A lesson from Yu, Shanghai's Party chief

"Some comrades say that the Communist Party of China (CPC) only represents and safeguards certain interest groups," said Yu Zhengsheng, member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the CPC, and Shanghai's Party Secretary, "but the party must represent the majority, and we discuss issues openly in political meetings."

The 66-year-old party official made the remarks on June 20 in front of 5,000 college students from Shanghai Jiao Tong University during a special lecture on the CPC.

"What is your opinion on the future of the Party?" read a written note passed to Yu during the question and answer session. "I think the future of the CPC depends on itself, not on someone else; it has a bright future if it overcomes its own shortcomings. Otherwise, this Party is hopeless," he said, speaking slowly and thoughtfully.

The audience – comprised of activists, probationary and full-fledged Party members – all wore the same red or yellow T-shirts and held a banner reading "Pure and Resolute, Following the Party Forever."

Although it looked like another boring political gathering, Yu decided to share some of his thoughts with the youth at the Party lesson – including his opinions on various "sensitive" social and political issues.

"There are some good ones"

In mid-May, during a group meeting of all fourth-grade Party members of the public affairs department at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, a student shared a joke she had read on weibo, a Chinese micro-blogging site: "A girl went to a job interview, where the company manager read her CV and said: 'It says here that you are a CPC member?' The question really got on the girl's nerves. She waited a moment and finally said in anxiety: 'Not all Party members are bad, there are some good ones!'"

"Many students are self-conscious about showing their identities as Party members," said Dong Xue, the branch secretary, after a lively discussion of the joke at the meeting.

Dong and other members of the branch launched an initiative for Party members at the university to show their identities without shame. With the help of their teachers, Dong even wrote a letter to the Party chief of Shanghai, Yu Zhengsheng.

To her surprise, Yu responded, saying he was interested in the topic and willing to discuss it.

"I am not here to lecture you, but to share some of my thoughts with you," Yu opened his speech. "I only want to talk about two words: resolution and loyalty."

He then clarified some opinions about historical issues he had recently read about in the media, including the May 4th Movement, a political and cultural movement against imperialism and feudalism that took place in 1919, and the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

"There are media reports today saying that China missed a golden opportunity to develop a capitalist economy after May 4th, but they did not see that capitalists back then were exploiting poor people, who were the majority of the population, which facilitated the founding of the CPC in 1921," he said.

"Some say the PRC was founded only because the CPC defeated the Kuomintang (KMT) with better military strategies," he said. "I can only say that they fail to recognize the people's support behind the poorly-equipped CPC, which was the key."

He then discussed the Cultural Revolution, a topic seen as taboo and shunned by many Party officials. "It was a catastrophe for many Chinese, a mistake not only made by Mao Zedong himself, but also the Party."

"My mother was tortured and sent to prison during the Cultural Revolution, and my younger sister, a high school student, was criticized and denounced at her school," he added. "She suffered from schizophrenia and committed suicide later."

"Although Mao was seriously wrong, he had good intentions to prevent our republic from falling into the wrong hands," he said. "The CPC is brave enough to confess its mistakes, and that is why people still have faith in the Party after the revolution."