Yuan Jing, deputy to the National People's Congress: Young people should draw forward strength from the history of the party

At 9:00 a.m. on March 5, the Fourth Session of the 13th National People's Congress held its opening session in the Great Hall of the People. Before the start of the meeting (8:05-8:45), the "Representative Channel" interview activity was held, and some NPC deputies were invited to accept interviews through online video. China.com live broadcast, the following is the transcript:

CCTV reporter: I would like to ask Deputy Yuan Jing, we know that this year we have ushered in the centenary birthday of the Communist Party of China, and at the same time, we also recently held a mobilization meeting for the study and education of party history. As a grassroots party history explainer, what experiences do you have to share with you? Thank you.

Yuan Jing: Hello everyone, my name is Yuan Jing, a grassroots representative from Jiaxing, Zhejiang, where the red boat of the Chinese revolution set sail, engaged in party history propaganda work at the Nanhu Revolution Memorial Hall. Speaking of Jiaxing, Zhejiang, do you associate the city with a small boat? General Secretary Xi Jinping once affectionately called this small boat the party's "mother ship." My daily routine is to tell the story of a big party and a small boat to admirers from all over the country next to the red boat in the South Lake.

Over the years, I have deeply felt that I am not only a narrator of the history of the Party, but also a witness and listener. I remember that in September 2019, next to the red boat, I saw an old man on crutches staring at the red boat for a long time on the shore, so I chatted with the old man, it turned out that this 89-year-old man had participated in the Liberation War and was an old Communist Party member. He always had a wish, he hoped that in his lifetime he would be able to come to the South Lake to see the starting point of the party, see the red boat, and receive another education in the party.

The old man's mental state was particularly good that day, and he pushed away the wheelchair and insisted that he should walk on crutches. He told me that at that time, when they joined the party and threw their heads and spilled their blood, they fought for the new China, and now the party members are fighting for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Although everyone's historical tasks are different, they are equally arduous and glorious, and in the final analysis they all strive for the cause of the Party.

The old man's words were simple and unpretentious, but they reached the hearts of the people. What is firm faith and what is the true color of the original heart, this old Communist Party member has traveled through thousands of mountains and rivers, but he has never forgotten the road he came from, vividly interpreting the pure heart of a Communist Party member for the party.

In fact, such feelings appear in my work every day, always educating me, inspiring me, and also influencing the young party history propagandists around me. Not long ago, a young party member college student at Zhejiang Sci-Tech University learned from the learning platform of learning to strengthen the country that I have been engaged in party history propaganda at the South Lake Revolution Memorial Hall and spreading the spirit of the red boat. So he wrote me a letter in which he said that as a young party member, he often received education in party history, but sometimes he was confused, so he was particularly eager to learn more about how to draw strength from party history and thus fulfill his original intention and mission. So I had an in-depth exchange with this college student and talked about some of my own experiences. A hundred years ago, there was such a group of Chinese youths with an average age of only 28 years old, who disregarded their personal safety, sacrificed their small families to take care of everyone, and lit a spark on a small boat in the South Lake of Zhejiang Province, and now they have long been burning on the land of Shenzhou. As young people, we must draw the strength to forge ahead in the history of the Party and learn from the dedication of our revolutionary predecessors in sacrificing the small self and completing the big self. It is necessary to serve the motherland and serve the society as the goal and pursuit of realizing the value of one's own life.

Just like on October 31, 2017, General Secretary Xi Jinping and his party made a special trip to the South Lake of Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, to admire the red boat. The general secretary stressed that the development of the cause is endless, and the original intention of communists will never change.

The General Secretary's earnest entrustment has always inspired us to vigorously carry forward the spirit of the Red Boat in combination with the characteristics of the times, and we will jointly guard this red root of the party.

What is a lofty ideal and what is the original mission? Young Party members should go to the places where the Party and the people need it most to contribute their strength.

In the past five years, a total of 8.92 million people have visited the Nanhu Revolution Memorial Hall, and they have relived the original intention of never forgetting it from the history of the party and felt the spirit of enduring renewal. Big party and small boat, vicissitudes and youth, mission and responsibility, every touch originates from a original heart.

Finally, here I would also like to extend a sincere invitation to welcome you to the place where the red ship of the Chinese revolution set sail, and together we will review the ups and downs of the centenary of the founding of the party, study the history of the party together, and jointly keep the original intention. Thank you.