The week-long conference, convened every five years, is streaming into every layer of China's social fabric, sparking street talks among intellectuals, farmers, laid-off workers, cabbies and herdsmen alike.

"The congress is really a buzzword these days. We talk about it in classes, dining halls and dormitories," said Chen Xiangfeng, a 22-year-old journalism undergraduate at Tsinghua University.

Chen said he was looking forward to seeing a new leadership line-up and the rolling-out of some new public policies which may impact personally on his life.

Deng Guangzheng, a 70-year-old retired army officer, hopes the delegates will focus on how to maintain the steady economic growth, keep commodity prices stable, and strengthen the social security network for the elderly.

In his three-room home tucked in a neighborhood near the Asian Games Village, Deng sat engrossed in the keynote speech by CPC General Secretary Jiang Zemin broadcast live on CCTV yesterday morning.

He said the message that Jiang delivered on creating more job opportunities and promoting more ways to enhance public well-being was encouraging.

"I hope this commitment can really deliver. It ushers in a stable society," said Deng.

Topics like the fight against corruption, improving the living standards of rural people, cutting education spending for the average citizen are all concerns jostling for space on some of the most popular online bulletin boards.

A netizen nicknamed Brother Bull urged local governments, via the bulletin board chaired by Xinhua News Agency, to focus more attention on education, raise the incomes of teachers and pay special attention to the problems faced by the nation's farmers.

His call was joined by another chatter dubbed Double Friend, who said the social security network of rural people was still fragile and that the burdens on farmers are still far from being relieved.

"Why are there always heavy burdens on the farmers? Their status needs to be addressed!" he proclaimed on the billboard.

The week-long congress boosted business for middle-aged Yang Liqin, a newspaper vendor who has a pitch in the city, close to the Beijing International Exhibition Center.

Bracing herself against the strong wind, Yang said the fact that all the major newspapers are full of coverage of the Party congress had sent sales soaring yesterday.

"All I hope is that the Party delegates can sustain the economic growth to make sure the ordinary people have a better life, and that is good for me as I can sell more newspapers," said Yang.

Liang Yajun, studying international relations at Peking University, cautioned that the Communist Party of China should maintain a high quality among its members, to ensure that it keeps pace with the changing situation at home and abroad.

Liang said it was not unusual for some grassroots cadres to be slack in implementing the instructions and policies issued by the central authorities because of their inadequate theoretical and professional knowledge concerning the current situation.

"China's economic growth and national strength lie in the leadership of the CPC. Therefore, how to improve the Party members' knowledge, intelligence and management know-how is imperative," he added.

(China Daily November 9, 2002)