Volunteers have become a highlight in the port city of Zhangjiagang in eastern China's Jiangsu province. More than 16,000 people have registered as volunteers in Zhangjiagang as of 2014, where 600 volunteer groups have been established and around 19 activities are carried out each day.

Each group specializes in providing different services for the community. Of the city's army of volunteers are groups such as "Happy Seniors", which works to serve the old people on their own; "Internet Love", a team that organizes online auctions to raise money for charitable causes; "Happy Photography", a group responsible for taking photos of volunteer activities to record the development of volunteer programs; and the "Hand in Hand to Grow" group, which focuses on helping poor students develop their artistic talents in painting, calligraphy, music and dancing.

After receiving the advice of his government leader, Shi Xiaojiao set up the "Happy Photography" group along with a few friends who shared a passion in photography. In the course of a few years, the group now consists of over 60 amateur and profession photographers.

"I'm so glad to be a volunteer; helping others benefits me as well," said Shi. One of the main activities for the group is to photograph and document centenarians and their families in the city, something that Shi said he takes great pleasure in doing, especially when he sees their smiles.

Shi Xiaojiao is the leader of "Happy Photography" group, one of the voluntary groups in Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]