Jining in East China's Shandong province is honored as a national-level civilized city in 2020. [Photo/jnnews.tv]

Jining in East China's Shandong province was honored as a national-level civilized city in 2020 for its achievements in social development, which is expected to further benefit the city itself in every aspect.

Outperforming Shandong's other cities, Jining ranked fifth among the 40 prefecture-level cities that have won the honor.

The city has experienced notable changes in its environment, said Yao Hongyuan, a Party official at Jining Polytechnic, as its streets, squares, communities, and green spaces have become cleaner and tidier.

The traffic flow in Jining is also much smoother after the local government has introduced several measures to reduce the violation of road rules and call for drivers to give way to pedestrians, Yao added.

According to Sun Wenhua, director of the Shanghai branch of the Academy of Planning and Design of Nanjing Agricultural University, domestic cities need to reach a complete set of standards before being rated as a national civilized city. It requires great efforts to improve a city's social and cultural environment.

The national title will make Jining more competitive in attracting foreign investment, said Zhao Lijun, director of Bean God Media, a leading innovative advertising company in Jining. Many businesspeople are deeply impressed by how clean and beautiful the city is, Zhao added.