Ordinary Chinese hold high hopes for Party Congress   2002-11-10 14:02:04 China's mission from now on is to build a fairly well off society. That was one of the main messages delivered by General Secretary Jiang Zemin at the opening session of the CPC national congress. It's also exactly what people are hoping for. The country's business community has certainly welcomed the Party Congress. Business has picked up among the lanterns and flags in downtown Beijing. Couples have even chosen this time to have their wedding pictures taken. Xu Weichen is the manager of Miracle Love Wedding Photo Studio. He's been running the shop for six years, and he knows how the Congress can help his business. "I hope the Party Congress will spur on the country's economic growth. Only if the economy is good will our business be good, and only if ordinary people are well off will all businesses do well," said Xu Weichen. Xu said his business has improved step by step as people have become better off and he hopes the Congress will give it an even greater boost. Ordinary citizens also hold high hopes for the congress. Fiftynine year old Mrs. Zu Xiaoyun has been living in this old neighborhood in Beijing for more than 10 years. Located in the heart of a famous district of hutongs （small traditional alleys）, her neighborhood is a frequent site for tourists. But for Zu, living here is not very comfortable. Among other inconveniences, she has to burn coal to cook and to warm her house. Though she still prefers to live in this courtyard house because of its familiar surroundings, she wishes it could be more modern. "I wish we could have gas and heating systems so that people living in old neighborhoods won't need to burn coal any more. It's very dirty to burn coal in the house and it would be a lot better if the square yards were equipped with modern facilities," said Mrs. Zu Xiaoyun. She said her living standards had been improving constantly over the years and she hopes the Party Congress will further improve the living environment of Beijing's older residents, like her. Although the Party Congress is most concerned with politics and macro－economic matters, some of the policy decisions it makes will have a real impact on people's lives. With the power to affect everyone in the country, average householders and business figures alike are hoping the Congress will bring real benefits to their lives.