CGTN has been out on the streets of the Chinese capital, Beijing, gauging the public sentiment ahead of the 19th Party Congress.

There are mixed opinions over the past five years.

"The impressive expansion of the high-speed rail network has really changed my life. I like traveling, and now, I can go to whichever city I want to go, all I need to do is to book a ticket online, jump on a train, and I will arrive there in a few hours. This was unimaginable just five years ago, when it was almost 'mission impossible' to get a train ticket during peak times," said Miss Wei, a Beijing resident working as a fashion designer.

"I studied abroad for three years, and when I came back, I felt like I was in a different country. No one uses cash or credit cards any more. Even street vendors now use smartphones to take payments. You can also find bikes and taxis any time with your mobile apps. I must say China is taking the lead in IT innovation, even compared with developed countries," said Wang Shicong, an overseas university graduate who just returned to China this year, when talking to CGTN.

"The heavy smog is still a big issue. I don't remember it being so thick five years ago. Now we must regularly wear medical-grade face masks to protect our health. The authorities need to take stronger action in balancing economic growth and environmental protection," a Beijing resident said.

"We are proud to see two aircraft carriers completed in only five years. We don't even need to compare it with the time of the Opium War. Just look back to the 1990s, when I was afraid the Taiwan Strait crisis would lead to a full-scale war. Now we feel more secure, living in a stronger nation," Yu Chen, a consulting company employee, told CGTN.

For many Chinese, perhaps the most exciting – and relevant – promise from the CPC is to complete what it calls "a well-off society in all respects" by 2020. How do the ordinary people of China feel about that?

"I hope I won't be tired then. Now we work overtime almost every day, and commute on crowded buses and subways, while our salary doesn't really increase that much. As I grow older, I need more time to relax and spend time with friends and family, otherwise what are we fighting for? I hope to find a better balance between work and life. And for the country, it's a balance between growth and happiness," Liu Yankai, an employee from an Internet company, told CGTN.

"By then, I'll have a second grandchild. I hope pollution can be reduced, not just in the air, but also in water, food, land – everything, for our children," Jiang Yuexiang, a retiree said.

The overseas graduate Wang said, "I have to say it's hard to imagine what will happen in three years, because China is changing too fast. When I left China three years ago, I didn't expect it to become what it is now. But I do hope we can balance the interests of different groups, especially the rich and poor, so that no one will be left behind in our fast-changing society."

Throughout our interviews, the standout word was most definitely "balance." Six years ago, China became the world's second largest economy, but how that growth can be translated into fairer distribution needs the political wisdom of the CPC delegates, as they gather to decide what the CPC will do next.