Xi hails outstanding Party members
General secretary confers July 1 Medals at grand ceremony
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, called upon the whole Party on Tuesday to make persistent efforts to serve the people and forever maintain close ties with the people as he conferred the top honor of the Party on its outstanding members.
In a grand ceremony held at the Great Hall of the People, Xi hailed the 29 recipients of the July 1 Medal, some posthumously, as outstanding representatives of CPC members on all fronts.
They are a vivid example of the noble quality and lofty spirit of CPC members as they firm up their ideals, live up to the Party's fundamental mission, fight with dedication and serve the people with clean conduct, said Xi, who is also China's president and chairman of the Central Military Commission.
This is the first time the medal was awarded, as the CPC is set to celebrate its centenary on Thursday.
In his speech, Xi briefly recalled the Party's history over the past century, during which he said the CPC led the people to blaze a great path, established a great cause, forged a great spirit and accumulated precious experience.