HOPE ON GRASSROOTS OFFICIALS
This year's honors come 20 years after the last celebration of 100 outstanding county-level CPC chiefs, many of whom have since been promoted to higher ranks.
Many stories of those honored in 1994 have been been featured prominently in domestic media, mostly involving poverty relief, reform, social stability and battling natural disasters and emergencies.
"Xi's words fully reflect the CPC Central Committee's focus on county-level governance and its special care for grassroots officials, and will surely boost our passion for work," said Wang Xinjun, one of the honored and Party chief of the Lankao County in central China's Henan Province.
Among those recognized on Tuesday, many have over 10 years of experience working in key grassroots posts in villages and towns.
"Officials are best trained at the frontline. Many of those honored today started their careers low done the ladder and were promoted step by step, showing how the CPC Central Committee pins its hopes on the grassroots," Xin Ming, professor with the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, told Xinhua.
Xin called for a system in which outstanding higher-level officials are sent to the grassroots to hone their abilities while spotting talent among local officials.
Underlining the CPC's emphasis on grassroots governance, the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee has launched a campaign to train all county-level Party chiefs by the end of 2017.
In January, Xi himself gave a lecture to the first batch of trainees, urging them to "always bear in mind the Party, the people, responsibility and caution."
"Managing and using county-level Party chiefs well directly benefits the Party's prosperity and also consolidates the foundation for the Party's development," Xin said.
