A city of belonging

Yang Yingqi, 31, is one of the people behind that transformation. In 2019, she founded Dachengxiaocun, an organization focused on revitalizing aging communities. Since then, she and her team have been working in Beilei Community, drawing on her background in urban planning, rural development, and cultural tourism.

"Before 2021, this area had little vitality," Yang said. "Most of the shops were massage parlors, pharmacies, or noodle places. The buildings were old, and young people were leaving."

Yet older neighborhoods have their own strengths. Beilei's narrow, pedestrian-friendly streets encourage a slower pace of life, while the flexible hours and styles of its shops give young entrepreneurs room to experiment.

One example is Chaos, a space designed and operated by Dachengxiaocun. It combines a vegetarian restaurant, a small retail shop, and a community center. The shop curates products around a different theme each month, and the center is open free of charge for public events.

"This kind of 'non-standard economy' is appealing to young people,"Yang said. "When one creative person moves in, it brings others. Gradually, a community forms."

Ideal landscape

For Yang, a truly youth-friendly community rests on a few key ideas.

First, it needs to be affordable — not just for living, but also for creating and starting a business.

"Prime locations in Chengdu can be prohibitively expensive, but here in Beilei, the rent is reasonable," she said."With a subway connection, it's close to the city center and attracts steady foot traffic."

Second, diversity matters. "In the past, industrial parks were solely tech-oriented. But innovation doesn't come from one industry alone. It needs culture, art, and different kinds of people," she said.

Equally important are public spaces where you don't have to spend money."Young people today are surrounded by consumer culture," Yang said."Going out often means paying for something — a movie or a coffee. Older adults have access to free spaces, but what about young people?"

The free community center at Chaos is one answer to that question.