Editor's Note: As the Communist Party of China (CPC) approaches the 105th anniversary of its founding, on July 1, CGTN presents "How the Communist Party of China Works," a special series of in-depth news analyses. This series offers a systematic analysis of the CPC's sustained effectiveness, examining its institutional resilience, people-centered philosophy, and global significance.

In Longxing Jiayuan, an aging residential compound in Xishan Community in Jiaxing, east China's Zhejiang Province, residents had long hoped to install elevators in their apartment buildings. Yet wrangling over costs kept the project from moving forward.

Rather than shelving the idea, Communist Party of China (CPC) members went door to door, hearing out residents' concerns and collecting suggestions. After repeated consultations, the community introduced a pay-to-use elevator model, allowing residents to pay only when they used the elevators instead of bearing hefty upfront installation costs. The proposal quickly gained support and turned a long-standing problem into a practical solution.

The project is more than a neighborhood improvement initiative. It offers a glimpse into how grassroots governance works in China and how the CPC's organizational system helps address everyday challenges at the community level.

At the heart of this system are primary-level Party organizations - the CPC's local units established in communities, villages, schools, enterprises and social organizations. They serve as a bridge between the Party and the public, translating policies into local action while bringing residents' concerns back into the governance process.

By the end of 2024, the CPC had more than 100 million members and 5.25 million primary-level Party organizations. Together, they form an extensive organizational network that reaches virtually every corner of Chinese society.

Finding the right people to lead

The first challenge in grassroots governance is identifying who will organize and coordinate collective action.

Xishan Community provides a vivid example. Covering just 1.19 square kilometers, it is home to more than 10,000 residents but has only a little over a dozen full-time community workers. Two decades ago, it struggled with a complex mix of old neighborhoods, urban villages and resettlement housing.

The turning point came when the community's Party committee strengthened its role as the neighborhood's organizational core.

Residents became familiar with the "Sister Jin Hotline," a 24-hour phone line connected directly to the community's Party Secretary Jin Meifeng's mobile phone. Over the years, she has answered tens of thousands of calls, helping residents resolve problems ranging from public safety concerns to neighborhood disputes.

Under the Party committee's leadership, Party branches were established in neighborhood grids, residential compounds, commercial districts, social organizations and among new forms of employment. A network of Party members regularly collects public opinion, spots emerging issues and channels residents' concerns into concrete action.

Through this process, local needs are transformed into community projects. In recent years, Xishan Community has launched 65 livelihood projects covering public services, elderly care, volunteer assistance and support for vulnerable groups, benefiting nearly 200,000 people.

Mobilizing resources

Identifying problems is only the beginning. Solving them often requires expertise and resources beyond the community's reach.

To address this challenge, Xishan Community established a Party-building alliance, bringing together property management companies, schools, public institutions and social organizations. Today, the network includes 21 partner institutions and 45 social organizations.

One of the alliance's best-known initiatives is the "Love Classroom" program. After many migrant families raised concerns about childcare during school holidays, the community Party committee coordinated with social organizations and professional social workers to provide educational and childcare services at the Party-mass Service Center. Supported by more than 6,000 volunteer service visits, the program has provided educational and childcare services for over 5,700 child visits.

Relying on the people

Another key feature of China's grassroots governance is public participation.

This approach is rooted in the Fengqiao Experience, first developed in Zhejiang in the 1960s and continuously adapted since. The thrust of the idea is simple: many problems can be resolved at the grassroots level by empowering the people.

Like many densely populated urban communities, Xishan faces a familiar challenge: fewer than 250 Party members and just over a dozen community workers serve more than 10,000 residents. To bridge that gap, the community Party committee has focused on encouraging residents to play a more active role in solving local problems, following the principles of the Fengqiao Experience and the CPC's mass line.

Rather than viewing frequent critics as troublemakers, the community Party committee invited them to join renovation supervision teams. From project planning to final inspection, residents helped oversee construction work and flag problems early, contributing to the successful completion of renovation projects with virtually no complaints.

The Party committee has also helped establish resident-led mediation groups. One such team, formed among migrant residents, has resolved more than 1,800 disputes by drawing on trust and familiarity within the community, helping prevent conflicts from escalating.

This approach aligns with the vision outlined in the report to the 20th CPC National Congress for fostering a community of social governance in which everyone fulfills their responsibilities and shares in the benefits. By turning residents from passive recipients into active contributors, grassroots Party organizations help build stronger communities and create shared solutions to local challenges.

Xishan Community's experience offers a window into how the CPC carries out grassroots governance. Through its extensive network of primary-level Party organizations, the CPC is able to identify people's needs, bring together resources and encourage broad participation, helping transform public's concerns into practical solutions. This ability to organize and mobilize at the grassroots level helps explain how the CPC serves and connects with the people.

Read more: 

How China Works

How the CPC keeps reforming itself to break the rise-and-fall cycle

How CPC's long-term strategic vision drives China's sustainable development