Committed to the People

    Twenty-five years ago, Guo Junke was among the first students at Shandong University to join the Party, and was elected Party secretary of the newly established student branch. On graduation in 1986, he was assigned a job with a research institution. Based on his study of the interaction of low-energy photon and bio-organisms, he invented a skincare device in his spare time, and obtained a national patent for it. In 1998 he co-founded a company to produce and sell this gadget.

    Last year Guo was elected secretary of the Wanshoulu Branch of the Talents General Branch of the CPC Chinese Academy of Sciences Committee, whose members are all from private or foreign companies in the area. He often invites fellow Party members to his company for their regular meetings, where their talks are open and frank, covering every type of social issue and problem and ways of remediation. At one recent event the attendees were surprised by the big crowds in the company office, who were drawn by its free acne treatment using Guo's patent beauty device.

    At first, most acne-sufferers were dubious about the free treatment, anticipating a financial catch or doubting the curative effect. But after the truly free treatment they are reassured that not all society is full of cheats and frauds; some good things do come gratis. "What we do is a real embodiment of the Party principle of 'serving the people heart and soul,' and there is great hope for your future," Guo told branch members. He believes that especially since the majority of his customers are college students who are the future of the nation, "We should not crush or blemish their hope in the Party. Spots on the face are easily eradicated but dents on the psyche will take several generations of effort to dispel."  

    But both branch members and users of the free service wonder how this little company of a dozen people can carry on. Guo says that though the products worked the company was under-capitalized. However, as the result of the free treatment initiative, some wealthy people have showed interest in supporting the activity. "In this way, we can call on more people to help students as well as those on low income."

    "Realize one's own value by giving a hand to others" is a principle that has underpinned this company since its establishment 13 years ago. Statistics from the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce show that the average lifespan of Chinese private enterprises is less than three years, and that only 15 percent survive more than 10 years. Apart from financing problems, owners' eagerness for quick success and instant profits also account for such brief lives.   

    Guo recalls his thinking when his company was on the brink of collapse: "On deep reflection I found that I had put too much emphasis on what I could get, and realized that I should learn to give." It turned out that when less obsessed with immediate gains, the company gradually recovered. He resolved to give more help to his employees and society at large. Some of his workers came from poor families and did not earn much, but when Guo's company was in trouble, they didn't quit, staying on to see the company through hard times. Today, some have established their own businesses with Guo Junke's help.

Enrich Daily Life

    The work of a Party branch is integrated into people's daily life. Enriching people's life has become a primary task of many Party branch secretaries. 

    "Just like parents taking care of their family, a branch secretary is kept busy with the myriad cares of daily life," says Pan Ruifeng, secretary of the Party Committee of Xibianmendongli Community in Xicheng District, Beijing. The community's science experience center is packed with advanced devices relating to daily life: A pesticide detector identifies whether vegetables contain excessive agrochemicals; an electromagnetic radiation tester can analyze the radiation level of a cell phone; a mini wind-powered generator and solar energy charger help children to broaden their vision and knowledge. Chen Xiaolin, a 57-year-old resident in the community, says: "People getting on in years are more concerned about health issues. The apparatus at the science center teaches us many facts about healthy living that we were unfamiliar with in the past, such as pesticides and radiation."  

    Pan Ruifeng agrees: "As our living conditions improve, we should become better versed in science and technology." She and the community Party committee hope the science experience events they organize will help improve the quality of local residents' life.

    The power of the Internet is also deployed to organize Party activities. A Party branch at Huaihai Central Street, Shanghai, launched an interaction program as early as in 2004. According to its secretary Sun Mingquan, his branch members come from over 60 enterprises and are often busy with work and business trips. "This makes it hard to get together and organize regular activities. But they are well educated people who know the computer and Internet well."  

    So the branch had a rethink: by opening a website for its branch members, they linked them via the Internet. The website has become a communication platform for sharing ideas and learning more about the Party. By creating a sense of "home," the website acts as a cohesive force for the organization.