Zeng Qinghong, a member of the Standing Committee of Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, was elected vice-president of the People's Republic of China, at the first session of the 10th National People's Congress (NPC) March 15, 2003.

Zeng became one of the nine members of the Political Bureau Standing Committee at the First Plenum of the 16th CPC Central Committee in November 2002, and concurrently a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee. One month later, he began to serve concurrently as president of the Party School of the CPC Central Committee.

Attending related panel discussions at the first session of the 10th NPC, Zeng repeatedly stressed that leading cadres at all levels should take the lead in upholding the great banner of Deng Xiaoping Theory, earnestly carrying out the important thought of "Three Represents'' and the spirit of the 16th CPC National Congress, carrying forward the style of hard work in a down-to-earth way and the spirit of building the country through hard work and prudence, improving the style of Party work, and building a clean government.

He urged that cadres should always exercise their power to benefit the people, strengthen the powerful bonds between the CPC and the people, unite closely around the CPC Central Committee with Hu Jintao as the general secretary, and strive to build a well-off society in an all-round way and realize the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

A native of Ji'an, Jiangxi Province in East China, Zeng was born in July 1939, and joined the CPC in 1960. After graduation from the Beijing Institute of Technology in 1963, Zeng first took a technician's job in the No 743 Army Unit of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), and then in the No 2 Department of the Second Academy of the Seventh Ministry of Machine-Building Industry, gaining rich work experience at the grass roots level.

From 1979 to 1982, he was a secretary of the General Office of the State Planning Commission and then deputy division director of the General Office of the State Energy Commission.

Between 1983 and 1984, Zeng held a number of positions in the oil industry, first as the deputy manager of the Liaison Department of the China National Offshore Oil Corporation, later deputy director of the Foreign Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Petroleum Industry, and then secretary of the CPC Committee of the South and Yellow Seas Petroleum Corporation.

In 1984, he was transferred to China's largest city Shanghai, where he served successively as head of the Organization Department, member of the Standing Committee, secretary-general and deputy secretary of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee.

As the organizational chief of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee, Zeng initiated a weekly "intellectuals reception day,'' at which he personally listened to complaints from local intellectuals and offered them a helping hand. Zeng also frequently visited local universities and research institutes to talk to experts and scholars and hear their opinions, and to make friends with intellectuals.

People who have worked with Zeng say that he has a clarity of thought and tends to be creative in his work and often displays "strategic farsightedness'' in planning and handling issues.

In 1989, Zeng was transferred from Shanghai to Beijing to serve as deputy director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee. He was promoted in 1993 to director of the office, which plays a significant role in giving advice, supervision and co-ordination.

As the office chief, Zeng arranged and organized many large meetings and properly dealt with some important events under the direct leadership of the CPC Central Committee, winning trust and high appraisals from far and wide.

In September 1997, Zeng was elected an alternate member of the Political Bureau and a member of the Secretariat of the 15th CPC Central Committee at the committee's first plenary session. In 1999, Zeng began serving concurrently as head of the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee.

The main function of this department is to train, examine, select and appoint Party officials and also make recommendations on their promotion.

In his tenure, Zeng served as a link between past and future, keeping pace with the times. He united comrades and brought a brand new look to the department. He strictly followed the Party's principle of "making the ranks of cadres more revolutionary, younger, better educated and professionally more competent'' and achieved conspicuous success in pushing forward the reform of the personnel system and strengthening cadres' education and training.

In July 2002, the CPC Central Committee promulgated its Regulations on the Work of Selecting and Appointing Leading Cadres for the Party and Government, which is regarded as a significant outcome of the Party's personnel system reform and an institutional guarantee for the selection of honest and competent officials.

The modification of the regulations was sponsored by Zeng. Implementation of the regulations improved people's rights of getting information, participation, selection and supervision in the appointing of cadres, and makes the personnel work more scientific, democratic and standardized.

Zeng was one of the officials in charge of the political and ideological education emphasizing study, political awareness and integrity, and education in the important thought of "Three Represents'' in China's rural areas. He went deep down to the grass-roots level many times, conducting investigation and research, summarizing experiences and giving instructions.

Based on experience from the grass roots level and the practice of the masses, he put forward the mechanism of providing frequent education to cadres and long-term benefits to farmers to consolidate the outcome of the education activities, and the mechanism has become very influential.

After he assumed the office of the president of the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, Zeng made investigation tours to Yan'an and Jinggangshan, China's old revolutionary bases, as well as the economically advanced Pudong New District of Shanghai, in order to explore how to take forward cadres' education in the new era.

He pushed forward the construction of cadre education bases, requiring that in arranging all the courses and training plans for the education work, "we must stick to the ideological and political line of seeking truth from facts, carry forward the creative spirit of keeping pace with the times, carry on the fine tradition of hardworking, and implement the principle of exercising State power in the people's interests.''

Zeng also displayed his capacity in foreign affairs. When China and Japan commemorated the 30th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties between the countries last year, Zeng led a CPC friendship delegation to Japan, making active efforts in the development of Sino-Japanese friendship.

According to officials working for the General Office and the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee, Zeng is bold and resolute in his work, with a strong awareness of innovation. Zeng, frank and honest, modest and gentle, is adept in uniting people with high cohesiveness.

He always says: "We should attract talented people with careers, affection and proper treatment.'' He is good at dealing with personnel from all walks of life, and loves to make friends with young people, keeping good connections with youths of all circles.

Sources close to Zeng say that he is capable of explaining profound things in a simple way and loves to weave popular sayings into his talks. For example, while commenting on cadres' achievements, Zeng said: "Gold or silver prize is not as good as compliments from the people.'' His speeches are popular and evoke favourable responses.

Zeng's father Zeng Shan was a revolutionary veteran who had served as minister of internal affairs after the foundation of New China in 1949. His mother, Deng Liujin, was one of a few women soldiers in the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army who survived the famous Long March in the 1930s.

Zeng's wife Wang Fengqing works in the State Administration of Quality Supervision and Quarantine. The couple have a son.