The public hailed the opening of the 17th National Congress of the CPC on Monday and spoke highly of Hu Jintao's report, which outlined the country's ambitious goals for social and economic development in the coming years.

"The Communist Party of China has come a long way in the past 86 years to find a socialist path with Chinese characteristics. It's the choice of history and of the people," Chen Zhiyuan, a 74-year-old professor at the History School of Nankai University in Tianjin Municipality, said.

Ma Fumin, a retired Party member living in Jinan in Shandong Province, said: "The Party has done a lot of things to benefit the people in the past five years. The agricultural tax has been scrapped and miscellaneous fees in schools have been eliminated. What we are most happy about is that our pension has been increased three times and urban workers all have medical insurance."

At Fujian Medical College, more than 1,000 students gathered in front of 30 TV sets in the dinning hall to listen to Hu's keynote speech at the opening of the congress.

Sophomore Fang Juanjuan said: "I am from a poor rural family in the city of Sanming in Fujian Province. This year I applied for a student loan from the State, which eased quite a lot of the financial pressure on my family. I thank the Party and the government for making the policy favorable to poor students like me."

Basang Cering, a 72-year-old Party member living in Lhasa, listened to the whole report delivered by Hu and said: "I joined the Party in 1973. Being an old Party member, I am very excited today. Without the leadership of the CPC, people in Tibet would not have the happy life we enjoy today."

In Yan'an, a sacred place for China's revolutionary past in Shaanxi Province, all Party cadres and members of the village committees watched the opening of the congress. They said Hu's report concluded the experience of reform and opening up, and set new goals for future development.

Zhuang Judi, a resident in the Hongkou District of Shanghai, said: "Hu's speech mapped out a great blueprint. I believe our lives will become more harmonious and beautiful."

(Xinhua News Agency October 17, 2007)