CHINA is set to roll out a creepy network of Truman Show-esque “Happy Communities” that will be home to 35 million people by 2035.
Images show smiling people in the small-scale developments around a community center – which one China describes as an “ideal life”.
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Chinese authorities are rolling out plans to create these “community life circles” as part of their new vision of what their cities will look like in the future.
And one of China’s largest cities, Shanghai – which is expected to have a population of 35 million in the next 10 years – has vowed to make “Happy Communities” available to 99 percent of residents by 2035.
But the plans come against the chilling backdrop of China’s massive state apparatus.
And China’s new “Happy Communities” are less like idyllic towns and more like state-run communes.
Part of the plan is for Communist Party officials to mingle with the local population, as in one of the “Happy Community” trials in Qingpu.
“The office is open without doors, which makes our service sober,” communist official Li Ping told China’s state media Shine.
“We talk face to face with villagers and they feel at home here.”
China insists the plan is only aimed at improving people’s lives and bringing services to their doorsteps.
But it also feels similar to the fake world created in the hit Jim Carrey movie “The Truman Show.”
Truman Burbank lives in the utopian world of Seahaven Island – where everyone is happy, everyone knows each other, and their needs are constantly met without ever having to leave.
But unbeknownst to him, he is under constant surveillance – and every part of his life is micromanaged by a higher power, in his case a TV studio rather than the government.
So with communist officials never more than a few minutes away from you, it gives the “Happy Communities” a somewhat sinister edge.
Residents must download a government app on their smartphone that allows them to micromanage 100 government departments.
Chinese media also reports that digital “security monitoring” is being rolled out in some of the pilot villages.
The “Happy Communities” are less like cities and more like state-run communes.
But some Chinese officials insist this is the future.
Communist Party official Xu Jian from Qinqpu stressed that the communities are “safe, harmonious and beautiful”.
The draft follows many warnings about the restrictions on Chinese society – such as with “social credit“, emotion monitoring camerasand smartphones that steal data.
Located in Zhangyan in Quingpu District, Shanghai’s own Happy Community was once a quaint old village.
Formerly known as Zhangyan Ancient Town, the village was once home to ancient Shanghai culture and is now home to nearly 3,000 residents.
The Happy Community was designed and built by a team from Tongji University in 2021, when they completely transformed the ancient village into a modern blueprint for Shanghai’s future.
Residents can travel to work, go to school, use public transportation, and access medical care, all within minutes of their home.
The community covers an area of approximately 50,000 square feet, with over 1,200 brand new residential units.
The area consists of four buildings, each with 24 floors, and features a range of apartments from studios to three-bedroom units.
In the village center, residents of the Happy Community can gather to read, watch movies, socialize and even get legal advice.
The legal advisory services in the center also act as a platform to mediate in unhappy neighbours’ disputes.
Tu Yongjun, head of the Happy Community, told Sixth Tone: “The center has been renovated from offices and we want residents to step outside their homes into the community and enjoy a ‘happy community life'”.
Empty farmlands have been renovated along with farm houses, roads and bridges and public facilities have been upgraded with fitness facilities as part of Zhangyan’s futuristic makeover.
There are even robot doctors where you can have your blood pressure checked by an “intelligent health machine”.
The droid can study your health readings and decide if you need to see a doctor.
The community hosts regular gatherings, such as movie nights and holiday parties, that encourage residents to spend time with each other.
Although only 30km from Shanghai’s bustling downtown area, residents once struggled to access the services city residents could get.
They had no choice but to leave their communities to visit everything from nursing homes to movie theaters.
But now in the Happy Community, residents have instant access to all essential services – and they’re at their doorstep.
“We can solve all the little things in the community without leaving the village,” Yongjun said.
“The smiles on the faces of the villagers reflect the happy community life here, their sense of gain has been strengthened”.
Since the majority of the Happy Community is over the age of 60, this project makes the ease of traveling to places in such a short time frame extremely convenient for the residents.
Zhangyan’s transformation into the Happy Community was one of the first pilot villages for the concept.
According to the 2017-2035 Shanghai Master Plan, authorities are working to make these communities available to 99 percent of the population by 2035.
In 2020, China’s Ministry of Housing and Urban Rural Development released guidelines for promoting the development of this style of commune.
The guidelines called for the creation of mixed-use neighborhoods that are well-connected to public transportation, bike lanes, and pedestrian-friendly streets.
The aim is to reduce urban sprawl, traffic congestion and air pollution while improving residents’ quality of life.
Several other cities outside of Shanghai have also started implementing the concept.
In Southeast China’s Shenzhen, the government has launched a pilot program to transform 100 existing neighborhoods into “community life circles”.
The city of Chengdu, in southwest China, has also announced plans to develop 30 of the communities by 2025.