Beijing. Celebrating “political birthday” – the day a person joins the Communist Party of China (CPC) – has become a trend among Party branches across China.

The celebration for political birthday is especially popular among those in public posts and state-owned firms, the Global Times found.

However, Party organizations at different levels in the country vary on the procedure of the celebration. On the special day, Party branches normally hold a special ceremony for members including sending them greeting cards, birthday presents or renewing the oaths they made when they joined the Party.

A person approved as a probationary member by the Party branch can be considered a CPC member, marking the starting point for their political life and therefore a political birthday, according to a notice issued by the CPC Central Committee in April.

There was no specific provision on how to celebrate the political birthday. Highlighting the event should be carried out in a political fashion.

Zheng Baifan, 77, a retired paratrooper, celebrated his political birthday for the first time on July 22 when his Party branch in Yongding community of Qingdao, East China’s Shandong Province, bought him a birthday cake.

He also received “birthday greetings” and made a wish at the event. The Party branch invited other Party members to attend the event and had a themed session together.

“It was unforgettable! I still remember why I joined the Party 55 years ago. Joining the Party is a major part of who I am,” Zheng told the Global Times on Tuesday.

“Even though I have retired from service, I always remind myself of being a Party member and actively lead the public to study Party theories and knowledge and solve problems for the community.”

Celebrating a political birthday for Party members helps them review their original commitment when they first joined the Party and motivates them to participate in community activities, the secretary of the Yongding Party branch told the Global Times on Tuesday. “Many elderly Party members were touched, with tears in their eyes when celebrating the occasion,” Hu said.

Since 2019, grassroots Party branches in the Licang district of Qingdao have carried out 845 political birthday celebrations, according to Shandong-based newspaper Dazhong Daily.

The Party branch of the disciplinary and inspection commission of Xi’an, capital of Northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, has a “birthday file” for Party members which lets them share stories about joining the Party and gifts them with Party classics, local news site xiancity.cn reported.

Celebrating the political birthday with other Party members will strengthen their identity as a Party member and remind them to remember their devotion and love for the Party, said Su Wei, a professor at the Party School of the Communist Party of China Chongqing Municipal Committee.

The CPC had 90.59 million members with 4.61 million primary-level Party branches as of the end of 2018. In 2018, the CPC recruited nearly 2.06 million new members, 72,000 more than 2017.

To strengthen “Party construction,” Party branches across the country also hold regular education events to update members’ CPC knowledge, visit red tourism sites and attend themed performance activities.

Su told the Global Times that CPC members need to be unified and it is important to maintain the advanced nature of Party members at any time.

(In association with Global Times)