CR’s Silent Care

On 30 May 2025, the International Mediation Institute Convention Signing Ceremony was held in Hong Kong. The International Mediation Institute, as the world’s first intergovernmental legal organization dedicated to resolving international disputes through mediation, serves as a vital mechanism for upholding the principles and objectives of the United Nations Charter. Its designated location is Hong Kong’s former Wan Chai Police Station, situated opposite the China Resources Building. “Starting from July 1, CR Longdation will undertake the facility management service contract for the preparatory office of the International Mediation Institute”, stated Zhang Yulong, General Manager of CR Longdation’s Integrated Property Management Platform. He emphasized that securing this contract holds significant importance for CR Longdation.

Joint Building Management Enhancing People’s Livelihood

During the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, CR Longdation focused on “major people’s livelihood”, continuously expanding its business footprint. In 2022, the company successively completed the acquisitions of Hong Kong-based property management companies Synergis Property Management and Pioneer Management, establishing an integrated property management platform, unifying three companies into one team and transitioning from parallel collaboration to full integration.

As General Manager of the integrated property management platform, Zhang Yulong expressed a deep sense of responsibility. He stated, “Rooted in serving Hong Kong residents, we are committed to enhancing the quality of life for residents, actively creating grassroots employment opportunities, and assisting the government in advancing various social and public policies, which is fundamental to fulfilling our public responsibility”.

Zhang Yulong highlighted that CR Longdation’s proactive efforts in property management and community services have contributed to numerous livelihood projects in Hong Kong. “Three-no buildings”, referring to buildings without owners’ corporations, residents’ organizations, or management companies, are a persistent challenge in Hong Kong’s grassroots governance and livelihood assurance.

“These buildings face multiple ongoing issues”, Zhang Yulong explained: aging infrastructure leads to frequent elevator failures and inadequate maintenance of water and electricity systems; poor sanitation results in garbage accumulation and blocked fire escapes; the absence of management fosters security risks, with no security personnel, surveillance systems, or access control, allowing unauthorized individuals to enter freely and increasing crime rates. Additionally, low owner participation and lack of professional maintenance perpetuate these unresolved issues.

Since 2024, CR Longdation has successively taken on joint building management projects for 23 “three-no buildings”. Zhang Yulong revealed that this initiative is a tailored management model for “three-no buildings” and older single-block buildings. Through joint management, resource integration, and smart patrol systems, CR Longdation creates safer, more livable homes at reduced property management costs.

To address these challenges, CR Longdation assists owners’ corporations in complying with various legal requirements, organizing regular owners’ meetings, procuring third-party liability insurance, and arranging annual fire safety inspections and electrical installation checks. With the consent of the owners’ corporations, CR Longdation also provides additional property management services, such as security, cleaning, and minor repairs.

A “three-no building” in Tsuen Wan District was long plagued by persistent sewer blockages, with each cleaning costing HK$2,000 and, at its peak, requiring three cleanings per month. After taking over, CR Longdation diligently followed up, investigated surrounding road ownership, and coordinated with government departments, leading to the Drainage Services Department undertaking excavation and repairs, fully resolving the sewer blockage issue. After adopting joint building management, residents have generally expressed satisfaction with CR Longdation’s services, noting significant improvements in building management.

Additionally, through large-scale management, CR Longdation implemented unified arrangements for cleaning and waste collection, effectively enhancing the living environment and quality of older buildings. By establishing owners’ committees and convening regular owners’ meetings, the enthusiasm of residents for participating in management has significantly increased, fostering a more harmonious and orderly community atmosphere.

“We also developed a ‘smart patrol system’ equipped with multiple functions, including patrol route planning, real-time tracking, route prompts, real-time check-in reports, patrol error alerts, security staff scheduling, attendance records, and real-time issue reporting, revolutionizing traditional property management through technological means. Zhang Yulong explained that the system allows for planned patrol routes, real-time tracking of security personnel’s locations and check-in records, and immediate reporting of facility damage or safety hazards. Automatically generated attendance reports optimize staff scheduling, reducing human errors, while real-time issue feedback shortens response times and improves handling efficiency.

 A “Second Home” for Subdivided Flat Households

The “community living room” is a targeted poverty relief project proposed by Hong Kong SAR Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu in his 2023 Policy Address, aimed at improving the community environment for subdivided flat households. Currently, Hong Kong has six “community living rooms” across various districts of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, with the To Kwa Wan “community living room” being the largest, boasting a total usable area of nearly 700 square meters.

“We feel a deep sense of responsibility when the SAR government proposed a government, business, and community collaboration to improve grassroots living conditions”, said Zhou Ming, CR Longdation’s Deputy General Manager. Zhou Ming visited numerous households living in subdivided flats and observed many families confined to cramped spaces, where children could only do their homework curled up by the bedside and residents had nowhere to gather for social interactions. He recognized that the community needed not just expanded physical space but a “living room” to foster emotional connections.

This philosophy is reflected in the design of the To Kwa Wan “community living room” in Hong Kong’s Kowloon City District. The space is spacious and bright, with clearly designated areas for dining, leisure, and studying, fully equipped with all essential facilities: a shared kitchen with eight sets of cooking equipment and utensils, fully stocked with essentials, including condiments like oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, and pots, pans, and bowls; eight washing machines and dryers to address the lack of drying space in subdivided flats; and six shower units providing hot and cold water, enabling grassroots residents to achieve “shower freedom”.

Unlike other “community living rooms”, this facility includes a modern music room and multimedia studio, equipped with instruments such as an electronic keyboard, guitar, and drum set, as well as professional editing equipment. “We hope young people’s musical dreams can begin here”, said Zhou Ming, Deputy General Manager. To promote a sharing culture and foster neighborly interaction, the To Kwa Wan “community living room” features a “Borrowing Corner”, where residents can borrow various household items like electric drills, mini barbecue grills, and electric fans.

Around 2:00 p.m., the To Kwa Wan “community living room” gradually welcomed familiar faces. Long-time residents entered, warmly greeting social workers before heading to various areas to engage in activities. A retired elderly man put on his reading glasses and settled on a sofa to read newspapers; children played together in the game room; young people exercised on treadmills. With the Dragon Boat Festival nearing, the community provided free zongzi leaves, sticky rice, salted egg yolks, and pork belly, enabling mothers to prepare zongzi in the shared kitchen, filling the space with aromas.

In Kowloon City District, where old buildings abound, many nearby Hong Kong residents regard this as their “second home”. Social worker Mr. Ho from the To Kwa Wan “community living room” noted that the facility is a 10-minute walk from areas with concentrated subdivided flats and is expected to serve approximately 90,000 people annually. “Since the ‘community living room’ opened, residents’ feedback has been very positive, finding it highly practical”, he said.

On the first floor of the living room, a space called “To Shan Alley” resembles a food warehouse, where residents can earn points by signing in daily or participating in activities to exchange for daily necessities like rice and laundry detergent. Mr. Ho explained that this creates a virtuous cycle of “community use, contribution, and rewards”. Plans are also in place to provide a dedicated halal food counter for ethnic minorities and offer Chinese language classes, ensuring residents from diverse backgrounds receive tangible support.

Making Urban Life Better

Zhou Ming, CR Longdation’s Deputy General Manager, emphasized, “CR’s silent care, like a gentle breeze in the night, is our aspiration”. To this end, CR Longdation strongly supports the NGO “Love Together”, aiming to establish it as a premier social charity organization in Hong Kong, actively participating in major SAR government livelihood projects.

Zhang Yulong, General Manager of CR Longdation’s Integrated Property Management Platform, expressed strong agreement. He highlighted several pioneering livelihood projects in Hong Kong that CR Longdation has participated in and supported. “CR Longdation builds and operates the first and largest ‘community living room’ project by a Chinese-funded enterprise in To Kwa Wan, participated in Hong Kong’s first ‘joint building management’ project and the first ‘construction industry migrant worker dormitory’ project, and actively engaged in Hong Kong’s first operational ‘Light Public Housing’ project at Yau Pok Road in Yuen Long, partnering with the government to enhance grassroots community living environments and foster a harmonious, inclusive, and caring community”.

Additionally, the company has supported “Love Together” in implementing the “Ten Thousand Lights” program, dispatching volunteers to provide free replacements of energy-saving lighting for elderly and disadvantaged households in Hong Kong and to promote knowledge of safe electricity usage. As of December 2024, this program has replaced energy-efficient LED lights for nearly 8,000 low-income households in Hong Kong, conducted 50 electrical safety training sessions, benefiting over 26,000 people, achieved annual electricity savings of approximately 10 million kWh, and reduced carbon emissions by about 5,000 tons, simultaneously delivering social, economic, and environmental benefits, contributing CR strength to Hong Kong’s green and sustainable development.

These livelihood projects have continuously enriched and innovated grassroots governance models in practice, effectively fulfilling corporate social responsibility, fostering a harmonious and caring community atmosphere, and enhancing the sense of happiness and fulfillment among Hong Kong’s grassroots residents.

Zhou Ming stated, “The successful implementation of these projects provides a referenceable ‘China Resources model’ for Hong Kong’s grassroots governance. In the future, CR Longdation will continue to align with the Hong Kong SAR government, collaborate with various sectors of Hong Kong society, and work hand in hand with Hong Kong residents to ensure that the warmth of a mainland Chinese enterprise based in Hong Kong is felt throughout Hong Kong society”.