As nearly 1.8 million members of Communist Party of China risked their lives on the frond line against the major quake that claimed nearly 70,000 lives, the Party has gained the hearts of 1.3 billion people.

The 28-year-old policewoman Jiang Min has moved China for her devotion to quake victims while ten members of her family living in Beichuan County, one of the worst-hit areas, passed away including her only daughter.

"I had just talked with my baby on phone one day ago," she said. But she did not leave her post in the neighboring city Pengzhou to help displaced people settle down.

In the week following the earthquake, she had worked at temporary shelter camps and barely slept until she fainted on the spot.

While parents were criticizing the shoddy construction of school buildings, they could not help crying for teachers who lost their lives to save students.

Tan Qianqiu, a teacher of Dongqi Middle School in Deyang City, opened his arms over a desk to protect his four students at the moment of the earthquake. He died, but he succeeded.

"The four students survived under the shield of Tan's body," a rescuer said.

"The quake has been a practical and direct test of the Party members, officials and the Party's organizations," said Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping.

He has called on CPC members to take the lead in relieving the after-effects of the earthquake.

The order was followed by tens of thousands of CPC officials.

Qu Yong'an, vice magistrate of Beichuan County, joined the rescue work soon after kowtowing towards the ruins of his house where ten of his family members, including his parents, were buried under the debris.

Qu kept walking from the rescue headquarter to the destroyed county for seven days, shouting at every corner where chance of survival might exist.

"We would try 100 percent as long as their is hope of 0.1 percent," he told the rescue team.

He was not fighting alone. The CPC has set up nearly 1,000 temporary branches in quake-battered areas to help with relief work.

In a major settlement in Qingchuan County, where 4,663 people died in the earthquake, a table, a telephone on the ground and five CPC members are the temporary party branch for more than 1,200 residents of 80 tents.

"Although we have no office, we surely play an important role in easing people's minds, maintaining social order and leading the work of epidemic prevention," said Wang Shoulun, head of the tiny branch.

The Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee has ordered the Party's organization organs at all levels to quickly mobilize Party members and officials at the grass roots level to devote themselves to disaster relief.

The ability of the CPC leadership to mobilize resources nationwide and launch major rescue work immediately has won it wide support, both at home and abroad, analysts say.

Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao played a model role after flying to the quake-zone, clambering over shattered buildings and comforting weeping children.

"Where there are Communist Party members, there is hope. They really did a good job," a netizen said on the People.com. website.

(Xinhua News Agency June 2, 2008)