'Experience' classes
Like the three other national-level Party schools, the academy uses local historical resources to provide cadres with a "vivid" history of the CPC in its area.
Cadres attend courses lasting one to four weeks, depending on the program they have selected. The courses include reviewing their initial reasons for joining the Party, analyzing the thoughts and speeches of the top leaders, Marxist theory, Party history and undertaking "experience lessons" at historic sites.
"Party members come to Yan'an to seek their roots and inherit the 'red gene'. Yan'an has 'materialized' history. Historic sites, such as the hall used to hold early Party Congress meetings and the cave in which Mao Zedong lived, are not simply materialized history, but the CPC's spiritual indicator. The students can better absorb and inherit the sacred spirit of these historic sites," said Cao Kun, a professor at the academy.
He described how he took his class to the hall that was used to hold the sixth Party Congress. The cadres visited an exhibition that described the events at the meeting and then two of the teachers delivered lectures on related themes. Finally, the students shared their thoughts about the events described. "The students can feel and imagine what really happened here," Cao said.
'Red' education
Classes usually start at 8:30 or 9 am and end at 5:30 or 6 pm. The curriculum consists of lectures, experience classes at historic sites and museum visits.
Although cadres can leave campus after class, they are encouraged to return by 10 pm. Outsiders are not allowed on campus without special approval.
However, most cadres do not leave campus unless they go on official outings, such as visiting museums, picking corn in the fields or taking experience lessons. The campus has virtually everything they need, including a bookstore, a tea house, a clinic, a gym and a supermarket.
The 17.3 hectare, pine-lined campus can accommodate 400 students at a time.
Many cadres walk or jog in the mornings and evenings. In class, males usually wear identical white shirts and black jackets - as if ordered from the same tailor - while the dress code for females is more diverse, ranging from formal suits to casual business skirts, but all show some degree of elegance.
"The training courses offer students the chance to consolidate their beliefs," said Jin Ming, the academy's vice-president.
The diverse range of lessons put forward by top Party leaders help to reinforce and shape the students' thoughts and regulate their behavior.
"The common core of my lessons is to improve the students' Party spirit," said Wang Tao, a professor at the academy.
The 37-year-old, who holds a doctorate, hopes that the training will help the students gain a deeper understanding of the Party's difficult early days and cherish the improvements they enjoy today.
"Every political party has its focus. The CPC emphasizes ideological education - without that, officials may forget the Party's mission to serve the people," he said.
