“Love your neighbor,” Shenzhen residents were told Saturday morning.

The city’s first neighbor festival, which opened that day, is aimed at helping locals build closer ties with their neighbors and making Shenzhen a better place to live.

Eighteen members of the Meilin Senior Citizens’ Activity Center gave a passionate* waist-drum* performance to launch the festival Saturday morning.

Wang Jingsheng, Shenzhen’s publicity* chief who lives at the Meilinyicun housing estate, announced the opening of the event at the community plaza* Saturday. “My good neighbors, enjoy the neighbor festival!” he said.

“Let love and care among neighbors penetrate* the walls of steel and cement*,” Shenzhen Vice Mayor Liang Daoxing, who was also present, told the audience.

The festival, which will continue until March 5, encourages various communities to share Spring Festival gifts among neighbors, to register on an online forum, to come up with their own neighborly agreements promoting help for others, and to organize events like seminars*, fun activities, hobby clubs and donation centers.

Some residents of Meilinyicun read out a pledge* at the ceremony launching the festival. It says: “We will greet our neighbors with a smile and treat them with honest and respect; we will visit them more often and extend a helping hand when needed; we will treasure our living environment and participate in public welfare events; we will cultivate civilized hobbies and share a colorful life.”

Then, members of the city’s calligraphers’ association offered to create spring scrolls* for the residents attending the ceremony. Inspired, many people asked for more scrolls to take back to their neighbors.