The medal Photo: VCG

As the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) approaches, a photo of a commemorative medal posted on Tuesday by Chinese actor Pan Yueming on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo has become a trending topic, earning more than 200 million views.

"This is the medal my dad received. I feel as excited as he does. I am so proud of him," Pan wrote in a message along with the photo of the "50 years of glory" medal that had been given out to more than 7.1 million people who have been members of the Communist Party of China (CPC) for 50 years or more ahead of the Party's 100th anniversary on Thursday. 

Pan's post inspired many netizens to share stories about their own family members who received the medal for accompanying and supporting the CPC for half a century or more. 

More than 6,000 netizens left comments under Pan's post, many of which contained photos of their own elderly family members who were also awarded the medal. 

"My grandpa got this the day before yesterday, just before he passed away. He waited for this for a very long time," posted a netizen on Sina Weibo, sharing a touching and strong moment of a dying old man holding the medal in his hands as he passed. 

Some family members of these medal owners explained exactly what made them feel proud even though the medals were not their own. 

"It is the uniqueness of the medal that warmed my heart. Imagine, it is not everyone who can have one of these. Whoever gets this has to be an elderly person who has been through tough times that many of us can't even imagine. For her, that medal is confirmation that their contributions are remembered," Wang, a 60-year-old man, shared with the Global Times his thoughts about the medal his 92-year-old mother received on Wednesday. 

"Maybe because I'm old too, the pride of being a CPC member is more relatable. I doubt these young people would feel it as much as we do," Wang noted.     

Some young netizens said that the strengths the medal symbolized encouraged them to become a person of social value. 

"Fifty years shows a gold-level loyalty and commitment to a particular career that seems rare for our generation. It is like you truly believe in what you do, this to me is very precious. This spirit guides me to be a person who has faith in my future career after I graduate," Gong Xing, a young probationary Party member, told the Global Times on Wednesday. 

The CPC Central Committee began awarding the medals from June 2. The medal features the Party flag while its red color represents Party members' passion for the CPC. 

 "I've been a part of the CPC ever since I was 18, 70 years ago… My sons and daughters seemed to be more excited than me when they saw I received the medal. But I'm not overly excited because that's what I've been doing my whole life - following the guidance of the CPC," Wang's mother, a veteran Party member, told the Global Times on Wednesday.