The Vitality of the Communist Party of China

The Communist Party of China (CPC) was born and grew up in a time of war. It rose to national power in a very difficult period of history and changed the fate of China, bringing peace and prosperity to its people. Now times have changed again. Are the young Chinese, born in peacetime and pampered by the fruits of China's dazzling economic and scientific development, still feeling the urge to join the Party as their parents and grandparents did? What problems and challenges does the organization face today? What does its future look like? How pivotal is the role of grassroots Party unit leaders? China Today reporters approached some people with these questions – people who had taken their oath under the hammer-and-sickle flag.

May 20, 2011: A group of Shanghai residents rally at the site of the first national congress of the CPC.                                                                                                    China Foto Press

By staff reporter GONG HAN

MAO Kuai joined the CPC in 2007 when he was in senior high school. Four years have passed but Mao still clearly remembers he handwrote an application of 20-odd-pages to join the Party and officially became a Party member in a ceremony held in his hometown’s municipal hall on June 29. Mao, with other new recruits, sang the Internationale as part of the induction process, and in the drama of the moment was so excited he couldn’t help bursting into tears.

Over the past 90 years since its inception in 1921 the CPC and the Chinese people have been through many historic moments, including bringing down the old warlords, resisting the Japanese invasion, ending the civil war, building and consolidating new political power and launching the reform and opening-up policy which fueled China’s socio-economic development. Different generations had in their ranks patriotic and ambitious Chinese people who sought membership in the Party, who manned the mission to bring China independence, peace, stability, prosperity and harmony. Membership has expanded from a band of fewer than 100 to the tens of millions enrolled today. According to statistics from the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee, the Party had 77.995 million members by the end of 2009 and 23.7 percent of them are under 35 years of age.