Xi leads Party oath at historic site

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee,leads the other six members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee in reciting the admission oath as they face the Party flag on Tuesday, during their visit to the memorial hall of the first CPC National Congress in Shanghai. LAN HONGGUANG / XINHUA

　　The Communist Party of China's newly elected top leadership, headed by General Secretary Xi Jinping, visited two revolutionary historical sites on Tuesday, underscoring the new leadership's firm belief to stay true to the Party's original aspirations and serve the people.

　　Xi and the other six members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee — Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji and Han Zheng — arrived in Shanghai from Beijing by air on Tuesday morning. It is the top leaders' first trip outside Beijing since they were elected last week at the First Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee.

　　At the memorial hall of the first CPC National Congress in Shanghai, Xi led the other six leaders in reciting the admission oath in front of the Party flag, reminding Party members to remain true to their original aspirations.

　　"The words of the Party's admission oath are not too many, and it's not difficult to remember, but it is difficult to observe for one's whole life," Xi said.

　　In July 1921, 12 delegates attended the first CPC National Congress, representing more than 50 CPC members nationwide. With more than 89 million members, the CPC has become the world's largest political party.

　　Noting that Chairman Mao Zedong compared the meeting room of the first CPC National Congress to the delivery room of the CPC, Xi said that the room is also Party members' spiritual home.

　　No matter how far the Party has marched, the original road should not be forgotten, Xi said.

　　The leaders traveled to South Lake in Jiaxing, Zhe jiang province, in the afternoon. In 1921, the first CPC National Congress reconvened in a red boat on the lake after it was interrupted by authorities in what was then the French concession in Shanghai.

　　Beside the lake, Xi asked about patriotic education at the revolutionary site, saying that the red boat symbolizes the Party's spirit of bravery in taking the lead and devotion to the people.

　　The leaders then visited an exhibition at the South Lake Revolutionary Memorial. In 2006, when Xi was Party secretary of Zhejiang, he laid the cornerstone of the memorial. The memorial was completed in 2011 ahead of the Party's 90th birthday.

　　All Party members must adhere to the basic principle of serving the people wholeheartedly, Xi said at the memorial. He also called for joint efforts to fulfill the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

　　Jose Leon-Manriquez, a professor of Chinese and East Asian history at Metropolitan Autonomous University in Mexico City, visited the site in the afternoon.

　　"The place hosted this very important meeting that bears great historical relevance," he said, "it's interesting to see this place in person, to learn how a very small group of people started to organize one of the most important revolutions in the 20th century."

　　Han Yaoguang, 33, a businessman who visited the Shanghai site, said that it is a place that every Chinese person should visit to learn how difficult the founding of the CPC was and cherish the nation's prosperous society now.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, and the other six members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee visit the site where the first CPC National Congress was held in 1921, on Oct 31, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, and the other six members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee visit the site where the first CPC National Congress was held in 1921, on Oct 31, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

Xi Jinping (central), general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, who is also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivers a speech after a visit at Nanhu Lake Revolution Museum in Jiaxing, east China's Zhejiang province, Oct 31, 2017. Xi and other members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee Li Keqiang (3rd right), Li Zhanshu (3rd left), Wang Yang (2nd right), Wang Huning (2nd left), Zhao Leji (1st right) and Han Zheng (1st left) on Tuesday afternoon visited the site in Jiaxing where the first CPC National Congress was held in 1921. The first CPC National Congress was originally held in the French concession area in Shanghai in July 1921, but moved to a boat on Nanhu Lake in Jiaxing due to an interruption by local police. [Photo/Xinhua]

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, who is also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, and other members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji and Han Zheng pay a visit to a boat on Nanhu Lake in Jiaxing, east China's Zhejiang province, where the first CPC National Congress was held in 1921, on Oct 31, 2017. Xi and other CPC leaders on Tuesday afternoon visited the site in Jiaxing where the first CPC National Congress was held in 1921. The first CPC National Congress was originally held in the French concession area in Shanghai in July 1921, but moved to a boat on Nanhu Lake in Jiaxing due to an interruption by local police. [Photo/Xinhua]