Qianjiang Evening News
January 6, 2010

The "National Low-level Party Construction Mobile Phone Network" is a recently launched SMS message distribution system that purportedly enables grassroots party cadres to consult on issues and voice their opinions.

Yesterday over a million party secretaries and "university graduate village cadres" received a greeting message signed by China's vice president Xi Jinping on their mobiles.

The message reads: "The National Low-level Party Construction Mobile Phone Network was officially launched today! To all the low-level party secretaries and university graduate village cadres, I give you my kindest regards on behalf of the Party Central Committee! Xi Jinping."

According to today's Qianjiang Evening News, which prominently reported the story under a big headline "Xi Jinping sent me a greeting message", the local party cadres in Hangzhou, capital city of Zhejiang Province who received the message were highly inspired.

Xi Jinping's greeting message

..."It was signed by the VICE PRESIDENT! I was so excited!" said party secretary Sun, "at first I couldn't believe it, so I called the Cunyuan Street Community party secretary Zhang Jianpin, who told me that he also received the message." Zhang exclaimed on the phone "The message system has reached to our lowest-level party branches. What efficiency! I am very proud." Still incredulous, Sun dialed the numbers of other neighborhood party secretaries. After receiving confirmations from all the colleagues, Sun's doubts were gone: "It was true, this was really from the vice president!"

...

"I will always cherish this message", said Zhang Wei, who has been a village cadre since 2008 after graduating from Ningbo Costume College, "we are just small village level officials, but still the Party's Central Committee cares about us. I will give my best service to the rural people and relay their voices to the central government."