BEIJING, Oct. 12 -- The Communist Party of China (CPC) is set to hold its 19th National Congress this month. The five-yearly political event is expected to pave the way for China's future development.
During the year, 2,287 delegates have been selected to attend this year's congress to be held in Beijing starting Oct. 18.
Attendees will include high-ranking government officials, Party leaders, and military officers as well as grassroots Party members from "frontline production and manufacturing" such as workers, farmers, technicians, nurses and teachers.
According to a circular issued by the CPC Central Committee in November 2016, frontline workers should account for no less than one-third of the delegates.
A total of 771 grassroots delegates have been selected from various social sectors, accounting for 33.7 percent of the total, up by 3.2 percentage points from five years ago.
The voices of grassroots delegates, especially those who have made achievements in reforms, scientific innovation and poverty alleviation, are expected to gather wisdom and increase the strength of China's overall reform across all social sectors.
While these delegates all share their belief in Marxism and contribution to the people, each has a story to tell.
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For some of China's college students, Party theory classes may not be a fun part of their campus life. But this is not the case for students at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
Xu Chuan, a 35-year-old associate professor, has made the university's Party classes popular by blending in vivid anecdotes and a touch of humor.
"Many of our graduates will go on to work in China's national defense. Therefore Party classes are very important for them to nurture political awareness to better serve our country," Xu said.
"I understand what interests young students. Instead of throwing rigid theories at them, I use my own experience to give the classes a personal spin," he added.
To attract a wider audience, Xu regularly publishes articles online promoting the CPC ideals. He also uses his WeChat social media account, to give advice to college students and young adults on topics such as education, careers and relationships.
In 2016, Xu's article "Why should I join the CPC?" went viral garnering more than one million views after it was forwarded by the official WeChat accounts of CPC authorities.
"When students are asked about why they joined the Party, they tend to come up with very similar answers," the article states. "They always say their grandfathers were the source of their Communist faith. It seems to me they all have the same grandfather."
"If a person is not ready to sacrifice for the people and endure hardships, he or she is not qualified to be a CPC member," the article goes on.
Xu's WeChat account now has nearly 200,000 followers.
In June this year, he was selected to attend the 19th CPC National Congress.
"With a social media following of nearly 200,000 young people, I will try my best to pay attention to the needs of Chinese youth," said Xu. "I will also inform them of information released at the congress to help them with their studies or career."
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