Homecoming fuels new futures

Reimagining community

As OneSoul grew, Wang began to think about how to transform the community's social events into larger, more impactful public projects.

Wang Bingying, a 28-year-old landscape designer, brought fresh energy to this vision.

After studying landscape architecture in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, and working in big cities like Hangzhou and Shanghai, Wang Bingying faced career setbacks in 2022. It was then that she decided to leave her job and return to her hometown in Xinjiang.

"I joined OneSoul by chance, but it quickly became a place where I could create the life I wanted — together with others like me," she said.

Her opportunity came in September 2023, when Liu Yuelai, an associate professor at Shanghai's Tongji University and a cadre assigned to Xinjiang, sought local youth to lead a community garden project in Urumqi.

With Liu's guidance, Wang Bingying founded UrUrban Planning Community Revitalization, a social service organization dedicated to community co-creation, in 2024.

Working closely with government bodies and universities, the team has completed eight projects involving over 400 participants, many of whom are active members of One-Soul.

Li Xiaohan, a 27-year-old designer, is one of them. After completing her graduate studies in Milan, Italy, she returned to Urumqi in 2024. For UrUrban's urban planning project, "Departing to Dawan", Li Xiaohan served as the designer, leading volunteers in gathering feedback from residents in Urumqi's Dawan area.

"Beyond collecting suggestions, we also encourage the public to take an active role in the urban planning process," she said.

While the concept of urban planning can seem abstract to many, Li Xiaohan made the activities both engaging and accessible. For example, volunteers were asked to observe their surroundings through simple tasks, such as feeling the textures of different tree barks or identifying trash bins that blend well with the environment.

The final project will feature a co-created map of Dawan, highlighting public resources, community facilities, and the unique shops, spaces, and landscapes discovered by volunteers.

"By paying attention to these small details, people begin to see that the environment we live in is a shared public space. Through our common hobbies, memories, and expectations, we build a genuine sense of community," Li Xiaohan said.