China Focus: Grassroots CPC members embrace self-discipline campaign

Yang Lindong got up early, packed up some bags of seed potatoes and headed to a remote village in the mountains to hand out the seeds.

Yang, a researcher with Shanxi provincial academy of agricultural sciences, has been the head of a village in Loufan County since last year, when he answered the call for members of the Communist Party of China (CPC) to become Party chiefs in poor villages.

During the past few months, Yang has studied the Party Constitution and rules as well as remarks by CPC leaders. "By taking these courses, I have gained some new understanding about the job I'm doing," he said.

According to the Party Constitution, the CPC represents the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the Chinese people. "The study heightened my sense of duty and reinforced my determination to serve the villagers," he said.

The courses Yang has taken are part of a year-long campaign launched by the CPC in February to instill good values in its 87 million members.

Besides studying Party rules and values, members are also required to think and act in conformity with CPC Central Committee policies and guidelines, to work hard to serve the people and to make a contribution to social and economic development.

"For my part, serving the people means helping the villagers grow more potatoes," Yang said.

So far, about 10 hectares of farmland are under the new strain of potato he brought in. "This year, another 600 hectares will be added," he said.

Besides grassroots officials like Yang, CPC members in China's business community are campaigning in their own way.

At Three Squirrels, a snack food company in east China's Anhui Province, a special Party member wall catches the eye. Stuck to the wall in the shape of a tree are photos of the company's 126 Party members alongside slogans written by them.

Beside each of Party member's seat hangs a small red flag printed with the words, "I am a Party squirrel."

"The wall and the flags are a reminder to behave according to the Party rules and set good examples for our colleagues," said Li Ziming, 22, a Party member.

During the past three years, Three Squirrels has grown into China's largest snack food retailer on Alibaba's Taobao and TMall. Since much of the company's business comes from the Internet, it is hard to gather all Party members together for regular courses, said Pan Daowei, secretary of the company's Party committee.

"So we combine learning Party rules and values with the reality of our company," he said. The company has built an online platform for Party members to study documents and share their thoughts in online discussions.

Dai Yanjun, professor with the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, said the main purpose of the campaign is to purify grassroots organizations.

"Only by promoting Party building at the grassroots level can the foundation of the CPC be really consolidated," he said. Endi