The CPC leadership

China's success hinges on the CPC...To do a good job of governing the country, we must first do a good job of governing the CPC, and that means governing it strictly.

— Xi addressing a ceremony marking the 95th anniversary of CPC's founding

The first Party unit consisting of online celebrity Party members was set up on Douyu, an online live streaming platform, on Jun 30, 2017. [Photo by Peng Nian/Yangtze River Daily]

CPC has 89.45 million members and grassroots Party units have increased to 4.52 million, according to a communique published ahead of the 96th anniversary of CPC's founding on July 1.

The growth rate of CPC membership has dropped while the structure of its members has improved since 2013 when the Party implemented a recruitment rule which stressed the quality of members while limiting the quantity.

Related: Graphic: CPC membership in numbers