Li Xuesong's office is like a big warehouse. His iron workbench sits in a corner, installed with a rusty bench vice -- a typical mechanic's toolkit. Behind the bench stands a makeshift bookcase containing volumes of technical documents as well as textbooks on computer science and printing. "Eight Honors and Eight Disgraces," the current ethical standards proposed by Hu Jintao, Chinese President and General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC), takes pride of place on the wall.

Li, a cheerful young man of 27, is an electrical technician at the Beijing Foreign Languages Printing Factory. He started to work at the factory when he left his technical school in 1999. The following year he was recruited into the army, where he became a member of the CPC.

On a recent Saturday afternoon, Li was working overtime yet again, perusing machine diagrams at his workbench, at the ready to fix technical problems that might crop up.

"Being a Party member, I have to be ahead of others in every way," he said. "I am pressured to do my best."

In an increasingly pluralized Chinese society, young Party members are regarded by their peers as "advanced," politically, ethically and professionally. And joining the Party is now the dream of many Chinese youths, from blue-collar workers to aspiring CEOs.

According to the latest statistics available from the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee, the number of Party members in China had totaled 70.8 million at the end of 2005. Of these, 23 percent were under 35, up 0.3 percentage points from the previous year. In 2005, some 2.47 million applicants were admitted across the country, up 2.4 percent from 2004. Of these, 734,000 were college students. The proportion of student Party members to the total Party membership increased 5 percentage points year on year, making this the most noteworthy growth among all profession groups in the Party.

Toward the grand vision

Like many idealistic Chinese students, Li wrote his first application letter to the Party when he was at school. He recalled that although he did not know much about the Party's theories, he felt a commitment to join the Party, as he was a member of the Communist Youth League, an organization defined as "the Party's assistant and reserve force" by the CPC Constitution.

He became even more determined to join the Party after entering the army, where he said there was a "strong political atmosphere." He and his fellow servicemen studied Party theories every week. They often watched revolutionary movies. However, only 3 percent of them could be admitted into the Party and so he had to work really hard to get ahead. When he finally took the official oath of allegiance, it was a dream coming true and a reward for all the efforts he had made.

After finishing his two-year service, he returned to the printing factory, becoming its youngest Party member. "Everybody thought it incredible that I joined the Party in such a short time," he said proudly.

However, Party membership is not something only to be proud of but comes with responsibility. Li shoulders greater expectations than his colleagues do. Whenever the workers are asked to work overtime, he's often the first to come to the factory. Apart from routine maintenance, he studies the technical documents of the imported machines by himself so that he can cope better with possible problems. He also helps with the administrative work at the factory's Party committee.

"A Party member must first of all be a good worker," he said. "Only faith is not enough."

Feng Xin, an English editor at a Beijing-based publishing house, shares similar views. Feng filed his application to the Party shortly before he graduated from college three years ago but still has not been admitted. However, his faith in the Party has never wavered.

"I think some of the young people today are much too concerned about material gains," he said, "but spiritual pursuit is indispensable to me. Bearing a long-term vision in mind, a person can be stricter with himself or herself, believing this positive attitude is crucial to success in both life and career. So, applying for Party membership is a process of growth and self-improvement."

"I am eager to join the Party because I want recognition from society and associate myself with a group of people who share the same ideal," he added.