About 20,000 people visited an exhibition on Wednesday showcasing China's progress in the past five years under the leadership of the Communist Party of China with President Xi Jinping as the core.

Even though it rained at around 2:30 pm, many people stood in line to visit the event. The exhibition, which was launched on Monday at the Beijing Exhibition Hall, is open from 9 am to 12 noon, and from 1 pm to 4 pm. The last visitor admission is at 3 pm.

Guo Mingyi, a national role model who is known for his deeds based on the heroic model Lei Feng, said he decided to visit the event after he learned that Xi had visited on Monday.

The 60-year-old worker at Ansteel Mining in Anshan, Liaoning province, was in Beijing to give a keynote speech at the Great Hall of the People with the theme of combining the Chinese Dream with personal dreams.

Five of the nine keynote speakers followed his suggestion to visit the exhibition on Wednesday afternoon before they left the city.

"I am so impressed with the exhibition. The past five years are five years with brilliant and universally recognized achievements under the leadership of President Xi," he said, adding that his company has benefited from the decision to carry out supply-side structural reform.

The slashing of excessive steelmaking capacity, which is part of the reform, has greatly improved the efficiency of his company, which has made up its deficits and saw surpluses in the first quarter, he said.

"This great achievement strengthened my desire to follow Xi as our leader," he added.

Zhang Chaofan, 25, an entrepreneur who started an art training school in Jilin province in 2015, said she could not be prouder of her country after seeing the exhibition.

The youth have a lot of opportunities to start their own businesses and grow up together with the country, she said. "I feel lucky that I was born in China."

Zhang, who was born without a left hand, said the local disabled person's federation in Changchun, Jilin province, helped by providing a subsidy of 30,000 yuan ($4,500) so she could rent an office when she started her school.

She said she has also enjoyed other preferential policies from the government.

As a role model, she is often invited to share her stories in different regions in the country.

"Now I plan to make an effort to learn English, as I hope I will get opportunities to share my entrepreneurship with people from all over the world," she said.

A precursor to the 19th CPC National Congress - scheduled for Oct 18 - the exhibition has 10 zones with different themes, including boosting the rule of law, deepening reform and protecting the environment. There is also an interactive zone where multimedia - videos, data and photography - is used to provide vivid display effects.

The exhibition will run for two months.

[email protected]

(China Daily 09/28/2017 page5)