The Party is only just beginning in Beijing's famous Sanlitun pub street.

The favorite haunt of foreigners looking for a night out in the Chinese capital is now celebrating a rapidly growing branch of the Communist Party of China.

Sanlitun pub street, close to 68 foreign missions in one of Beijing's two embassy districts, houses 28 pubs, where people from different corners of the world and young Beijingers sing, dance and chat at night.

It is estimated pubs in the street have a total annual sales volume of over 10 million yuan (1.2 million US dollars) and pay a total tax volume of over one million yuan (120,000 US dollars).

The pub street Party branch was set up this March and has 11 members, mainly pub owners, bartenders and bouncers with an average age of less than 30.

Xu Jian, 25, night shift manager of Boys & Girls Pub, the biggest in Sanlitun, is secretary of the branch.

Xu said, "Though I have been a party member for six years, I lost contact with the Party, because I was busy earning money. Now I find that one must have a belief, otherwise emptiness would sneak in."

Since the 1980s, thousands of Party members have resigned from government service and gone into private ventures. They seldom participate in Party activities later on because their lives become busier and they are always on the move.

The Communist Party began focusing on these groups last year, when General Secretary Jiang Zemin said at the Party's 80th anniversary ceremony that branches in private sectors were also important.

The Sanlitun party branch members hand in their monthly membership dues and have meetings twice a month. Night shift members are asked to attend important meetings only.

Xu Jian said they not only studied Party documents, but exchanged management experience and skills such as bartending.

Xu said one important task of the branch was to help enterprises to work more efficiently and abide by the law.

A resident surnamed Zhang said, "The most striking change we've had since the Party branch set up is we are having quieter nights in the neighborhood now."

Lu Xiaohua, secretary-general of the Beijing Federation of Commerce and Industry, said there were 124,000 private enterprises in Beijing and one district had recruited 22 party members ins this year.

Xu Jian said, "We feel proud of our branch. Many friends in the pub street have asked to join us."

( eastday.com July 5, 2002)