BEIJING — China has initiated the renovation of about 55,600 old urban residential communities last year, as the country stepped up efforts to improve living conditions in such locations, official data showed.

The number is higher than the annual target of 53,000 residential communities set in the government work report of 2021, according to the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.

The transformation of shantytowns has been a priority for the government in recent years. In 2020, about 40,300 old urban residential communities in China were included in the renovation project, benefiting nearly 7.36 million households.

The country plans to renovate another 219,000 old urban residential communities between 2021 and 2025, according to the 14th five-year plan (2021-2025) for public service.