Xu Benyu, a post-graduate of Huazhong Agriculture University, arrived in Beijing from Hubei on October 12. With his honest face, simple student clothes, Xu once served as a volunteer teacher in Guizhou -- poor mountainous area -- for two years. Later the young man was honored as one of the "People Who Moved China". Now he has obtained another new identity: delegate to the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC).
Xu and more than 2,200 delegates stepped into the Great Hall of the People to attend the Party Congress on October 15. The composition of these delegates represents new vitality and creativity for China's political party.
25-year-old Xu is a member of the young to middle-aged group of delegates present at the on-going congress. He joined the Communist Party 5 years ago. "I have achieved my ideal. My vision agrees with the interests of the public and the needs of our motherland. That's why my ideal is recognized and widely shared by many other students who are devotedly pursuing the same dream," he said.
His plain words starkly exhibit the spirit of other university student Party members. The latest data issued by the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee indicates that student Party members had reached 1,947,000 by June 2007, thus accounting for 2.6 percent of the total membership. Student members have increased by 1,398,000, or up 254.6 percent as compared with 2002.
A group of young sports stars and youth models line up behind Xu Benyu. The appearance of these twentish delegates has captured wide attention. They include badminton player Zheng Jie and Sun Tiantian; ping-pong player Zhang Yining; boxer Zhou Shiming and the brave soldier of Nanjing military area Chen Liezhou. Among them is also 23-year-old Tan Xue, the youngest delegate to the current Party meeting.
The age structure of the congress delegates has become more reasonable. The percentage of the delegates under the age of 55 was 63.2 percent at the previous Party congress. This percentage has now risen to 70.4 percent. In addition, 2068 of the delegates to the current congress are well educated, accounting for 93.3 percent of the total.
The delegates of the new economic groups and social groups have also brought some new light to the 17th CPC National Congress.
Director of the Hunan Tiandiren Law Firm Zhai Yuhua, Head of Chongqing Law Association Sun Farong, and Head of Chaohu Legal Aid Centre of Anhui Province Zhao Yuzhong have formed the first group of lawyer delegates.
Zhai Yuhua remarked, "This is not just a personal honor. Behind us are 130,000 practicing lawyers. This demonstrates that the lawyers and other newly emerged social groups represented by lawyers have gained the recognition of the Party."
Seven CEOs, including the Chairman of the Board of Jiangsu Shagang Group Shen Wenrong, first appeared at the 16th CPC National Congress as private entrepreneur delegates. Shen was reelected as a delegate to the 17th Party congress. He said that with the expansion and further development of private businesses, the delegates of his group have also expanded.
According to sources inside the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee, by June 2007, Party members of non state-owned enterprises and institutions rose to 3,180,000 or 4.3 percent of the total. Compared with 2002, their members have increased by 1,690,000, or up 113.4 percent.
(China.org.cn by Zhang Ming'ai, October 15, 2007)
