enrichment, the centers also provide a way for residents to become involved in managing their own communities.

Residents in the Aibo neighborhood of Huacao Town, for example, have banded together on a series of community-improvement projects, according to Huang Huiping, director of the local neighborhood center.

“They often have heated debates about problems and how to solve them,” she said. “Even the color of a floor can stir discussion. The center makes the neighborhood like a big family.”

The centers also provide basic medical services, including pharmacies, Chinese traditional medicine clinics and examination facilities, according to Zhao Yan, director of the Pingnan Neighborhood Center.

Local doctors come to the Pingnan center every week, a popular service for the elderly and parents of young children.

The centers also provide food deliveries and day-care services for the elderly, along with social functions like card playing and video screening.