-- Having lived in China for 14 years, Australian architect Mark Unger has long been curious about the daily lives and work of CPC members.
-- Thanks to Xinhua's China Chat show, he was given the opportunity to meet and spend time with ordinary CPC members, visit historical CPC sites, and delve deeper into the world's largest political party.
-- He was joined by French chef and entrepreneur Corentin Delcroix, British English language advisor Sarah Sharman, and Canadian business analyst Katia Houle.
SHANGHAI, March 21 -- Against the picturesque backdrop of Shanghai's illuminated skyline, Australian architect Mark Unger's thoughts traveled to the metropolitan city in 1921, when the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) was convened.
Inspired by his recent visit to a full-size replica of the building in which the founding members of the CPC first gathered, he said, "I did take the time to imagine them all sitting around, getting passionate about this idea, and from little things, big things grow."
Having lived in China for 14 years, Unger has long been curious about the daily lives and work of CPC members. And thanks to Xinhua's China Chat show, he was given the opportunity to meet and spend time with ordinary CPC members, visit historical CPC sites, and delve deeper into the world's largest political party.
On this trip, he was joined by French chef and entrepreneur Corentin Delcroix, British English language advisor Sarah Sharman, and Canadian business analyst Katia Houle.
ENCOUNTERS IN SHANGHAI
On a drizzly morning in Shanghai, Unger met Hua Lei, a young female CPC member who serves as the Party branch chief in Shanghai's Ruihong No. 1 residential community.
In the compound's community hall, Unger took part in many activities for the elderly. There were dancing and handicraft classes, a pingpong game, and a birthday party for a resident who turned 100 that day -- all organized by Hua.
"Are you ambitious about getting into politics?" Unger asked Hua.
She replied that she didn't really have such an ambition, and said that all she wanted to do was to focus on her current job and deliver good results.
However, managing a residential community for the elderly is no easy task. Hua's duties include managing public activities, attending to the health and well-being of residents, and providing a series of daily community services.
"She was on call 24/7, but there was nothing about her that made it (seem) like a burden for her," Unger stated.
"She was really into it," he added. "Hua was really impressive, and some of her responsibilities were amazing."
Despite her family's Chinese origins and her work experience in Shanghai, Houle didn't know much about the CPC.
In the medical service center of the Caohejing community, Houle met the center's director Shen Lei, who showed her his daily duties and spoke about his journey as a CPC member.
