Zheng Zhide, a 69-year-old retired engineer in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, is one of those rare people who have opted to devote their spare time for voluntary services instead of spending their retirement sitting around just whiling away their time.

Zhang fixing audio-equipment for an art group in Daowai district, Harbin. on May 3. [Photo by Wang Song/Xinhua]

For starters, Zhang took more than 10,000 yuan ($1,538) of his own money to put up a small 5-square-meter building, in 2010, to use as a public center with different types of free services, such as loaning all kinds of tools to people in his community, or doing people’s household repairs, or giving shelter to anyone in need, passers-by, or weary sanitation workers or anyone else.

Zhang posting useful telephone numbers at the center, in Daowai district, Harbin. [Photo by Wang Song/Xinhua]

Then, last year, he spent another 20,000 yuan on expanding the center to 10-square-meters, all with the good intention of helping a greater number of people, since that’s what makes him happy.
 

Zhang in his service center, in the Daowai district of Harbin, on May 3. [Photo by Wang Song/Xinhua]