Foreigners in Shanghai meet grassroots Party members

At the Caohejing community medical service center she met the director, Shen Lei, who told her about his daily duties and spoke about being a Party member.

"When he was at university, he had the sole intention of joining the CPC to contribute to society, and now it's just part of his life," Houle said.

During her visit to clinics, different departments and a quarantine hotel operated by the medical center, Houle was impressed by Shen's strong sense of responsibility.

"He had to sacrifice time with his family and gave up his vacation to help during the pandemic by coordinating medical staff and services," she said.

Houle said Shen is an ordinary representative of the Party as a whole, which is able to efficiently mobilize and coordinate social resources.

"You can see with the coronavirus that the 90 million CPC members are all out there ready to tackle any issue and find solutions," she added.

Meanwhile, at a busy restaurant on Anyuan Road, Shanghai, Delcroix, who is passionate about Chinese cuisine and culture, met with local taxi driver Yuan Qinghua.

It was the first time the chef, who has lived in China for 15 years, had become fully acquainted with a Party member.

Yuan told Delcroix his family felt honored to have a Party member in its ranks. He said his father felt proud of him and smiled on hearing that he had become a Party member.

During a conversation with Yuan in his cab, Delcroix learned that joining the Party is a selective and competitive process, involving far more than merely signing a piece of paper.

The Frenchman was also surprised to learn that after the rigorous application process, recommendations and scrutiny, becoming a Party member also involves more responsibilities.

"Yuan did some voluntary work at metro stations, where there was a big flow of people," Delcroix said.

Yuan has also acted as a volunteer during the China International Import Expo in Shanghai.