A Party school in rural China continues to provide inspiration for cadres, as Luo Wangshu reports from Yan'an, Shaanxi.[Special Coverage]
The China Executive Leadership Academy in Yan'an, Shaanxi province - the scene of some of the Communist Party of China's earliest revolutionary activities - offers officials "red" education to reinforce their loyalty to the Party, and improve and strengthen the spirit of cadres to ensure good governance.
In September, when the semester starts, officials from across the country arrive to study Party theory and education at the academy, a national-level Party school. The curriculum includes Party history, Party building and Party discipline.
From 1935 to 1948, the CPC lived and fought in Yan'an. The period created the "Yan'an spirit", which emphasizes several qualities, including adherence to the correct political direction, the liberation of thought, seeking truth, self-reliance and serving the people.
Since it opened in 2005, the academy has specialized in "Party spirit education" that helps officials remain disciplined and determined to perform their duties with great passion.
"The academy uses historical resources as unique advantages for research, writing textbooks and holding classes at historic sites," said Li Guoxi, the academy's executive vice-president.
Powerful alumni
There are 2,900 Party schools in China. The Yan'an academy is one of four national-level establishments established directly by the CPC Central Committee. The others are in Beijing, Shanghai and Jinggangshan, Jiangxi province.
The world's best universities have a common goal - to nurture future leaders - but no Chinese school has as many powerful alumni as the four national Party schools.
By the end of last year, the Party had about 89 million members, according to the latest figures from the CPC Central Committee's organization department. However, not every member has the chance to study at Yan'an.
Most of the academy's students are at the level of Party department and bureau chief, from municipal officials to departmental directors in central ministries. Alternatively, the students are executives at State-owned companies, professionals or army officers.
They all play significant roles in China's cadre system, but in recent years officials at the county level have also been included as part of concerted attempts to pay more attention to grassroots cadres.
The training of CPC officials has been a tradition for many years, and in the 1930s and 1940s there were more than 20 Party schools in Yan'an.
"During the preliminary phase of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45), tens of thousands of patriotic young people wanted to fight for the country, so many schools were established to train them," said a member of the academy's staff, who preferred not to be named. "The schools turned out a lot of cadres for future victories."
Since it opened on March 21, 2005, the Yan'an academy has trained about 77,200 Party members and held more than 1,550 training sessions, according to the academy's figures.
The students eat at canteens and live on campus. They sleep in 15-square-meter rooms that contain a single bed, a private bathroom, a desk, a TV and a shelf of "red books", ranging from Mao Zedong Thought to the speeches of President Xi Jinping.
Cadres, faculty and staff are encouraged to wear badges on campus to reinforce their "red" identities.
