Meals made specially for elderly people are served every Thursday at noon at the service center of Binhai subdistrict in Shangli community in Xiamen, East China's Fujian province.

Among the volunteers and community workers is Smita, an Indian who has been volunteering in the community for the past three years.

"Xiamen is a beautiful city. The people are kind and friendly. I'm happy living here and playing a part in helping the elderly," said Smita, who had previously volunteered in the Guanren community for years before moving to Shangli.

Despite her hectic schedule, the director of a foreign trade company and a mother of two kids always finds time to help the community. She occasionally prepares Indian dishes which the elderly people have loved.

"I have also learned how to cook Chinese dishes at the center. My family likes them very much," she said.

Having lived in Xiamen for 12 years, Smita considers the city her home away from home.

She closely followed Xiamen's epidemic prevention and control work when she was in India in February and donated medical gloves to the community center.

Smita and her family returned to Xiamen in March despite her friends' concerns about the pandemic.

"Xiamen is my home. There were no worries coming back home," said Smita.