The Chinese public hailed opening of the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (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 Pary of China has come all the way in the last 86 years to find a socialist path with Chinese characteristics. It's the choice of history as well as by the people," said the 74-year-old Chen Zhiyuan, a professor in the History College of Nankai University in north China's Tianjin Municipality.

"The Party has done a lot of things to benefit Chinese 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," said Ma Fumin, a retired Party member living in Dingzishan Community in Jinan city of Shandong Province.

In 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 Party congress.

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

Basang Cering, a 72 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 CPC, people in Tibet would not have the happy life we enjoyed today."

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

"Hu's speech mapped out a great blueprint. I believe our life will become more harmonious and beautiful," said Zhuang Judi, a community committee member in Quyang residents' community, Hongkou district of Shanghai.

(Xinhua News Agency October 16, 2007)