The mayor of Jiayuguan responded to netizens’ suggestions regarding school cafeterias, previously praising the complainant as a concerned citizen.
“The situation you reflected is very objective and necessary. Food safety on campus is crucial to the health and safety of both teachers and students, and it is a top priority in school work. How is the quality of the meals? Are they hygienic? Is the variety sufficient? These are focal points of societal concern and pivotal issues for the relevant departments,” said Liu Kai, the mayor of Jiayuguan City in Gansu Province, in response to citizens’ suggestions on the People’s Daily Online leadership message board.
Earlier, citizens reported that students at a sports school in Jiayuguan are in a critical stage of physical development and undergo significant training daily. However, students expressed dissatisfaction with the school’s meal quality, with some meals consisting of leftover food from lunchtime being served in the afternoon.
In response, the Jiayuguan Sports Bureau stated on December 5 that they promptly verified and addressed the situation reported by netizens. Upon investigation, it was confirmed that the school’s cafeteria indeed provided reheated leftover food from lunchtime for afternoon consumption. The school has since implemented clear corrective measures to enhance cafeteria management, improve the quality of meals, and raise the standards of food service. Additionally, they provided on-site explanations to students and encouraged them to actively contribute suggestions to further improve cafeteria management. Moving forward, the school will prioritize monitoring the learning and training conditions of students, strengthen cafeteria management, ensure food safety, and promote balanced nutrition for students, thereby creating a warm and comfortable campus environment for learning and living.
According to the People’s Daily Online leadership message board, related departments have rapidly acted on the issue, conducting immediate inspections and prompting the school to rectify the problems identified. Liu Kai also expressed that, regarding the concerns raised by netizens, he personally undertook field research focused on campus meal provision, safety, and food security across various schools, understanding issues such as cafeteria production qualifications, health management of personnel, sourcing of ingredients, food processing procedures, and nutritional balance of meals. He emphasized that all catering units must strictly implement their primary responsibilities for food safety to safeguard the health of students.
Liu Kai stated that ensuring food safety in schools is an ongoing task that is never complete. He has directed various functional departments to reinforce and improve school food safety management, enhance supervision throughout the entire process and chain, and ensure that any potential risks are promptly addressed, allowing students and their parents to feel at ease.
Liu Kai, born in July 1983 and holding a doctorate in philosophy from Peking University, became the mayor of Jiayuguan City at the end of 2021. Public records indicate that Liu has frequently responded to public suggestions and is one of the few local party and government leaders to sign his replies on the People’s Daily Online leadership message board.
For instance, a netizen previously reported inadequate property management in a community in Jiayuguan, leading to damage to green spaces. On October 14, Liu Kai responded on the message board, acknowledging the efforts of the concerned citizen and recognizing their concern for public green areas, urging related departments to promptly supplement and improve relevant work to prevent further problems.
Earlier, another netizen raised concerns about public transportation issues in Jiayuguan. Liu Kai remarked that convenient public transport is a critical component of a happy city, as both tourists and locals desire efficient travel options. During the May Day holiday, he arranged for staff to investigate the traffic operations in Jiayuguan’s cultural and tourism market, identifying gaps in accommodating tourists effectively. In response to this, plans have been developed to optimize transportation and parking services near tourism sites, ensuring a smoother travel experience for visitors during peak seasons such as summer and the National Day holiday.
Liu Kai also noted that suggestions from netizens and tourists are both a sign of affection for Jiayuguan and a motivating force. The city will continue to adopt an open and inclusive approach to welcome friends from all over and actively address the “last mile” challenge in public transportation convenience, striving to ensure that tourists feel at home in Jiayuguan.
Jiayuguan is exploring a new model for handling netizen messages submitted to the leadership mailbox. In December 2023, the Jiayuguan Municipal Bureau of Letters and Calls revealed that the municipal government pays significant attention to the management of messages, with key leaders personally addressing netizen feedback and ensuring feedback is reviewed and responded to effectively. The department insists on the principle of “same-day acknowledgment and assignment,” conducting in-depth research into issues of responsibility, process, and quality, and establishing clear operational guidelines for handling netizen feedback.
In May of this year, Jiayuguan held a meeting to advance the “response to complaints” process through its 12345 government service hotline and netizen message handling. Liu Kai emphasized the importance of connecting government departments with grassroots public concerns. Since the last year, there has been a continuous improvement in the accessibility of the hotline, satisfaction ratings, and response rates to netizen messages. He stressed that all departments must regard public opinion as the primary signal, prioritize resolving citizens’ needs, and adopt heartfelt, passionate, and engaged approaches to bring about significant improvements in urban governance structures through effective handling of citizens’ concerns.
