CPC to hold centenary gathering, award members

Writer:   |  Editor: Vincent Lin  |  From: Xinhua  |  Updated: 2021-03-24

A Grand ceremony will be held to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC), where outstanding Party members will be given the “July 1 Medal” for the first time, Party officials announced yesterday.

President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, will deliver a speech at the ceremony and award the “July 1 Medal,” the highest honor in the Party, to Party members who have made extraordinary contributions to the Party, Wang Xiaohui, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, said at a press conference in Beijing.

Other outstanding Party members, Party affairs workers, community-level Party organizations and senior Party members who have been members for 50 years will also be awarded.

The ceremony will highlight a deep reflection of history, allowing CPC members and the public to understand why Chinese people and history chose the CPC, a socialist path, and the reform and opening-up path, as per the conference.

It is part of a series of key events to mark the Party’s 100th birthday, according to Wang.

Other events include holding major theme exhibitions, organizing seminars and symposiums on theoretical study, and creating and promoting a series of literary and artistic works as well as publications. Commemorative stamps and coins will also be issued.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism is preparing for a high-standard, high-quality theatrical performance, which will be presented in the form of a large-scale epic drama, said Hu Heping, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee and head of the ministry, during the press conference.

Meanwhile, a large number of revolution-themed fine literary and artistic works will also be launched. Classical dramas including the Chinese opera “The White-Haired Girl” and ballet “The Red Detachment of Women” will be remade, said Hu. Multiple new Chinese dramas reflecting the great achievements in the new era such as poverty eradication will also be staged.The CPC Central Committee will visit Party members who have made outstanding contributions or live in difficult conditions. Families of martyrs and Party officials who died in the line of duty will be visited.

Dialogue and exchanges with political parties around the world will be conducted to exchange experience in governance.

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army will also hold activities to mark the anniversary, which will focus on keeping the red line of the Party’s absolute leadership over the army, stressing the PLA’s centenary goal, and teaching the military to always be a heroic army that the Party and the people can trust.

Seminars on building a strong military will be held, and CPC members, organizations in the military as well the “most beautiful” soldiers will be awarded. There are no plans for a military parade.

The PLA will establish and open to the public key military venues such as the naval museum and the PLA Hong Kong Garrison exhibition center.

By December 2019, there were 4.681 million community-level Party organizations nationwide, with 91.914 million Party members.

Wang said over the past 100 years, the CPC has evolved from a small party with only more than 50 members to the largest Marxist ruling party with more than 91 million members in the world.

As of the end of 2019, the CPC had 4.68 million primary-level organizations with a total of 91.91 million members, according to the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee.