CPC's highest honour to eight: among them a rural doctor of Kazakh ethnicity and academician Chen Junwu posthumously
CPC's highest honour to eight: among them a rural doctor of Kazakh ethnicity and academician Chen Junwu posthumously. On Wednesday in Beijing, the CPC Central Committee awarded the Party's highest honour — the "July 1" Medal — to eight exemplary individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the Party and the people. The eight honourees, representing different generations and professions, embody the Party's century‑long dedication to serving the people, advancing China's modernisation and building a better China. Their stories are not just biographies. They are a map of the changes the country has undergone over the past decades. A scientist who transformed the oil industry; a female academic who pushed aluminium technology to global standards; a rural doctor who walked 200,000 kilometres through mountain pastures; a veteran who shot down enemy aircraft; officials who resolved thousands of disputes; an agronomist who bridged the "last kilometre"; a village Party secretary who lifted his community out of poverty. They are all different. But they are all one: the China they built and continue to build.
Chen Junwu, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was awarded posthumously. He passed away in May 2024 at the age of 97. Chen devoted more than 70 years to the country's oil and petrochemical industries. A native of Fuzhou, capital of Fujian Province in eastern China, Chen lifted China's oil refining industry from backwardness to global competitiveness. His work also laid the scientific foundation for China's carbon emission policies and energy restructuring. "From the day I joined the Communist Party of China, I was ready to devote myself to the country and my entire life to science," he once said. "The original aspiration to meet the country's needs has never changed."
Zhong Jue, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, dedicated her career to advanced research. Her work brought China's aluminium processing technology to the forefront of the world and supported the development of equipment for national strategic projects. She was born in August 1936 in Xian County, Hebei Province. "This is our responsibility, which must be in the hands of our generation. We must change our country's past of poverty and backwardness," she said.
Ma Shanxiang, born in November 1956, is a former civil servant who worked in a local district office in Chongqing. For over 30 years, Ma worked on the front lines of public service and dispute resolution, mediating more than 2,500 cases. "We must always put ourselves in the people's shoes. Choosing an approach that serves the people is choosing the right way to solve problems," he said.
Wu Yaqin is another grassroots official dedicated to serving the community. She was born in July 1960 in Changchun, capital of Jilin Province in northeast China. As Party secretary of a local residential complex in Changchun, Wu devoted 30 years to community governance, mediating over 1,000 disputes and introducing innovative community management methods. She also trained about 30,000 community workers. "I have kept the same phone number for more than 20 years because I am always reachable. The people's needs are my call to action. Whenever I am called, I go and help solve the problem. We believe in concrete actions and prompt problem‑solving," she said.
Whas Suleiman is a doctor of Kazakh ethnicity. He was born in December 1955 in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. For decades, he travelled to remote mountain pastures, covering more than 200,000 kilometres on foot, treating over 100,000 patients and delivering 3,200 newborns. He also leads a volunteer medical team. He was recognised for his outstanding contribution to healthcare development and ethnic unity in China's border areas. "This is just the work we have to do. That is what it means to be a doctor. I am also a Party member. A Party member never truly retires, just like a doctor. Even after retirement, we continue to serve the people," he said.
Zhao Yafu, born in April 1941 in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, dedicated more than 60 years to modernising agriculture in mountainous areas. Working on the front line of rural revitalisation as an agricultural researcher, he tirelessly promoted new crop varieties and technologies across more than 233,000 hectares of farmland, significantly increasing the incomes of many farmers. Zhao described his work of bringing agricultural research and technology to real farmers as "bridging the last kilometre." "We set an example and work alongside the farmers. We started with poverty alleviation and then moved to rural revitalisation. Essentially, we found a way to bridge the 'last kilometre,'" he said.
Li Liancheng is a village Party branch secretary dedicated to working with farmers and promoting rural development. He was born in August 1951 in Puyang, Henan Province. He pioneered a cooperative economic model and lifted his village out of poverty, making it a national model for rural revitalisation. He also trained many other grassroots officials. "As a public servant, you must be ready to make sacrifices, because sacrifice is a form of dedication. The villagers elected me as Party secretary because they wanted a better life. When it comes to rural revitalisation, we move forward step by step and achieve steady progress."
Wang Yuchang is a veteran of the People's Liberation Army. Born in February 1936 in Xiao County, Anhui Province, he joined the PLA at 18. During his service, Wang studied missile weaponry and became famous for shooting down two enemy reconnaissance aircraft using close‑range, rapid‑response tactics with surface‑to‑air missiles. After retiring from military service, he remained humble and dedicated to the Party. Receiving the medal at the age of 90, the veteran said: "This is an award given to me by the Party and the people. In fact, I have done very little and lagged far behind. I still need to work hard to achieve better results."
The stories of the honourees, spanning scientific innovation, community service, rural development and national defence, reflect a diverse yet unified spirit that continues to shape the CPC's development trajectory in its 105th year. Established by the CPC Central Committee, the "July 1" Medal was first awarded in 2021 to mark the Party's centenary. The medal, whose main colours are red, gold and white, features key elements such as the Party emblem and a five‑pointed star.
These eight individuals did not seek fame. They simply did their work — as conscience and Party duty dictated. An academic who stayed in the lab until his last days; a doctor who crossed mountain passes to reach patients; an official who kept the same phone number for 20 years so people could find him. What unites them is not their profession, but their readiness to serve. And when a 90‑year‑old veteran says he "did little," he speaks not of modesty — he speaks of the scale of the tasks still ahead. Because the "July 1" Medal is not a full stop. It is a comma in a long sentence that China has been writing for 105 years.
As reported by CCTV+, the award ceremony served as a reminder that a nation's greatness is built on the deeds of every individual who sees service to the people as their calling.
