How China's younger generations view Party members

WUHAN/HOHHOT, June 29 (Xinhua) -- This year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC). But how do China's younger generations see Party members?

REASSURING, RESPONSIBLE

"Living in China under the leadership of the CPC makes me feel secure. This is my deepest feeling after the COVID-19 epidemic," said Li Jing, a 39-year-old Wuhan local.

Li contracted COVID-19 in 2020. "The city was locked down on Jan. 23 last year and, to be honest, I was very afraid at the time," she said. "But soon, medical personnel were sent from across China to help us, which gave me much reassurance."

"I felt relieved when I was admitted to a makeshift hospital. The Party and the country gave us the confidence and hope to win the battle against the virus," she said.

Li, an illustrator, drew cartoons of the medical staff around her. Her drawings portray health care personnel seeing patients, delivering meals, disinfecting the hospital, performing nucleic acid tests and teaching patients to square dance to help them relax.

Yang Guang, a young deliveryman in Wuhan, thinks the CPC is the embodiment of responsibility.

"I'm from a village in the city of Xiangyang, Hubei Province. During the epidemic, Party members in our village were first responders. They took turns taking temperatures and registering passengers at checkpoints," he recalled.

"It was during the Chinese New Year, and the Party members did a lot of work and hardly rested," he said. "Party members are a group with a strong sense of social responsibility."

SUPPORTER OF CHANGE

Thanks to the CPC, remarkable changes have taken place in the hometown of Hasisarga, a 30-year-old ethnic Mongolian in Saihannur Village, West Ujimqin Banner, Xilingol League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

"The pastoral areas are vast and remote, so building infrastructure used to take a lot of time. But now, the roads are better and we have easy access to electricity and water. We also have Wi-Fi and 4G internet. It's the best of times," she said.

"These changes have taken place here thanks to the Party's policies on poverty alleviation and rural vitalization," she said.

Hasisarga said cameras have also been installed to help herders keep an eye on their cattle and sheep. Better sheds have been built, which has significantly reduced incidences of frostbite and death in cattle and sheep during adverse weather.

A total of 1,124 people formerly registered as living below the poverty line have been lifted out of poverty in the banner. The average net income of its registered poor people increased to 22,122 yuan (about 3,426 U.S. dollars) last year, up from about 4,050 yuan in 2015.

"We have distinctive foods, beautiful scenery and unique traditions on the grassland, so I make short videos of the magnificent views and our life and share them online," she said.

Xu Xiaomeng traveled more than 850 km to Suzhou City in east China's Jiangsu Province from his hometown in central China's Henan Province 17 years ago. For him, the CPC is like a pilot flying him toward his dream.

"From having to share a room with several workers to owning an apartment, and from being just myself to starting a family, we have now settled down in the city and are leading a happy life," said Xu, 37, head of an art troupe in Suzhou.

Xu established the art troupe in 2010. It is made up of migrant workers in Suzhou and Shanghai. They work during the day and play guitar and sing at night.

The group has released more than 30 songs over the years. The songs are about the changes in their lives and the happiness they feel after becoming city residents is keenly felt.

"These are the results of the CPC's unremitting efforts to deepen reform and opening-up and improve people's livelihoods. We are thankful that the Party and the country have given us, the ordinary people, the opportunity to realize our value and live happy lives," he said.

FAITH IN THE PARTY

"My grandpa's faith in the Party has deeply influenced me," said Wang Linlin, a student at Beijing Foreign Studies University, who wants to become a Party member.

"I grew up under the care of my grandfather, a Party member and a veteran of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea," she said. "He used to tell me stories about how Party members joined the front line to safeguard peace, risking their own lives," she said.

He told me that my generation was lucky to be born in a time of peace with no worries about food and clothing, she said. "He believed that such good days were brought to us by the Party, and he was very proud of being a CPC member," she added.

"I think it's remarkable that the Party has led the Chinese people to eliminate absolute poverty. Looking at the war that my grandpa saw and the time that we're living in, I'm more than determined to join the Party," she said.

By the end of 2019, there were 22.26 million CPC members aged 35 and under, accounting for 24.2 percent of the total number of CPC members.

Wang thinks that it would be a great honor to become a Party member. "It means joining a group of talented people who have ideals, ambitions and a strong sense of mission, and you should become a more capable person and strive to build a better society," she said.

"In the age of the internet, people are paying attention to the social needs and interests of vulnerable groups. I hope that I can do my part to help more people, to serve them, and make contributions to social development," she said.