Beijing is fully decked out for tomorrow's opening of the 16th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

Tiananmen Square in the heart of the city is awash with national flags, red lanterns and tropical plants.

As the world's largest political party, CPC now has more than 66 million members. Mao Zedong, the founder of the People's Republic of China, was a delegate to the First CPC National Congress. His portrait now hangs on the Tiananmen Square gate tower.

Beijing residents, known for their concern for politics, are following closely the possible impact of the CPC congress on their life.

"I care more about social security issues. It's inevitable for aged people like me to fall ill, so I hope the medical care system will further improve," said Liu Guorui, a retired worker taking a walk on the square.

"I feel strongly that success of our education in the future lies in how to improve the quality of every citizen," he said.

In the information era, people's concern about state affairs is also reflected in the cyber world. A recent Web survey of more than 10,000 netizens shows that better income, employment, housing and the environment are on people's mind. They hope that the Party and government will adopt new policies in these areas to offer them more practical assistance.

Academic circles also hold high expectations for the upcoming CPC congress. Li Qiang, a professor of sociology at Qinghua University, expressed the belief that the 16th Party Congress will become "a new milestone" in China's development in the 21st century.

"The 16th Party Congress is opening soon and we ordinary citizens are looking forward to it," said Zhang Jinyuan, a 65-year-old Beijing resident.

Zhang was reading news about the Congress at a public newspaper showcase near the Great Hall of the People, venue for the country's major conferences.

The Congress has become a common topic in daily chats of more and more ordinary people across the country.

Said Jia Jianxin, a Beijing taxi driver, "The employment issue concerns me most, and I hope the Party Congress will find a way to create more jobs for us."

The 22-year-old man said that the government had achieved conspicuous success in developing the national economy and that it would be better if a "balanced progress" could be achieved in culture and other social areas.

Huang Jianping, general manager of Weimei Ceramics Co. Ltd. in the city of Dongguan in Guangdong Province, attributed his success to the policy of encouraging the development of the private sector.

"We hope the 16th Party Congress will adopt more open policies toward the growth of non-state sectors. This will make us feel more reassured," said Huang, whose company now boasts more than 100 million yuan (US$12 million) in annual sales.

Guangdong, which borders Hong Kong and Macau, is leading the country with more than 198,000 registered private businesses.

"I want to learn the latest comments on the Party Congress from overseas," said Zhu Hong, a staff member of the Shanghai branch of Canada-based Nortel Corp.

Zhu completed his master of business administration studies in Canada early this year.

(eastday.com November 7, 2002)