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With bobbed hair and wearing a pair of plastic rim glasses, Shan Wei looks like a typical nu qiangren -- a popular Chinese phrase meaning capable women of strong characters and successful careers.
At the Beijing-based Shiseido Liyuan Cosmetics Co Ltd, a joint venture in which the world's leading cosmetics producer Shiseido holds a 65-percent share, Shan is the deputy director of the production department and manager of the production division.
In China, where a post at foreign-funded enterprises is still attractive to many people, she is undoubtedly envied, especially among the young.
But there is another title which Shan feels equally proud of, and which is not printed on her business card. The engaging woman is also a Communist Party member and head of her company's Communist Party branch, which she set up with colleagues four years ago.
Before the Party branch was founded, Party members at Shan's company always had a strong feeling of being "homeless." They handed in membership dues, they met frequently, but they did not lead "the lives of Party members."
They didn't have small-scale get-togethers of Party members -- a routine for Party members in State-owned businesses.
Political study and discussion constitute an important part of the meetings, of course. But they are never confined to political study.
Party members also talk a lot about how to improve themselves and the conditions of their working unit.
All government departments, State-run academic institutions and State-owned enterprises have Party committees and branches. For them, having Party lives is never a problem.
But during the process of China's long transition to a market economy, touchy problems also surfaced.
New economic entities, namely privately-owned domestic or overseas-funded enterprises, have mushroomed and are playing an increasingly important role in the country's burgeoning economy.
Many such enterprises do not have Party committees and branches.
"Some colleagues even jokingly called us the 'underground Party'," recalled Shan.
No one joked after the Party branch of Shiseido Liyuan was founded in 1998. Shan was elected as deputy secretary by all 13 Party members at the company.
Shan sees no contradiction in being a joint venture employee and a leader of the branch of the Party.
Her Japanese bosses found it somewhat disturbing, fearing that too many "Party lives" would affect the operation of the enterprise.
But the Japanese management had the experience of the labor union being set up in the company in 1997.
So it adopted a "don't ask, don't tell" attitude since all activities of the Party branch are held off work time and do not affect business at all.
"Foreign bosses in many joint ventures have similar attitudes towards Party branches within their enterprises," said Shan.
But some do take extreme action. According to the Tianjin Daily, the Japanese general manager at Jieni -- a Tianjin-based Sino-Japan cosmetics maker -- objected to the establishment of a Party branch in his enterprise.
"You should only take care of your business. Do not make ideological propaganda in this enterprise," he was quoted as saying.
As international management teams gradually become familiar with China and expand their knowledge of the country, the foreign bosses of joint ventures reappraise their attitudes of Communist Party members and Party branches.
The CPC is modernizing itself to match the development of China and has recruited many young professionals as its members.
"Party members at Liyuan are the most diligent of all employees. Most of them are divisional directors, promoted for their outstanding performance. This has impressed the Japanese side deeply," said Shan Wei.
According to Shan, her Party branch has adopted many practices that use the initiative of employees and strengthens the enterprise's cohesiveness.
For example, with the help of the Chinese Communist Youth League branch, the Party branch once solicited employees' suggestions, many of which were later adopted by the company.
"Gradually their attitudes have changed," said Shan.
On July 1 last year, three more people at Shan's company joined the CPC after their applications were approved.
The ceremony was at first scheduled to be held after hours.
Knowing this, many national and local media have asked to sit in on the ceremony and conduct interviews.
The Party branch then asked the Japanese side to hold the ceremony during office hours.
"To my surprise, the Japanese General Manager agreed. He even congratulated the three new Party members," said Shan.
"Although we hold activities in our spare time, the results of our work are reflected in work time. That has won us support and trust of both our foreign employers and all the employees," said Shan Wei.
Many more foreign employers are also changing their attitudes.
According to the Beijing Youth Daily, in the Beijing Economic Development Area where joint ventures congregate, the Party is increasingly prevalent.
Party committees have been established in more than one-third of the 300-odd foreign-funded enterprises in the area.
A total of 80 percent of managerial staff at medium-level or above at these enterprises are CPC members, the Beijing Youth Daily said.
In spite of all her achievements, Shan admitted that the status of Party branches at overseas-funded enterprises is somewhat subtle.
"There are relevant laws and regulations for the establishment and development of trade unions. But there is no such law for Party branches," Shan said.
Without an organizational system, most Party branches do not have their own offices, which makes their operation quite difficult.
As chair of Shiseido Liyuan's trade union, Shan felt the operation of the trade union is sometimes easier than that of running the Party branch.
Shan said she integrated the activities of the Party branch with those of the trade union on occasions.
"There is no contradiction," said Shan. "The Party is the vanguard of the working people."
(China Daily November 11, 2002)
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