Chen Yimin is so busy that he often misses lunches, but he still manages a smile.

The 43-year-old government official in Wenling, east China's Zhejiang Province, is satisfied because his brainchild, a budget review mechanism allowing grassroots participation in local parliaments, has been accepted by the governments of five more towns after a two-year standstill.

Chen attributes the progress to a local "emancipation of mind" campaign, a unique Chinese political term that demands officials to free up their minds for economic and social development. "Without the campaign, I would not expect progress."

He shuttles between the five towns in Wenling which agreed to carry out the budget review mechanism to show officials and residents how to do it. The mechanism was first applied to two towns in 2005, but was rejected by other towns in the following two years.

"The ordinary people should have their say when the budget is being made. However, some officials could not accept this idea," Chen said.

When Chen worked on his grassroots democracy experiments, top Chinese leaders urged officials and governments at all levels to continue breaking the shackles on their minds at the "two sessions", or the annual sessions of the National People's Congress (NPC) and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Congress (CPPCC).

President Hu Jintao, when joining the NPC delegations in group discussion, called for "bigger steps" to emancipate the mind and carry out the reform and opening up drive.

Premier Wen Jiabao, on his part, said "First, we must continue to liberate our thinking" when summarizing lessons in the experiences over the last five years, which he said was "a momentous period".

Mind liberation was also a theme for discussions among Chinese lawmakers, or deputies to the NPC, and political advisors, or members of the CPPCC National Committee.

NPC deputy Zhang Baoshun, also CPC chief in north China's Shanxi Province, said "Shanxi's development had been stagnant because of too many shackles on minds. Now I would like to say the room for development depends on the room for free thinking."

The province is known for abundant coal deposits. However, the coal industry brings with it not only easy cash but also pollution and other problems.

The move towards breaking the shackles on minds liberation took root after the 17th CPC National Congress in October last year charted the road map for China's development in the coming years. Hu Jintao told the congress "emancipating the mind is a magic instrument for developing socialism with Chinese characteristics".

A story in the Hong Kong-based newspaper Sing Tao Jih Pao noticed the historic meaning of this round of emancipation of thoughts, saying the latest development could "mean a turning point for China's social development."

The year of 2008 will mark the 30th anniversary of the opening up and reform drive, as late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping called for the emancipation of the mind at the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the CPC that introduced a series of important decisions on reform and is widely regarded as a turning point in the history of the CPC and New China since its founding in 1949.

China's progress over the past three decades could not be overestimated. However, after years of rapid development the country faces bottlenecks such as pollution, resources shortages and the dilemma of which should be given precedence - society or the economy.

Domestic and international observers said the Chinese leadership recognized these problems were quite serious and the solution was to break the shackles on the mind and pursue scientific development

However, the campaign to emancipate the mind is not on an easy path, said Chi Fulin, CPPCC National Committee member and executive president of the China Institute for Reform and Development.

"Vested interests have emerged since the launch of the opening up and reform drive. They would defend their interests and seek to maintain the existing system, posing a major threat to the campaign," Chi said.

"Whether the CPC's theories and policies are correct and whether people have an understanding in concert are decisively important for socialism with Chinese characteristics," said Li Junru, CPPCC National Committee member and vice president of the Party School of the CPC Central Committee.

"The campaign of emancipating the mind is aimed at the country's scientific development," said Professor Ye Duchu of the Party School of the CPC Central Committee.

The 17th CPC congress incorporated the scientific outlook on development into the Party constitution, which observers said was a move to unify people's minds on the subject of development.

(Xinhua News Agency March 15, 2008)