Yu Zhengsheng: A frank, devoted friend

Promote unity with sincere care

A few days after New Year's Day, Garze, a Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Southwest China's Sichuan province, on the eastern tip of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, remained enveloped in bittr cold. A guest from afar walked into the house of Chagxi Zhoema, an old man living in Qangba village, Lhagang township, in Kangding county. The guest was Yu, elected to the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee 50 days before.

Yu Zhengsheng (2nd R) visits Gong Xianbin, chief of the local committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in Laoyulin Village, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Southwest China's Sichuan province, Jan 7, 2013. [Photo/Xinhua]

On Jan 6, Yu flew to Gongga Airport in Kangding, 4,200 meters above sea level. He immediately started to conduct an investigation in this prefecture -- the first ethnic autonomous prefecture founded after the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

Yu sat next to Chagxi Zhoema and exchanged small talk with him while holding the host's lovely child in his arms. On the second day, he braved heavy snow to travel to Laoyulin Village in Lucheng Town, in order to visit Chotsu, who had fallen into poverty because her husband suffers from uremia.

In Garze prefecture, a vast distressed area, Yu visited local people to understand their feelings. Despite being fatigued from his journey, Yu steadily pondered what he saw.

When Yu spoke with the county and prefectural officials of Garze, he did not speak in generalities, but instead put forward detailed and substantial requirements, similar to writing a "prescription": These requirements included actively developing secondary and higher vocational education to improve the competitiveness of young people in the job market; creating more job opportunities for laborers in Tibetan areas in China's inland region to raise family incomes through new jobs, and more.

After the 18th National Congress of the CPC, Yu assumed new responsibilities. Since then, his timetable has been dominated by ethnic minority and religious work.

In late January, Yu paid visits to nationwide religious bodies in Beijing. A few days before the Spring Festival, he invited the heads of these religious groups to attend discussions in Zhongnanhai, the headquarters of the CPC. He extended Chinese New Year greetings to religious circles and the broad mass of religious believers on behalf of the CPC Central Committee and General Secretary Xi Jinping. Yu also requested Party committees and governments at all levels to be attentive to the difficulties of religious groups and the lives of religious believers and to ensure that the broad mass of religious believers would enjoy a happy and peaceful holiday.

Yu, showing genuine concern and great care, is devoted to cementing the unity and cohesion of the family of the Chinese nation, and to the patriotic united front.

Unity and democracy are the two great themes of the CPPCC. Yu deeply understands this. At the national meeting of the directors of the United Front Work Department in late December, Yu made an impressive remark: "We must correctly handle the relationship between uniformity and diversity. We must always persevere in and continuously enhance common understanding as well as broad-mindedly deal with different political parties, ethnic groups, social levels, religious believers, and the masses living under different social systems, so as to realize unity based on harmony with diversity."