OCTOGENARIAN PARTY MEMBER Niu Ben,

an 83-year-old actor, was encouraged by President Xi Jinping to play a vanguard and exemplary role as a member of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in a letter on June 25. “I am pleased to hear that you have realized your long-cherished wish by joining the CPC at a senior age,” Xi, who is also General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, said in the letter, encouraging Niu to inspire more artists and writers to contribute to the prosperity of socialist literature and art.

Niu, who formerly worked with the Shanghai Film Studio, started acting at the age of 11, and has since appeared in a number of films.

In 2017, he was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the prestigious Golden Rooster Awards for his contribution to the Chinese film industry. On May 31, Niu was admitted as a probationary CPC member.