CPC centenary exhibition attracted youths to its birth place Photo:Cui Meng/GT

The century-old Communist Party of China (CPC) is becoming bigger, younger and more vibrant, the latest data shows. The number of CPC members has risen to 95.15 million, almost equal to the population of Vietnam, with more and more young people hoping to join the Party. Analysts noted that with the Party’s leading role highlighted in every arduous battle the country has fought, and its image as the most advanced force in the country retained, the centennial Party will keep growing bigger, and stay young forever. 

The number of CPC members, as of June 5, 2021, represents an increase of 3.23 million compared to the end of 2019, according to data released by the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee on Wednesday, one day ahead of the 100th anniversary of the Party’s founding. 

The CPC has 4.86 million grass-roots organizations, 182,000 more than in 2019, said the statistical bulletin released by the department. Members from ethnic minority groups account for 7.5 percent of all Party members. Fifty-two percent of Party members hold a junior college degree or above. 

There are 33.06 million members aged below 40, or 34.8 percent of the total. It was 31.08 million in 2019. 

As the Party’s centennial falls on Thursday, many netizens shared on the internet photos of their grandparents’ souvenir medal, which was engraved with “Having proudly joined the Party for 50 years.”. Hashtag of “Having proudly joined the Party for 50 years” has attracted 18.32 million views on China’s Twitter-like Weibo as of Wednesday afternoon. 
 
Some said the glory their grandparents earned has ignited their reverence toward the Party, and that they are ready to take the torch from the old generation to carry on the Party’s courses. 

Wang Qixian, a college student at Hubei University, showed the medal of his 90-year-old grandfather to the Global Times on Wednesday. He said he grew up listening to the stories his grandfather told him of how the Party fought hard to grant Chinese people a wealthy and happy life “which really cultivated my inspiration for the Party since childhood.”

Wang is now a probationary Party member. In his words, the Party is like an old sage leading him to the right direction; also, by joining the Party, he wants to be the light that luminates others. 

Based on the latest bulletin, 4.74 million people became probationary Party members between January 1, 2020 and June 5, 2021. Among them, 2.42 million people became probationary CPC members in 2020 when China was fighting the COVID-19 epidemic. 

In 2019, there were 2.34 million probationary CPC members. 

Fan Peng, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Political Sciences in Beijing, told the Global Times on Wednesday that the Party’s appeal to Chinese people has been growing as the CPC gets its real glory after having stood the test of the past 100 years, during which the Chinese people have been able to see what a great Party the CPC is, he said.

“CPC represents China’s most progressive power since modern times. For many people today, it is a proud and honorable thing to become a member of the country’s most important political team,” said Fan, adding that many people chose to join the Party not only for such glory, but also for their ambition to make their own contributions on the road to the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

CPC members’ leading role in various battles the Party has fought also made joining the Party a must among contemporary Chinese. For instance,  39.14 million Party members, almost 41.1 percent of total CPC members, have been engaged in the fight against the COVID-19. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC in 2012, 3 million Party members and village officials contributed their share to the country’s poverty relief campaign, which has transformed nearly 100 million lives in just eight years.

A total of 6.48 million Party members are workers, and 25.82 million work in agricultural fields. There are also 3.07 million student Party members, said the bulletin. 

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, conferred the July 1 Medal on outstanding Party members at the Great Hall of the People Tuesday morning.

The CPC Central Committee also commended hundreds of Party members and organizations for their excellent contributions to the Party and to the people, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Tuesday. Those who received the award come from all walks of life, ranging from medical experts who fought COVID-19, to grass-roots law enforcers, to judges, and workers. One Party branch that helped organize the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games was given the title “national advanced grass-roots Party organization.”

China’s organizations and enterprises have been attaching increasing importance to Party building in recent years, said Fan, noting this allowed Party members who are more proactive to find their identity and play a leading role in the team.