Wang Zhenxiang says his job requires patience and management skills. Wang Ru / China Daily

Wang joined after passing an open recruiting exam, which the government started requiring upon realizing the job not only needed patience and time but also management and professional skills.

"Community work is tough," Wang says.

"You can't do it without dedication, patience and interpersonal skills."

Most of Wang's colleagues are younger than 35 and have bachelor's degrees.

A newcomer this year is 23-year-old Ren Xiaoqian, who has two bachelor's degrees - one in law and one in business administration. She earns 1,700 yuan ($270) a month.

"It's an ideal way for me to learn how to communicate with different people and other social skills," she says.

A practical benefit of joining the committee is acquiring the two years of work experience necessary to take the national civil servants' exam. Another is receiving Beijing household registration.

Wang says: "I totally understand why many young people, especially men, do this for two years and then leave."

But some stay.

Yang Jinghui, the deputy director of Huixinli, another large community near Xiaoguan, has spent the last while working to exterminate American white moths - an invasive species that has been killing trees in the city.

The 38-year-old also joined the community's first batch of committee members in 2002. He had worked after graduating from college in 1995 as an auto insurance salesman, which was a high-paying job as car sales boomed.

"That job didn't fit me," he recalls.

"I'm an introvert and am not good at communication."

So, Yang decided to apply for the community job.

"It seemed relatively easy," he says.

"I thought it wouldn't take much time, and there wouldn't be much dealing with demanding clients."

But Yang quickly found it was a tough gig that required engaging all kinds of people and problems.

"It's much harder than selling insurance," he says.