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BEIJING, July 1-- Communism was called a haunting ghost more than a century and a half ago, and few believed the Communist Party of China (CPC) could survive when it was founded in 1921. Now, the world is watching the largest ruling party in the world march toward its first centenary goal. The CPC is celebrating its 96th anniversary on Saturday and the 19th National Congress will be held in the latter half of this year. The congress will elect the leadership for another five-year term, the critical period for a goal of completing building a well-off nation by the Party's 100th anniversary. Once the goal is realized, nearly one fifth of the world's population will live in a "moderately prosperous society in all respects," or "xiaokang" in Chinese. The CPC is confident and determined in achieving that. Since its founding, the Party has been faced with doubts, misunderstanding and even hostility. Yet, the CPC has emerged as one of the world's most successful and exciting stories. China was a poor nation scarred by foreign aggression and civil war. It is now the world's second-largest economy and a major international player. The CPC has evolved from a small group of around 50 members to a 89-million member strong party, more than the population of Germany, with 4.5 million Party grassroots organizations. "Political legitimacy comes from competence and prosperity," said Zhang Weiwei, director of the Institute of China Studies under Fudan University. "The CPC experience shows that the ultimate test of a good system is how well it ensures good governance as judged by the people of that country." | 
